A month-by-month lawn care calendar for Ontario
Most lawn jobs have a window of a few weeks. Miss it and the same work does a fraction of the good.
This is the calendar we work to across Mississauga and Etobicoke. The dates shift a couple of weeks either way with the season, and the sequence never does.
March
Stay off the lawn. Clay soil is still saturated and walking on it now compacts it for the whole season. Book your spring cleanup, because routes are being built this month. Prune summer-flowering shrubs before buds break.
April
Spring cleanup: winter debris cleared, beds cut back and edged, dethatching where needed. The first cut of the season, set high — never scalp a lawn coming out of dormancy.
May
Peak growth. Weekly mowing is genuinely necessary now, not a preference. Top up mulch to five to seven centimetres. Plant annuals once frost risk has passed, usually after the Victoria Day weekend.
June
Raise the mower deck. First hedge trim once spring growth has hardened off. Water deeply twice a week rather than lightly every day.
Everything you do in June is preparation for how the lawn handles July.
July
Expect dormancy in dry spells and let it happen. Mow less often and never in the afternoon heat. Deadhead perennials to keep them flowering. Stay off dormant turf.
August
Plan aeration and overseeding for the end of the month. Watch for grub damage and raccoon digging. Second hedge trim to hold shape into fall.
September
The most important month of the year. Overseed and topdress — warm soil and cool nights make this the strongest establishment window there is. Fall fertilizer feeds the roots that carry the lawn through winter. Book fall cleanup now.
October
Fall cleanup, first pass. Leaves off the turf before they mat. Cut back perennials, prepare beds for frost.
November
Second leaf pass after the stubborn trees drop. Final mow, slightly shorter than summer height, to reduce snow mould. Wrap vulnerable evergreens against salt spray. Final bed edging before the ground hardens.