You just signed a mountain of paperwork, shook a bunch of hands, and got the keys to your new place. Congratulations. Now you're standing in the backyard looking at... a lawn. Maybe it looks great. Maybe it looks like a hayfield. Maybe you're honestly not sure what you're looking at.

Whatever state it's in, take a breath. Your new home lawn care journey doesn't need to start today. The yard has been doing its thing without you for a while now, and it can handle another week while you unpack boxes and figure out where you put the coffee maker.

But when you're ready to deal with it, here's exactly what to do.

Take a Breath — Your Lawn Can Wait a Week

Seriously. Unless the grass is a foot tall and your HOA is already sending letters, there's no rush. Moving is stressful enough without adding "become a lawn expert immediately" to the list.

Your lawn is a living thing, and it's been growing without your help for however long the previous owner was (or wasn't) maintaining it. A few more days won't matter. Unpack, get settled, and come back to this when you've got thirty minutes to actually think about it.

That said, there's one exception: if it's early spring and you haven't met your lawn yet, you might want to skim ahead to the pre-emergent section. Timing matters on that one, and missing the window means weeds all summer. Everything else can wait.

Figure Out What You're Working With

Before you do anything, walk the yard. Not to fix things — just to look. You're doing reconnaissance here.

Notice which areas get full sun and which are shaded for most of the day. Check if there's an irrigation system — look for sprinkler heads near the edges of the lawn and a control box in the garage or utility closet. Look at the edges where the lawn meets the driveway, sidewalk, and beds. Are they clean or overgrown?

Is the lawn mostly grass, or is it mostly weeds? Both are fine as a starting point — you just want to know what you're dealing with. If it's green and grows when you mow it, you're in better shape than you think, even if half of it turns out to be clover or wild violet.

Check the fence lines and corners for areas where grass is thin or dead. Look for any obvious drainage issues — low spots where water pools after rain, slopes where the soil looks washed out. Make a mental note and move on. You don't need to fix any of this today.

Identify Your Grass Type

Knowing what grass you have tells you how to mow it, when to feed it, and when it needs water. There are two main categories.

Cool-season grasses (fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass) are common in the northern half of the country. They stay green in spring and fall, can struggle in extreme summer heat, and generally have finer, narrower blades.

Warm-season grasses (bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) are common in the South. They thrive in heat, go dormant and turn brown in winter, and tend to have thicker or wider blades.

The easiest way to figure out what you have is to ask a neighbor. If they've been caring for their lawn for a while, they know what grows in your area. You can also enter your zip code on Lawn HQ and we'll show you the most common grass types for your location along with care recommendations.

If you're not sure and nobody's around to ask, don't worry about it right away. For now, mow at 3 inches — that's a safe height for cool-season grasses, St. Augustine, and zoysia. If your lawn turns out to be bermuda (common in the South — fine-textured, dense, and spreads aggressively), you'll eventually want to bring it down to 1–2 inches, but 3 inches won't hurt it while you're figuring things out.

Check What Zone You're In

Your USDA hardiness zone determines when your lawn wakes up in spring, when it goes dormant, and what products to use when. It's based on your average winter temperatures and runs from zone 3 (very cold) to zone 10 (very warm).

You don't need to memorize anything. Just punch your zip code into Lawn HQ and we'll tell you your zone, recommend grass types, and lay out exactly what to do first. Takes about 30 seconds.

The First 30 Days: What to Do (and What Not to Do)

For your first month as a new home lawn care owner, keep things simple. Here's what to actually do, and what to avoid.

Mow it. If the grass is long, bring it down to a reasonable height. Don't try to go from six inches to two inches in one pass — that's called scalping, and it stresses the grass badly. Set your mower at the highest setting and mow, then lower it gradually over the next couple of mows until you're at the right height for your grass type. If you don't own a mower yet, any basic push mower from a hardware store will do the job.

Water if it's hot and dry. If you moved in during summer and it hasn't rained in a week, give the lawn a good soaking. About an inch of water, once or twice a week. If you have sprinklers, run a zone and put out a tuna can to measure — when the can is full, that's roughly an inch.

Don't fertilize yet. You don't know what the previous owner applied, and throwing down fertilizer on top of a recent application can burn the lawn. Give it at least a month (or until the start of the next season) before you fertilize.

Don't rip anything out. That "weed" might be an ornamental plant the previous owner loved. That brown patch might just be dormant grass waiting for warmer weather. Until you've seen the lawn go through at least one full season, resist the urge to tear things out or make dramatic changes.

Don't panic about weeds. Weeds are normal, and every lawn has them. A thick, healthy lawn crowds out most weeds naturally over time. You don't need to declare war on dandelions in month one. Just mow over them and focus on getting the grass healthy first.

Your First Full Season Plan

Here's the overview by season. The specific timing depends on your zone and grass type, but this is the general framework.

Spring: Apply pre-emergent (a product that stops weed seeds from sprouting) when soil temps are approaching 50–55°F — you want it down before crabgrass germinates. Start mowing when the grass is actively growing. Water if needed. For a detailed breakdown of spring timing, check our spring lawn care guide.

Summer: Mow regularly at the right height for your grass type. Water about an inch per week, including rain. Spot-treat any weeds that really bother you, but don't stress about a few dandelions.

Fall: For cool-season lawns, this is the most important season. Fertilize, overseed any thin or bare spots, and keep mowing until growth stops. For warm-season lawns, ease off fertilizer and let the lawn prepare for dormancy.

Winter: Minimal work. Clean and store your mower. Stay off frozen grass when possible.

For a detailed week-by-week version of this plan customized to your location, get your free Lawn HQ plan. It builds a schedule based on your zip code and grass type so you always know what to do next.

The Stuff You Can Ignore for Now

The internet will tell you that you need to do all of this right away. You really don't.

Aeration. Core aeration (pulling small plugs of soil out of the lawn to relieve compaction) is great for established lawns, but it's not a year-one priority. If your soil is heavily compacted (you can tell if water pools on the surface instead of soaking in), consider it in your second fall. Otherwise, skip it for now.

Dethatching. Most lawns don't need it. Thatch is the layer of dead organic matter between the grass blades and the soil, and it's only a problem if it's thicker than half an inch. Unless your lawn has been seriously neglected for years, you're probably fine.

Soil testing. It's a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. If you want to go the extra mile, your local county extension office can test your soil for about fifteen dollars. But it's not urgent and it won't change what you do in year one. Focus on the basics first.

That one neighbor's advice about lime. Every neighborhood has someone who swears you need to put lime down every year. Maybe your lawn needs it, maybe it doesn't — it depends on your soil pH, which you won't know without a soil test. Don't add lime just because someone told you to. It can actually cause problems if your soil is already at the right pH.

Fancy products. You don't need humic acid, sea kelp, micronutrient blends, or anything with the word "bio" in the name right now. A basic fertilizer and a pre-emergent herbicide are all you need for your first year. Keep it simple and build from there.

Ready to stop guessing? Get your free lawn plan — it takes your zip code and builds a week-by-week playbook for your yard. No jargon, no overwhelm, no subscription required. Just what your lawn needs and when it needs it.

I Just Moved Into a New House — What Do I Do With This Lawn?