What is a good lawn care schedule for Massachusetts (Zone 5B)?

You won't find a calendar format that will tell you exactly everything that you ought to do, when to do it, and how to do it. But, lime your lawn now if a pH test of the soil shows it to be acidic.. Once grass and weeds begin to grow broadcast a weed and feed fertilizer for this will kill most, if not all, of the weeds and allows the grass to fill in the vacant spots. You need to choose what height you want to keep your grass cut at. Do know this though: cutting the grass too short allows for the soil to dry out quickly during hot dry weather, keeping it too long during cool, damp weather promotes fungus and mold, So in general, cut the grass shorter in the spring and fall while cutting it somewhat higher during the hot summer months. Seed now to restore bare spots to full coverage, treat for grubs now (but this can be done almost anytime during the warm months), water one inch per week in general to establish new grass plants. If available obtain composted sludge from a local municipality and evenly spread this over your lawn in the fall just prior to the ground freezing. This is an excellent soil conditioner that adds nutrients and also lime if the facility producing it added lime to stabilize the solids prior to composting it. I did this to my lawn in north central Worcester county for three years in a row and I never watered my lawn and had the best green grass ever.

Grass clippings are something which you will have to decide what to do with. Leave them on the lawn as long as they are of short lengths so that they can decompose and be added back into the soil. Remove them when there are massive amounts that form windrows and clumps that tend to kill off the grass underneath. I currently feed grass clippings to my chickens and use the rest as mulch around vegetable plants in my garden. Some even get used around the bases of young trees planted out in the yard. It is up to you. This fall you ought to broadcast a winterizing mixture of fertilizer to beef up the roots of your grass so that next spring your lawn will be ready to jump into high gear. Good luck!

can't give you a link handy but in general:

Lime anytime

spring fert now.. with pre-emerg crabgrass... ( no seeding now unless you rake and spot seed - may have crab grass in these areas) then fert with weed killer about 6-8 weeks (mid-summer - late summer)

grubs- early june and again in the fall to get you started then once / year is enough ( might have to hit it again if problems areas)

Water is about the best thing you can do for your lawn.. in the heat of the summer water early ( grass likes to go to bed dry) 3/4" to 1 inch every other day.

Lime and over seed in the fall.. rake with a spring rake larger bare areas... 1 to three lbs / 1000 sq feet.

Fert at 3 - 3 1/2 lbs / 1000

lime 5 to 10 lbs / 1000

insect killer 1 to 1 1/2 lbs / 1000

best I could do off the top of my head..

have your soil tested... the co-op exten service will do it for little $.... like $15 they will even give you the bags and instructions.

D-

Try this:

Zone 5 Lawn Care: http://www.gardenguides.com/111280-zone-5-lawn-car...