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Lawn Care For Dummies Cheat Sheet

By
Suzanne DeJohn
National Gardening Association
Updated
2026-01-27 07:05:00
From the book
Lawn Care For Dummies
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Lawn Care For Dummies
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Lawn Care For Dummies
Lawn Care For Dummies, 2nd Edition book cover
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Lawn Care For Dummies
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A lawn is so much more than just a patch of grass; it’s the soft spot in your yard where you play with your kids, entertain friends and family, spread out the picnic blanket, and settle in for an evening of stargazing. For many of us, a well-kept lawn is a thing of beauty, a bright and healthy expanse that creates a welcoming stage for our homes and gardens. In this Cheat Sheet, you find out steps to take for a healthy, sustainable lawn, where to find lawn care information, and where to purchase lawn-related seeds and products.

10 steps to a healthy, sustainable lawn

The way you design your lawn and care for it directly affect the health of the surrounding ecosystem. Here are ten ways to make your lawn and landscape more eco-friendly.

  1. Plant grasses that are well adapted to your climate and the growing conditions in your yard (sun, shade, lots of foot traffic, and so on).

  2. Prior to planting a new lawn, test your soil and add recommended amendments to adjust the pH and supply needed nutrients. Mix in some compost to build the health of the soil.

  3. Plant grass at the right time: early fall or spring for cool-season grasses; late spring or summer for warm-season grasses.

  4. Water deeply and only when your lawn needs it to encourage deep, healthy root systems. Use smart irrigation technology to maximize the effectiveness of your watering while conserving this precious resource.

  5. Fertilize at the appropriate times: spring and fall for cool-season grasses, late spring through summer and early to mid-fall for warm-season grasses.

    Avoid overfertilizing; this can stress the grass and lead to weak growth that’s susceptible to pest and disease problems. Fertilizing excessively also wastes money, and the excess fertilizer can pollute waterways.

  6. Mow at the appropriate height for the type of grass in your lawn.

    Mow regularly, removing no more than one third of the blade to encourage dense, lush growth. Keep the mower blades sharp.

  7. Leave clippings on the lawn.

    As they break down, they add free nutrients and organic matter to the soil — and they don’t cause thatch.

  8. Nurture soil health with annual applications of compost.

    Apply a thin layer of finely screened compost to the surface of established lawns. Test soil every few years to determine nutrient levels and soil pH and follow recommendations for amendments.

  9. Aerate compacted soil to allow water, air, and nutrients to reach plant roots.

    Aerating also encourages a healthy soil ecosystem and reduces thatch buildup.

  10. If there are little-used areas in your lawn, consider converting some of them to a rain garden, pollinator garden, or wildflower meadow.

    The landscape features require little to no supplemental irrigation and fertilizer, and they create habitat for birds, beneficial insects, and other wildlife.

How to calculate the area of your lawn

It’s always helpful to know the approximate square footage of your lawn, and it’s a necessary step before you can calculate the quantity of grass seed, fertilizer, or soil amendments you’ll need. Use a 50- or 100-foot tape measure and then use these guidelines for making your calculations:

  • For a square or rectangular area, multiply the length by the width.

    Example: 60-foot length × 40-foot width = 2,400 square feet

  • For a triangular lawn, multiply the height times the length of the base and divide by 2.

    Example: 60-foot height × 30-foot base = 1,800 square feet. Divide by 2, and you have 900 square feet

  • For a circular lawn, take the radius (the distance halfway across a center line) and multiply that number by itself. Then multiply the result by pi (3.14).

    Example: For a circle with a radius of 25 feet, 25 × 25 = 625, multiplied by 3.14 equals approximately 1,963 square feet

  • For an irregularly shaped lawn, break up the areas into circles, squares and rectangles, calculate the areas for each section, and then add them up.

  • Remember that you don’t have to be exact. Just a reasonably close estimate of the lawn size will suffice.

Sources for lawn care information

The following organizations and websites offer helpful information about lawns and related topics.

  • Alliance for Low Input Sustainable Turf (A-LIST): This nonprofit organization identifies, evaluates, and promotes high-quality turfgrass varieties that also require relatively less water, fertilizer, chemicals, and pesticides compared to other varieties. Products that meet the acceptance criteria receive the A-LIST approved tag for use in packaging. The website at https://a-listturf.org includes a list of approved varieties.

  • Cooperative Extension System: This is a nationwide partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land-grant universities, and county governments that provides research-based education and programs. At the local level, county extension agents provide free, expert advice to the public on a range of topics, including gardening and lawn care. For example, you can contact your local cooperative extension office about the most appropriate grasses for your region or get help identifying pest problems. You can find a link to your state cooperative extension office at https://extension.org/find-cooperative-extension-in-your-state.

