Low Maintenance Lawn Care

Lawn care with less effort and more free time—having an imperfect lawn is perfectly fine.

Our top tips for success:

• Mow frequently to crop weeds before they set seed
• Make multiple passes when mowing and leave grass bits on the lawn for natural fertilization.
• In spring or fall, use an upright weed puller for easy removal of broadleaf weeds and add seed to bare soil. These have a tap root and multiple wide leaves in a circular pattern that crowd out grass.
• Let your lawn go brown to save the most time, money, and water.
• If you do only one thing besides mowing, overseed by adding grass seed over the entire lawn at least once a year in spring or fall to help it outcompete weeds.

Medium Maintenance Lawn Care

Moderate time investment that tolerates some weeds and still looks nice.

Our top tips for success:

• In late winter/early spring, use an upright weed puller to easily pop out weeds, or spot spray and overseed bare spots.
• OSU Turf experts recommend NOT using weed and feed products, as they overapply weed killers and fertilize at the wrong time of year and present a risk to people, pets, and our waterways.
• Keep grass at about 3 inches and mow frequently in spring.
• Mulch mow: make multiple passes and leave grass bits on the lawn as natural fertilizer.
• If you want, add a slow-release fertilizer in the fall.
• Rake out (dethatch) dead grass and weeds and aerate every few years.
• Consider letting the lawn go brown to conserve water, but this may invite more weeds.
• If you do only one thing besides mowing, overseed by adding grass seed over the entire lawn one or two times a year in spring and fall to outcompete weeds.

High Maintenance Lawn Care

Maximum effort to feed your lawn hobby and obtain a more manicured result.

Our top tips for success:

• Rake out (dethatch) dead grass and weeds annually.
• Apply grass seed (overseed) to your entire lawn in spring and fall. Avoid in summer as excess nutrients cause harmful algal blooms to waterways. 
• OSU Turf experts recommend NOT using weed and feed products, as they overapply weed killers and fertilize at the wrong time of year and present a risk to people, pets, and our waterways.
• Use a slow-release fertilizer in spring and fall.
• Mulch mow: make multiple passes to leave small bits of grass to add natural fertilization. Then rake.
• Keep grass at about 3 inches and never cut more than one-third of the blade off to avoid disease.
• If you use chemicals, always read the label, and use minimally by spot spraying.
• Do not spray pesticides onto pavement, use a flat head shovel to remove weeds.
• For best results, an in-ground programmable irrigation system with a rain sensor is recommended.
• Calibrate your watering system to deliver ½ to ¾ inches of water 2 or 3 times per week without running off onto the pavement to encourage deep rooting. (See Watering Resources below).
• Consider a water-saving, drought tolerant variety of grass best for your area’s climate.
• Aerate at least every two years.

More About Lawn Care

Installing or Renovating a Lawn?
See Practical Lawn Establishment and Renovation.

Ecolawn: Less Work and Water
Ecolawn: Less Work and Water

Bee Friendly Lawn Care
See Bee Friendlier with Your Lawncare (Xerces Society).

Protecting Pollinators
PolliNation Podcast

Lawn Watering Resources
Regional Water Providers Consortium