Bring the golf course home.
Golf-course quality for your home landscape (lawn, trees and beds) from a 20-year superintendent. Some of what we do on the course works in your yard. A lot of it doesn't, and you don't need it.
Start hereThe difference between a golf course and your yard, in three lessons
Do less
A golf course has to look pristine for its members and its golfers. They do way more in a day than you should do in a month. I'll show you how to do less without losing that quality look for your lawn. You shouldn't be a slave to landscaping.
Do it right
The jobs that do matter, I'll show you how to do them right the first time, so the effects can be enjoyed all season long.
Don't do it at all
Some things you see golf courses doing, you just don't need at all. Some things your lawn, trees and garden beds could benefit from, but only if you do all the steps. Otherwise it's a waste, once again.
You can have the best landscape in the neighborhood and not sacrifice every free moment to get it.
The big season
Fall is when a cool-season lawn is built. Roots grow until the ground freezes, so the work you do now shows up in April.
- Do nowMulch the leaves into the lawn instead of raking→
- Do nowSpray broadleaf weeds once: October beats spring→
- Do nowBlow out the sprinklers before the first freeze→
- WaitLate-fall feeding: after the last mow, still green→
- WaitSeed bare spots in November, not now→
- Skip itFungicide on a home lawn: usually the wrong fix→
Straight answers to the questions everyone asks
What do you do with the pumpkins after Halloween so they do not sit on the grass?
Move carved pumpkins off the turf within days to compost, a drop-off, or a garden bed so the grass doesn't die underneath. Local rules vary.
Read the full answer →Do You Need to Aerate Every Year?
Skip the flyer: a screwdriver probe and thatch check show whether your lawn needs aeration, plus soil and traffic guidance on when to core aerate.
Read the full answer →How Many Times a Year Should You Fertilize?
How many times a year a home lawn really needs fertilizer: usually one or two feedings, with timing, pounds of nitrogen, and when to skip.
Read the full answer →Is It Too Late to Overseed in October?
The best window for cool-season seed is mid-August to mid-September. In October it depends on where you live, the soil temperature and the seed you pick. How to decide, and what to do instead if you missed it.
Read the full answer →How Short Is Short Enough Going Into Winter?
Long grass mats under snow and invites snow mold. Scalping it hurts the crowns. The right final mowing height for cool-season lawns, and how to get there without shocking the grass.
Read the full answer →Dog Spots or Lawn Fungus?
Round brown patches can be dog urine or disease. The ring test, the tug test and the timing that tell you which, and how to fix each one.
Read the full answer →Browse by topic
Fall & Winter
- Snow mold on Minnesota lawns last spring: what to change this fall
- Can you still core-aerate the lawn in the second half of October?
Lawn
- Dead or Dormant? Why I Let Acres of Golf Course Grass Turn Brown
- How to Fix Fertilizer Stripes in Your Lawn (and Never Get Them Again)
Trees & Shrubs
- Salt-Tolerant Shrubs and Grasses for Curb Strips and Driveways
- Emerald Ash Borer: Treat or Remove Your Ash Tree?
Garden Beds
- Getting Roses Through a Northern Winter: Sort Them, Wait, Then Cover
- Hydrangeas: what to cut in fall and what to leave alone
Weeds & Pests
- Gray Snow Mold and Pink Snow Mold Are Not the Same Patch
- Dog Spots or Lawn Fungus? How to Tell the Difference
The groundwork
Fall Soil Testing: Why Now Beats Spring
How Many Lawn Treatments Do You Really Need? A Golf Course Superintendent's Answer
How Golf Courses Put Greens to Bed for Winter (and What Homeowners Can Steal)Latest guides
Garden BedsHydrangeas: what to cut in fall and what to leave aloneMost hydrangeas should not be pruned in fall. Learn how to identify your type, what's safe to cut now, and how to protect buds through winter.
Garden BedsLeaves in the Garden Beds: Free Mulch, If You Shred Them First
Garden BedsWhen to mulch garden beds for winter (after the ground freezes, not before)
Garden BedsCut Back Perennials This Fall or Leave Them for Winter? Cut the Sick Ones, Leave the Rest
Mowers & EquipmentThe $6,000 Mower Question: What a Small Yard Actually Needs
LawnHow to Fix Fertilizer Stripes in Your Lawn (and Never Get Them Again)
Fall & WinterCan you still core-aerate the lawn in the second half of October?