Greene County Lawn Care

Spring lawn cleanup in Greene County, Ohio: March

Rake out what winter left behind, start mowing when the grass grows, and keep an eye on soil temperature for crabgrass.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

the sun marks this month

Do this in March

  • Mowing

    Start mowing when the grass starts growing, at 3 to 4 inches.

    Buckeye Turf gives 3 to 4 inches as the ideal height for Ohio lawns. Never take off more than a third of the blade at once: a lawn kept at 3 inches should be mowed before it passes 4.5 inches. [1][2][3]

  • Seeding

    Spring seeding can start once soil stays above 50°F.

    OSU says spring seeding can begin as soon as soil temperatures are consistently above 50°F, and earlier is better (March if you can). Spring seedings carry a real risk of not establishing before summer heat, and weeds compete hard. If you seed, skip the usual crabgrass preventers: mesotrione is the one pre-emergent OSU says is safe at seeding. [4][5][3][6]

    This depends on soil temperature, not the date.

    This is the nearest Ohio State weather station with live soil temperatures, just north of Greene County. It reports soil temperature at 5 cm (about 2 inches), the depth OSU uses for crabgrass timing.

    Check today's reading at the OSU CFAES Weather System, Western Agricultural Research Station (South Charleston, Clark County)

  • Crabgrass and pre-emergents

    Get ready. Apply when 2-inch soil temperature reaches about 50°F.

    Crabgrass starts to germinate when soil 2 inches down stays around 58°F, so OSU says to put preventer down when it reaches 50°F. Forsythia bloom is the old reminder, usually the last week of March into the first two weeks of April. At OSU's Columbus turf center crabgrass first comes up within a couple of days of April 20, and earlier in southern Ohio. OSU also found early-April applications beat March ones, so don't rush it. [7][5]

    This depends on soil temperature, not the date.

    This is the nearest Ohio State weather station with live soil temperatures, just north of Greene County. It reports soil temperature at 5 cm (about 2 inches), the depth OSU uses for crabgrass timing.

    Check today's reading at the OSU CFAES Weather System, Western Agricultural Research Station (South Charleston, Clark County)

  • Leaves and winter care

    Rake or mow leftover leaves and lightly rake snow mold patches.

    OSU's Ohio lawn calendar starts March with raking or mowing the leaves left from fall. For snow mold, lightly rake the matted grass so it dries and recovers. [3][10]

Nothing to do yet

  • Fertilizer

    Hold off until April.

    OSU's spring window for feeding is April and May. [6]

  • Grubs and weeds

    Nothing to treat yet.

    Preventive grub products and spring weed work start in April. [8]

  • Watering

    No watering needed.

    Water only when the lawn shows drought stress, which is rare this early. [9]

Sources

Recommendations on this page follow Ohio State University Extension. Each source was checked on 2026-10-26. For the deeper national guide, see Really Great Lawn.

  1. Turfgrass Establishment Series: Mowing Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  2. Lawn Mowing (HYG-5816) Ohio State University Extension Checked 2026-10-26
  3. Natural Organic Lawn Care (HYG-4031), including its lawn care calendar for Ohio Ohio State University Extension Checked 2026-10-26
  4. Early Spring Lawn Care (March 2025) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  5. Buckeye Turf Newsletter, Winter 2025-2026 Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  6. Efficient Lawn Care Practices to Help Protect Ohio's Waterways (HYG-5812) Ohio State University Extension, Ohioline Checked 2026-10-26 Ohioline fact-sheet pages returned an error on 2026-10-26, so this was read from the Internet Archive copy saved 2026-04-20.
  7. Annual Grassy Weed Control (March 2025) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  8. Japanese Beetle (ENT-46) Ohio State University Extension, Ohioline Checked 2026-10-26 Ohioline fact-sheet pages returned an error on 2026-10-26, so this was read from the Internet Archive copy saved 2026-08-09.
  9. Buckeye Turf Newsletter, Summer 2026 Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  10. Snow Mold Damage: How Bad Is It and What Can Be Done? (March 2025) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26