Greene County Lawn Care

How high to mow grass in Greene County, Ohio: May lawn care

Growth peaks in May. Mow often, mow high, and let the clippings feed the lawn.

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

the sun marks this month

Do this in May

  • Mowing

    Mow at 3 to 4 inches and leave the clippings.

    Clippings break down quickly and don't cause thatch. OSU says they can supply up to 30 percent of a lawn's seasonal nitrogen, and bagging them can remove nearly three-quarters of the nitrogen you applied. Bag only when weeds are going to seed or disease is active. [1][2]

  • Fertilizer

    Finish any spring feeding this month.

    OSU places spring feeding in April and May and does not recommend fertilizing homeowner lawns in the heat of summer. [5]

  • Crabgrass and pre-emergents

    Preventer season is closing.

    For lawns with heavy crabgrass, OSU suggests a later product that combines pre- and post-emergent control, applied between May 10 and 20 in central Ohio. OSU says southern Ohio usually runs ahead of central Ohio, so watch soil temperature rather than the date. [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)

  • Grubs and weeds

    Spot-treat dandelions and clover; preventive grub window continues.

    OSU notes florasulam works in cool weather on dandelion and white clover. Spring sprays on perennial weeds can give as few as 8 weeks of control, compared with up to a year from a fall application. Chlorantraniliprole for grub prevention can still go down through July. [7][8][9]

  • Watering

    Water only when grass wilts, early in the morning.

    When the lawn shows drought stress, OSU suggests watering the next morning before 9 a.m. [10]

Nothing to do yet

  • Seeding

    Wait for late August.

    Spring seedings risk not establishing before summer stress. The main seeding season runs from late August into October. [3][4]

  • Leaves and winter care

    Nothing to do.

    No leaf or winter work this month.

  • Aeration

    Spring aeration window is still open.

    Aerate when the soil is moist enough to pull cores. [2]

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. Lawn Mowing (HYG-5816) Ohio State University Extension Checked 2026-10-26
  2. Natural Organic Lawn Care (HYG-4031), including its lawn care calendar for Ohio Ohio State University Extension Checked 2026-10-26
  3. Buckeye Turf Newsletter, Winter 2025-2026 Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  4. Seed Establishment in Fall (November 2024) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  5. 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.
  6. Annual Grassy Weed Control (March 2025) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  7. Mid-Spring Weed Control Reminders (May 2025) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  8. Wait Until Late October to Control Perennial Broadleaf Weeds (October 2024) Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26
  9. 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.
  10. Buckeye Turf Newsletter, Summer 2026 Buckeye Turf, Ohio State University Checked 2026-10-26