Every March, my phone starts buzzing with the same question: "Josh, is it time to start mowing yet?" The honest answer is — not yet. But there's plenty you should be doing before the first cut to set your yard up for a strong season. Here's the actual order I recommend to Cherokee County homeowners.
1. Walk the property and pick up debris
Sticks, blown-in trash, rocks, the kid's toy you forgot about — all of it needs to come up before any blade touches the ground. Skipping this is the #1 way to chip a mower blade or worse, throw something through a window.
2. Check your soil pH
North Georgia clay tends to run acidic (pH 5.0–5.5). Most lawn grass — especially fescue and Bermuda — wants 6.0–6.5. A $15 soil test from your local UGA Extension office tells you exactly how much lime to apply. Lime in spring; nitrogen comes later.
3. Pre-emergent before the dogwoods bloom
This is the most under-used trick in Cherokee County. Crabgrass and goosegrass germinate when soil temps hit ~55°F — usually mid-to-late March here. Get pre-emergent down before the dogwoods bloom and you'll save yourself hours of post-emergent spot-treatment in June.
4. Sharpen your blades
If you've never sharpened your mower blade, this is the year. A dull blade tears grass instead of cutting it — and torn grass tips turn brown, look terrible, and invite disease. Hardware stores will sharpen for ~$10, or replace for ~$30. Do it once a season minimum.
5. Aerate (if your soil is compacted)
If water pools on your yard after a hard rain or the ground feels rock-hard underfoot, you've got compacted clay. Core aeration in early spring punches holes that let air, water, and nutrients reach the root zone. Pair it with overseeding for fescue lawns.
6. First mow: high and slow
That first cut should leave the grass at 3.5 inches for fescue, 1.5 inches for Bermuda. Cutting too low ("scalping") stresses the lawn right when it's trying to wake up. Never remove more than 1/3 of the blade height in a single cut.
7. Don't fertilize yet
This is the most common mistake. Don't apply nitrogen fertilizer until your grass is actively growing — usually mid-April here. Fertilizing too early just feeds the weeds you're trying to suppress.
Need help with any of this? Drop us a message and we can quote out a spring cleanup, aeration, or pre-emergent application. Most Cherokee County customers book a one-time spring service in March, then transition into a recurring weekly plan once the grass is growing strong.