Early Spring Lawn PrepGet Your Puyallup Grass Thick and Tough for Summer

Step 1: Cleanup First

Start with a quick cleanup: Rake up leaves, pine needles, sticks, and any matted winter debris so sunlight and air can hit the soil. Thick piles can smother your grass and invite disease.

Step 2: Check for Thatch

If your thatch layer is more than ½ inch thick (you'll feel that spongy layer), dethatch mid-March to early April with a power rake or dethatcher. Follow it up by aerating—rent a core aerator when the ground is moist but not soggy. Those little plugs pulled out will let water, air, and nutrients get down deep, especially in our compacted clay spots.

Step 3: Overseed Thin Spots

Overseed any thin or bare patches right after aerating. Grab a good PNW mix (perennial ryegrass and fine fescues do great here) at half the new-seed rate, topdress lightly with compost, and keep it moist till it sprouts.

Step 4: Fertilize (But Go Easy)

Go easy in early spring—our WSU folks say hold off heavy nitrogen till after April 1 so you don't push too much top growth before roots are strong. Use a slow-release or organic option (½ to 1 lb nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft) around mid-April if your lawn looks pale.

Skip the "weed & feed" if you can—spot-treat dandelions and pull moss by hand or power-rake it, then overseed. Lime only if your soil test says pH is below 5.5 (most of us are acidic).

Step 5: Mow High

Mow high (2–3 inches for most grasses here) as soon as it starts growing, and leave the clippings—they're free fertilizer. Sharp blades only—no tearing the grass.