A Lawn Care Calendar That Actually Works

Most lawn advice fails because it is timed to months rather than to soil temperature and growth. Here is the sequence we follow on our test lawns, with the trigger for each job.

Late winter

Keep off frozen or waterlogged turf entirely — footfall compacts it. Service the mower and sharpen the blade now, while nothing is growing.

Spring

First cut once growth restarts, blade high. Feed with a nitrogen-led fertiliser only after two consecutive weeks of visible growth.

Summer

Raise the cut to 40–50 mm and mulch. A taller sward shades its own roots and needs far less water than a close-cut lawn.

Early autumn

The most productive month: scarify, aerate, overseed and top-dress in that order, then feed with a low-nitrogen autumn mix.

Late autumn to winter

Clear leaves before they mat, drop the cut slightly for the last pass, and stop feeding entirely.