What order should spring lawn care jobs be done in?

Reset cut first, then dethatch, then aerate, then top dress and overseed where appropriate, then feed, and finally settle into a regular mowing rhythm. That order ensures each step reaches the root zone.

Seasonal guide · Melbourne

Spring lawn care checklist

Q: Should I dethatch and aerate my lawn every year?

Not necessarily. Dethatch only if the lawn feels spongy underfoot, and aerate if the soil is compacted from clay or foot traffic. Both suit spring when the lawn recovers quickly, but only do them when the lawn needs it.

Spring is when a Melbourne lawn either takes off or limps through another year. Do these jobs in the right order and the lawn does the rest.

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Spring sets up the whole year

As soil temperatures climb past about 15 degrees, warm-season lawns wake up and grow hard. Spring is the one window where a little effort compounds: the lawn is hungry, actively growing and quick to recover, so anything you do now pays off all summer. Skip it and you spend the warm months fighting thin patches and weeds instead of enjoying the lawn.

The jobs below run roughly in order. You do not need every one every year, but the sequence matters. We work through this checklist on lawns across Glenroy and Oak Park every spring as the kikuyu and couch start to move.

The reset cut

Start the season with a slightly lower reset cut to clear the tired, strawy growth left over from winter. This is not a scalp: drop the height a notch, not to the dirt. Removing that dead top layer lets light and warmth reach the base of the plant and signals the lawn to push fresh green growth. Bag these clippings rather than mulching them back in.

Dethatch, then aerate

Thatch is the spongy layer of dead stems and runners that builds up between the green leaf and the soil. A thin layer is fine, but a thick mat repels water and harbours pests. If your lawn feels bouncy underfoot, a light dethatch or vigorous rake opens it back up.

Aerating follows. Compacted soil, common on clay-heavy inner-north blocks and anywhere with foot traffic, stops water, air and nutrients reaching the roots. Pulling small cores or even spiking the lawn relieves that compaction. Together, dethatching and aerating let everything you do next actually reach the root zone.

Top dress and overseed

Top dressing is a thin layer of quality soil or sand spread across the lawn to level minor dips and improve the surface. Keep it light, never smothering the grass, and work it in. If your lawn has bare or thin patches, spring is also the time to overseed, but only on cool-season lawns or mixed lawns. Pure warm-season grasses like couch and kikuyu spread by runners and repair themselves rather than from seed.

Across the shadier, mixed lawns we tend in Strathmore and Essendon North, a spring overseed thickens the worn areas before summer arrives.

Feed and then maintain

With the lawn opened up and levelled, a spring feed is the payoff. A balanced fertiliser now drives the thick, green growth that crowds out weeds and shrugs off heat. We cover timing, types and rates in the lawn fertilising guide.

From there it is all about rhythm. As growth accelerates, settle into a regular mowing schedule and raise the height as summer nears. Our when to mow guide maps the frequency through the seasons. Lawns we keep on a steady spring round in Gowanbrae stay ahead of the surge instead of chasing it.

Common questions

When does spring lawn care start in Melbourne?

Usually from September, as soil temperatures rise past about 15 degrees and warm-season lawns wake up. Start with a reset cut, then work through dethatching, aerating, top dressing and feeding as growth accelerates through October and November.

Should I dethatch and aerate every year?

Not necessarily. Dethatch only if the lawn feels spongy and bouncy underfoot, and aerate if the soil is compacted from clay or foot traffic. Both are worth doing in spring when the lawn recovers quickly, but only when the lawn actually needs them.

Can I overseed a kikuyu or couch lawn in spring?

Generally no. Pure warm-season grasses like couch and kikuyu spread by runners and repair themselves rather than from seed. Overseeding suits cool-season or mixed lawns. For warm-season lawns, feeding and aerating drive the spread instead.

What order should I do spring lawn jobs in?

Reset cut first, then dethatch, then aerate, then top dress and overseed where appropriate, then feed, then settle into a regular mowing rhythm. Doing them in that order means each step actually reaches the root zone.