How much and how often to water your lawn, when to stop mowing in fall, what to do with the leaves, and when to winterize the sprinkler system.
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Usually not. Mow a light or moderate layer of leaves into the lawn until your last mow, and remove only what hides the grass. Extension thresholds, the research, and leaf deadlines for 20 US cities from NOAA normals.
Drain a sprinkler system before the first fall freeze and no later than the first 28°F hard freeze. Normal-year freeze dates for 31 US cities from NOAA, the three drain methods and backflow protection.
Cool-season lawns stop growing when daytime highs stay below about 50°F; warm-season lawns stop at the first frost. Normal-year dates for 40 US cities, checked against extension advice.
Most lawns need about 1 inch of water a week, rain included. How often to water, how long to run a sprinkler, and how much normal summer rain covers in 21 US cities.
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