Bentgrass Care Calendar

Month-by-month care schedule for Bentgrass lawns. Daily mowing, fungicide rotation, spoon-feeding, and sand topdressing — the intensive care guide.

Mowing
0.5-0.75" (daily mowing)
Annual N
3-6 lb N/1K sqft (spoon-fed)
Water
Light, frequent — syringe in summer
pH
5.5-6.5
10
What to do now

October

Active Growth
Continue mowing every 2-3 days as growth slows
MowingHigh
Fall nitrogen application (0.25 lb N/1K)
FertilizerHigh
Last sand topdress of the season
GeneralMed
Reduce watering frequency
WateringMed

Growth is slowing. Continue mowing but frequency drops to every 2-3 days. Last sand topdress helps smooth the surface and control thatch heading into winter.

See the full Bentgrass pre-emergent application timing guide

Full Year Calendar

Every task, every month. Tap a month to see what's on the schedule.

January

Dormant
Equipment maintenance — sharpen reel mower blades
Order fungicides and PGR for spring program
Plan fungicide rotation schedule for the season

Bentgrass is dormant. Use this time to plan your fungicide rotation (azoxystrobin → propiconazole → thiophanate-methyl) and source supplies. Reel mower blades must be razor-sharp for low cutting heights.

February

Dormant
Sharpen and backlap reel mower — precision is critical!
Soil test — target pH 5.5-6.5
Inspect irrigation system for uniform coverage

Bentgrass tolerates more acidic soil than other cool-season grasses (pH 5.5-6.5). Get the reel mower professionally sharpened — dull blades at 0.5" will shred the turf.

March

Active
Begin mowing at 0.75" as growth starts!
Apply pre-emergent for crabgrass prevention!
First light nitrogen (0.1 lb N/1K sqft foliar spray)

Start mowing as soon as bentgrass resumes growth. Begin at 0.75" and gradually lower over the next few weeks. Light foliar nitrogen gets the canopy greening without pushing excessive growth.

April

Active
Mow every other day at 0.5-0.75"!
Begin spoon-feeding nitrogen every 14 days (0.1-0.25 lb N/1K)!
First fungicide application when nighttime temps hit 65°F!

Transition to every-other-day mowing. Begin the preventative fungicide program — do NOT wait for disease to appear. Core aerate now before summer stress begins.

May

Active
Daily or every-other-day mowing at 0.5-0.75"!
Continue spoon-feeding every 7-14 days!
Sand topdress (light dusting, work into canopy)!
Apply PGR (trinexapac-ethyl, 0.3 oz/1K sqft)
Fungicide rotation — apply next product in sequence (14-21 day intervals)!
Begin syringing in afternoon heat

Management intensity ramps up. Sand topdressing smooths the surface, controls thatch, and improves drainage. PGR slows vertical growth and reduces mowing frequency slightly while improving density.

June

Active
Daily mowing at 0.5-0.75"!
Weekly spoon-feeding (0.1-0.25 lb N/1K foliar)!
Fungicide every 14-21 days — rotate active ingredients!
Watch for dollar spot and brown patch!
Syringe midday to cool canopy!

Peak management begins. Dollar spot appears as small straw-colored patches with hourglass lesions on blades. Brown patch shows up as irregular dark rings. Syringing cools the canopy and prevents heat stress — this is NOT optional in transition zones.

July

Active
Daily mowing — do NOT skip days in summer!
Syringe 2-3 times daily during extreme heat (above 85°F)!
Monitor soil moisture — avoid both drought and saturation!
Continue fungicide rotation — watch for Pythium blight!
Continue spoon-feeding — light rates only!

CRITICAL MONTH. Bentgrass struggles above 80°F and can decline rapidly above 90°F. Syringe 2-3 times daily in extreme heat — quick bursts of water to cool the canopy, NOT deep watering. Watch for Pythium blight: greasy, slimy, dark patches that spread overnight. Pythium is an EMERGENCY — treat with mefenoxam immediately.

August

Active
Continue intensive summer management!
Sand topdress lightly
Late August: begin reducing PGR application rate
Monitor for anthracnose (yellowing, thinning patches)!
Continue fungicide rotation!

Anthracnose appears as irregular yellow patches and is more common on stressed, low-mown turf. Avoid drought stress and maintain adequate nitrogen. Taper PGR rates as growth slows heading into fall.

September

Active
Growth improves as temperatures cool — core aerate!
Overseed thin areas (0.5-1 lb/1K sqft)!
Increase nitrogen slightly (0.25 lb N/1K per app)!
Taper fungicide frequency as disease pressure drops

Bentgrass recovers as temperatures drop into the 60-75°F range. Core aerate and overseed any areas that thinned during summer. Increase nitrogen to rebuild density — fall is bentgrass's recovery season.

October

Active
Continue mowing every 2-3 days as growth slows!
Fall nitrogen application (0.25 lb N/1K)!
Last sand topdress of the season
Reduce watering frequency

Growth is slowing. Continue mowing but frequency drops to every 2-3 days. Last sand topdress helps smooth the surface and control thatch heading into winter.

November

Active
Apply snow mold preventative fungicide before first snow/freeze!
Final mowing — gradually lower height for dormancy
Light winterizer nitrogen (0.1-0.25 lb N/1K)

Snow mold prevention is critical — apply a combination fungicide (chlorothalonil + propiconazole) before the first sustained snow cover or hard freeze. This is the most important single fungicide application of the year.

December

Dormant
Equipment maintenance — reel mower service
Review and plan next year's fungicide rotation
Snow mold protection should be in place

Dormant. Snow mold protection applied in November carries through winter. Plan next year's program — rotate fungicide chemistries to prevent resistance buildup.

