Planning and buying for spring

Look back first

Note what went wrong last year: thin patches, moss, crabgrass, brown spots, wet areas. Each points to a job this year, such as overseeding, a pH test, a pre-emergent, or aeration. Measure the lawn if you have not; every amount depends on the area.

What to buy

• Spring fertilizer: 25–30 g/m², about 5–6 lb per 1,000 sq ft, per feed.
• Seed for overseeding: 10–15 g/m² (2–3 lb per 1,000 sq ft) for thin areas, more for bare patches. Seed keeps a year or two in a cool, dry place.
• Pre-emergent if crabgrass was a problem, bearing in mind it rules out spring overseeding.
• A soil test kit, iron sulfate for moss, and blades or trimmer line.

Buying in winter avoids the spring rush, when the right seed mix or a starter fertilizer can sell out.

Key dates for a cool-season lawn

Clean-up and first mow from March, spring feed mid-March to mid-April, scarifying and overseeding in April or September, autumn feed late September to October.