NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, just closed on my first house in Hackensack last month (moving from an apartment in Fort Lee - exciting but overwhelming!). I look at my backyard and it's basically a brown mess from winter. My neighbor mentioned I should start doing cleanup soon but I'm completely lost. When exactly should I start spring cleanup here in Bergen County? Like late March? Early April? And more importantly - what's the actual ORDER of operations? Do I rake first before I fertilize? Or fertilize then wait? I don't want to screw up my lawn before it even gets going lol. Any step-by-step help would be amazing. House has what I think is tall fescue (at least that's what the previous owner said).

Welcome to the homeownership club! That's a great question and honestly the order matters a lot. Here's my take: 1. First, clear debris - twigs, leaves, thatch buildup 2. THEN rake lightly to loosen any matted areas 3. Apply pre-emergent if you had crabgrass problems before (probably worth it in our area) 4. Fertilize LAST - you want the grass actively growing to use those nutrients Don't rush it though. Wait until you see the grass actually starting to green up a bit and soil temp hits around 50 degrees. In Hackensack that's usually mid-to-late April. I made the mistake of fertilizing too early my first year and just fed the weeds honestly. What mower are you running? That'll determine a lot of your timeline too.

Good advice from Mike! I'd just add - also consider aerating if your soil feels compacted. You can rent an aerator from Home Depot on Routes 4 or 17 pretty cheap, like $60 for 4 hours. I personally like to hit the lawn with a good raking first to break up any snow mold too - wehad that nasty snow back in January and you might see some of that fuzzy gray stuff. Don't panic if you do, it's common here. A light rake takes care of it. Also get a soil test done! The Rutgers cooperative extension does free soil testing for NJ residents. Changed my whole game when I found out my pH was way off. Turned out I needed lime, not more nitrogen.

Let me jump in as someone who does this professionally around hackensack and Teaneck area. Correct order is: 1. Cleanup debris & any remaining dead topgrowth 2. Light raking/dethatching if needed (don't overdo it on tall fescue, it's pretty hardy but doesn't love aggressive dethatching) 3. Aeration (especially if you have clay soil which is EVERYWHERE in Bergen County - I'm talking Riverdale, Paramus, Englewood clay zones) 4. Pre-emergent application 5. Fertilizer - AND WAIT 2-3 weeks after planting for new seed, but since you're existing lawn go right ahead but lightly Timing: soil temp at 55°F is your trigger, not calendar date. Last frost date here is typically mid-April but we've had crazy weather swings. Wait for consistent 50°+ nights. For fescue: go with a starter fertilizer high in nitrogen, Scott's Turf Builder is fine but I've had better results withPennington Ultra Starter. One thing nobody mentioned - EDGING. Do your edges before you mow first time. Makes a huge difference in appearance.

Wow thank you all so much! This is incredibly helpful. Quick follow-up - what's a pre-emergent? Is that different from regular fertilizer? And what about the edging tool - string trimmer or edger machine? Also... soil test from Rutgers? How does that work? Do I just dig some dirt and mail it in? Sorry for all the questions, genuinely starting from zero here 😅

Pre-emergent is a weed preventer - stops crabgrass and goosegrass BEFORE they germinate. SUPER important in NJ especially with how bad crabgrass gets in the summer. You apply it BEFORE soil hits 55° consistently, so timing-wise you'd ideally put it down by end of March. The big brands are Scott's Halts or Dimension. Don't stress the edging yet! String trimmer with a plastic blade guard is totally fine for beginners. I used one for years before upgrading. Echo and Stihl make solid ones. Just watch a youtube video on trimming technique so you don't scalp your edges lol. Rutgers soil test kit is online - search 'Rutgers soil testing clinic'. They send you a bag, you fill it, send it back, they email results in like 2 weeks. SUPER worth it. Found out I was over-fertilizing phosphorous for years.

One more tip - don't forget to clean your gutters too while you're doing outdoor stuff! I know not lawn related but in Bergen county with all our trees (oak, maple everywhere) those gutters fill up FAST and cause drainage issues that hurt lawns near foundations. Also - if you see moss in shady spots that's NOT a lawn problem, that's a LIGHT problem. Moss means not enough sun. Could mean trimming trees back. Something to think about for later in season. @LawnLoverfeel free to DM me if you need help identifying grass types once it starts growing! Good luck man, you'll be fine. First year is always learning curve but fescue is forgiving.