Spring lawn prep: 6 things to do before your first mow
Spring lawn care is mostly about restraint — the lawn wants to wake up on its own schedule, and the biggest mistakes are acts of enthusiasm. Here's the short list, in order.
1. Wait for the ground to firm up
Working on soggy spring soil compacts it for the whole season. If your footprints sink, stay off.
2. Clean up what winter left
Rake out matted leaves, twigs, and any gray crusty patches of snow mold — matted areas stay diseased and dead spots start here. (This is the core of a proper spring cleanup.)
3. Tune the mower — especially the blade
A winter-dull blade tears rather than cuts, and torn tips brown immediately (we wrote a whole post on post-mow browning). Sharpen or replace before cut one.
4. Time your pre-emergent
If crabgrass was a problem last year, pre-emergent goes down before soil hits ~55°F — mid-April-ish in Chicagoland. The full timing logic is in our crabgrass guide.
5. Hold the heavy fertilizer
Big early-spring nitrogen builds lush tops on shallow roots. Save real feeding for late spring and fall — the three-feeding schedule explains why.
6. First mow: high and gentle
Around 3 inches, never scalped, once the grass is clearly growing — our month-by-month Chicago guide pins the timing. Or set your recurring schedule in April and let the season run itself.