Quick Reference

Mowing Height

0.5-0.75" (daily mowing)

Dormant when ground freezes. Green-up at 45°F air temp.

Watering

Light, frequent watering — syringe in summer heat

0.25-0.5 inches per session, multiple times per week per session. Bentgrass has very shallow roots (6 inches). Light, frequent watering is better than deep, infrequent. Syringe midday in summer to cool the canopy — this is NOT optional, it prevents heat death. Water early morning for primary irrigation.

Fertilizer Program

3-6 lb N/1K sqft (spoon-fed)/year

Soil pH target: 5.5-6.5

Pests & Weeds to Watch

Poa annuaWhite GrubsSod WebwormsCutwormsCrabgrassCloverGoosegrass

Want the full Bentgrass guide?

Read the complete Bentgrass care guide — quick facts, mowing heights, safe products, and the agronomy behind every recommendation.

Read the Bentgrass care guide

Want to compare all cool-season grasses side by side?

See the full Cool Season Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bentgrass in other climate zones

The calendar above is for the transition zone (USDA 7 to 8). Bentgrass is also grown in the zone below, and the timing is genuinely different — soil temperature in the transition zone runs three to five weeks behind the south, which moves pre-emergent, fertilizer and aeration with it. Find your zone and work from that table.

Growth status and soil temperature are derived from each zone's soil curve together with Bentgrass's own dormancy and green-up thresholds, so they describe that zone rather than an average of all of them.

Bentgrass in the North — USDA 6 and colder

The upper Midwest, New England and the Pacific Northwest. A short season with a hard winter, so the autumn window closes earlier and matters more.

Month-by-month Bentgrass lawn care schedule for the north zone
MonthGrowthMowWhat to doWhat you can skip
Januarydormant
~28°F soil, cooling
Not this month — the lawn is dormant.
  • Service the mower
  • Mowing — a dormant lawn is not growing. Nothing to cut.
  • Fertilizer — dormant turf cannot take up nitrogen. It feeds winter weeds instead.
  • Regular irrigation — water only to stop crowns drying out in a long dry spell.
Februarydormant
~28°F soil, steady
Not this month — the lawn is dormant.
  • Service the mower
  • Mowing — a dormant lawn is not growing. Nothing to cut.
  • Fertilizer — dormant turf cannot take up nitrogen. It feeds winter weeds instead.
  • Regular irrigation — water only to stop crowns drying out in a long dry spell.
Marchwaking up
~36°F soil, warming
0.25–1"
every 2-3 days
  • Soil test
  • Clear winter debris and check for snow mold
—
Aprilwaking up
~46°F soil, warming
0.25–1"
every 2-3 days
  • First mow of the season
  • Mow on a routine
  • Spoon-feed nitrogen — 0.1-0.25 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per application
  • Spring pre-emergent, before the soil hits 55 F — per label for your grass and your square footage — these products are rated by season-long residual, so the label rate IS the decision — don't spray above 90°F
—
Maypeak growth
~56°F soil, warming
0.25–1"
daily or every other day
  • Mow on a routine
  • Spoon-feed nitrogen — 0.1-0.25 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per application
  • Spot-treat broadleaf weeds — don't spray above 90°F
  • Aeration — cool-season aeration is a September and October job.
Junepeak growth
~66°F soil, warming
0.25–1"
daily or every other day
  • Mow on a routine
  • Raise the mow height for summer
  • Aeration — cool-season aeration is a September and October job.
Julysummer stress
~74°F soil, warming
0.5–1"
only as needed — never remove more than a third of the blade
  • Iron for color — no nitrogen
  • Watch for brown patch
  • Plan the autumn renovation now
  • Granular or slow-release fertilizer — do not feed a cool-season lawn in summer heat.
  • Aeration and overseeding — both belong in autumn, not now.
  • Chasing perfection. Summer is about keeping the lawn alive; it recovers in September.
Augustsummer stress
~74°F soil, steady
0.5–1"
only as needed — never remove more than a third of the blade
  • Soil test
  • Iron for color — no nitrogen
  • Watch for brown patch
  • Plan the autumn renovation now
  • Granular or slow-release fertilizer — do not feed a cool-season lawn in summer heat.
  • Aeration and overseeding — both belong in autumn, not now.
  • Chasing perfection. Summer is about keeping the lawn alive; it recovers in September.
Septemberpeak growth
~64°F soil, cooling
0.25–1"
daily or every other day
  • Mow on a routine
  • Drop the mow height back for autumn
  • Spoon-feed nitrogen — 0.1-0.25 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per application
  • Core aerate
  • Fall pre-emergent for Poa annua — optional, and skip it if you are overseeding — per label. One application at the full label rate is the normal programme — don't spray above 90°F
  • Spot-treat broadleaf weeds — don't spray above 90°F
—
Octoberslowing
~52°F soil, cooling
0.25–1"
every 2-3 days
  • Lime, if the soil test called for it — per soil test; 50 lb per 1,000 sq ft raises pH roughly half a point
  • Mow on a routine
  • Winterize the irrigation system
  • Spoon-feed nitrogen — 0.1-0.25 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per application
  • Core aerate — last chance this year
  • Spot-treat broadleaf weeds — don't spray above 90°F
  • Keep leaves off the lawn
—
Novembergoing dormant
~40°F soil, cooling
0.25–1"
one last cut, once growth has stopped — then put the mower away
  • Final mow of the season
  • Get ahead of snow mold — culturally first
  • Keep leaves off the lawn
—
Decemberdormant
~32°F soil, cooling
Not this month — the lawn is dormant.
  • Service the mower
  • Mowing — a dormant lawn is not growing. Nothing to cut.
  • Fertilizer — dormant turf cannot take up nitrogen. It feeds winter weeds instead.
  • Regular irrigation — water only to stop crowns drying out in a long dry spell.