  • National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP): A cooperative effort between the nonprofit National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, Inc. and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), this program is designed to develop and coordinate uniform evaluation trials of turfgrass varieties and promising selections in the United States and Canada. You can find the website at www.ntep.org.

  • National Pesticide Information Center: Objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions about pesticides and their use. NPIC (https://npic.orst.edu) is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  • National Poison Control Center: Call 800-222-1222 to speak to a poison control expert or visit www.poison.org to access the free Poison Control online tool and app for confidential, quick, and easy ways to get expert help.

  • Gardening with Skip: This website by Skip Richter, technical editor of Lawn Care For Dummies, offers gardening advice, tips, and printable lawn care guides to grow a more bountiful garden and beautiful landscape with a focus on soil and climate of central to southeast Texas. You can find Skip’s website at https://gardeningwithskip.com.

Sources of lawn-related seeds and products

The following companies offer lawn-related products, including grass and wildflower seeds, irrigation equipment, and tools.  

  • A. M. Leonard, Inc., 241 Fox Dr., Piqua, OH 45356; www.amleo.com

    Professional nursery and gardening supplies, including fertilizers, grass seed, and tools for lawn maintenance and pest control.

  • American Meadows, 2438 Shelburne Rd., Suite 1, Shelburne, VT 05482; www.americanmeadows.com

    Source for regional wildflower seed mixes and seeds for individual wildflowers, as well as flower bulbs and plants. The website includes extensive information on establishing wildflower meadows (“meadowscaping”).

  • Fedco Seeds, P.O. Box 520, Clinton, ME 04927; https://fedcoseeds.com

    Member-owned cooperative specializing in gardening, farming, and orcharding supplies. Products include grasses and ground covers, supplies for pest and disease management, and fertilizers and soil amendments.

  • Gardener’s Supply Company, 128 Intervale Rd., Burlington, VT 05401; www.gardeners.com

    A source for innovative tools and supplies for home gardeners, including products to support backyard habitat for birds and pollinators.

  • High Country Gardens, 2438 Shelburne Rd., Suite 1, Shelburne, VT 05482; www.highcountrygardens.com

    Source for regional wildflower seed mixes and seeds for individual wildflowers, as well as flower bulbs and plants with a focus on water-wise plants for the unique challenges of Western gardens.

  • Hunter Irrigation, 1940 Diamond St., San Marcos, CA 92078; www.hunterirrigation.com

    Manufacturers of a complete line of professional sprinkler and irrigation equipment. The website includes content on installing and maintaining irrigation systems, including a guide for designing a home irrigation system.

  • Irrigation Specialists, 2410 North Fourth, Pasco, WA 99301; https://irrigationspecialists.com

    Supplies and design services for home and garden irrigation systems.

  • Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply, 125 Clydesdale Court, Grass Valley, CA 95945; www.groworganic.com

    Comprehensive selection of organic gardening supplies, grass seeds, tools, and organic soil amendments.

  • Pennington Seed, P.O. Box 290, Madison, GA 30650; www.pennington.com

    Manufacturer and retailer of lawn and garden products, including extensive lines of grass seed and fertilizers. The website includes content on grass seed selection and sowing, planting charts, and tips on weed and insect control.

  • PT Lawn Seed, 1712 SE Ankeny St, Portland, OR 97214; https://ptlawnseed.com

    Pioneers in alternative lawns, offering a wide selection of low-input, low maintenance seed mixes for eco-lawns, conventional and sports turf, wildflowers, and commercial applications. Pro Time mixes contain the latest genetics, selected for drought tolerance, performance, compatibility and beauty.

  • Rain Bird Corporation, 970 West Sierra Madre Ave., Azusa, CA 91702; www.rainbird.com

    Manufactures a full line of lawn and garden sprinklers and smart irrigation controllers and source for irrigation design services.

  • Sprinkler Warehouse, 2737 W Grand Pkwy N., Katy , TX 77449; https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com

    In addition to offering a full line of irrigation supplies, the website offers articles and videos on a range of topics, including how to install a lawn sprinkler system, how to repair a sprinkler, and how to install drip irrigation.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

Lawn Care For Dummies

About the book author:

Suzanne DeJohn is an editor with the National Gardening Association.
The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational nonprofit organization in the United States, providing resources at www.garden.org and www.kidsgardening.org.

The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational nonprofit organization in the United States, providing resources at garden.org and kidsgardening.org.

This article can be found in the category: 

Lawn Care

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