NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, first-time homeowner in Ramsey here. Got my lawn aerated and seeded last month ( contractors put down tall fescue blend ), and now I'm getting conflicting advice on when to winterize. One company says do it now ( mid-October ), another says wait until late November after the last mowing. What's actually correct for this area? My lawn is about 4000 sq ft and I've never dealt with a NJ winter before. Thanks!

Welcome to Bergen County! This is THE most common question I get every fall. The short answer: aim for late October to early November, but watch the weather. In our area ( zone 6b ), you want your final mow done by early November most years. The key is making sure the grass is dry and we get a few days of temps above 40°F after application so the fertilizer/weed preventer can activate. The early October crowd is usually trying to get you on their schedule before things get crazy busy - not necessarily wrong, just aggressive timing.

Don't forget about the irrigation system! If you're having these guys blow out your sprinkler lines, that timing matters too. I'd say wait a bit later than the lawn guys typically recommend. Once we get a hard freeze ( or two back-to-back nights below 28°F ), you're good to blow the lines. I've seen too many people do it in early October and then get a warm spell where the system could use water, leading to cracks come spring. For Bergen County, I'd look at the second half of November personally.

That's really helpful, thanks! Quick follow up - should I be doing anything differently since I just had aeration and seeding done in September? The guy who did it said to hold off on winterizer products until spring because of the new seedlings. Is that nonsense?

Actually that's a fair point from your seeder - new grass seedlings need time to establish before you hit them with pre-emergent. The issue is most winterizers bundle weed preventer with fertilizer, and the preventer ( prodiamine or Dimension ) can inhibit new grass germination. You have two options: 1) wait until spring for the weed control and just do a light nitrogen feed now, or 2) if you're in a rush, some places sell straight fertilizer winterizer blends without the pre-em. I'd go option 1 personally, better to be patient especially with tall fescue which is slow to establish anyway. Hit me up in spring and we can talk about prodiamine timing!