Lawn care calendar for Kentucky.
The University of Kentucky treats the state as a transition zone, so its two publications give a fall calendar for cool-season grass and a late-spring one for warm-season grass.
Get dates for my ZIP →By LawnYear editorial team · Published · Updated Windows are read from the extension publications listed under Sources; the dates are approximate.
Short answer for Kentucky
In Kentucky, for tall fescue, seed Aug 15 to Sep 30 and Feb 15 to Mar 15; fertilize Oct 1 to Nov 30; weed control Apr 1 to Apr 30, per University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (2014 and 2016).
For Kentucky bluegrass, seed Aug 15 to Sep 30 and Feb 15 to Mar 15; fertilize Oct 1 to Nov 30; weed control Apr 1 to Apr 30, per University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (2014 and 2016).
For bermudagrass, seed May 20 to Jun 30; fertilize May 20 to Aug 31, per University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (2014 and 2016).
For zoysiagrass, seed May 20 to Jun 30; fertilize May 20 to Aug 31, per University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (2014 and 2016).
Approximate dates for your state. Check with your local cooperative extension office before you act.
Windows by grass and task
| Grass | Seed | Fertilize | Weed control | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tall fescue | Aug 15 to Sep 30Feb 15 to Mar 15 | Oct 1 to Nov 30 | Apr 1 to Apr 30 | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2016University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2014 |
| Kentucky bluegrass | Aug 15 to Sep 30Feb 15 to Mar 15 | Oct 1 to Nov 30 | Apr 1 to Apr 30 | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2016University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2014 |
| Bermudagrass | May 20 to Jun 30 | May 20 to Aug 31 | not in the source | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2016University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2014 |
| Zoysiagrass | May 20 to Jun 30 | May 20 to Aug 31 | not in the source | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2016University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2014 |
Calendar by grass
Grasses the source covers with one shared calendar are shown together. Open a group for each task, its note and its source. Want dates for your ZIP code? Use the lawn schedule by ZIP tool.
Tall fescue
4 tasks
Tall fescue in Kentucky
Seed
Aug 15 – Sep 30
The best time to seed cool-season grasses is mid-August to late September (the end date is this site's reading of 'late September'); early fall has cool temperatures, fall rains and no crabgrass competition. Seed turf-type tall fescue, not Kentucky 31, at 6 lb of pure live seed per 1,000 sq ft.
Tall fescue in Kentucky
Seed
Feb 15 – Mar 15
The second-best time is mid-February to mid-March, but not later than mid-April. Spring seedings will likely need a pre-emergent herbicide that still allows seed to germinate, and seedings from late spring to midsummer often fail.
Tall fescue in Kentucky
Fertilize
Oct 1 – Nov 30
Fall is the best time to fertilize cool-season lawns. Nitrogen at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft per application goes on in October for low maintenance, October and November for medium, October to December for high, and September to December for very high. The general guideline is 1 lb of actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft at any one application. If color is not a concern, UK says to skip spring feeding because crabgrass and other weeds respond more than cool-season grasses do. Tall fescue is 2 to 4 lb of nitrogen a year, in autumn.
Tall fescue in Kentucky
Weed control
Apr 1 – Apr 30
Crabgrass and goosegrass are normally controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide applied in April, and UK does not recommend weed-and-feed products because the best time for the herbicide rarely matches the best time for fertilizer. Whole month shown.
Kentucky bluegrass
4 tasks
Kentucky bluegrass in Kentucky
Seed
Aug 15 – Sep 30
The best time to seed cool-season grasses is mid-August to late September (the end date is this site's reading of 'late September'); early fall has cool temperatures, fall rains and no crabgrass competition. Kentucky bluegrass is seeded at 2 lb of pure live seed per 1,000 sq ft; UK says it struggles in Kentucky summers and takes more work than tall fescue.
Kentucky bluegrass in Kentucky
Seed
Feb 15 – Mar 15
The second-best time is mid-February to mid-March, but not later than mid-April. Spring seedings will likely need a pre-emergent herbicide that still allows seed to germinate, and seedings from late spring to midsummer often fail.
Kentucky bluegrass in Kentucky
Fertilize
Oct 1 – Nov 30
Fall is the best time to fertilize cool-season lawns. Nitrogen at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft per application goes on in October for low maintenance, October and November for medium, October to December for high, and September to December for very high. The general guideline is 1 lb of actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft at any one application. If color is not a concern, UK says to skip spring feeding because crabgrass and other weeds respond more than cool-season grasses do. Kentucky bluegrass is 2 to 4 lb of nitrogen a year, in autumn.
Kentucky bluegrass in Kentucky
Weed control
Apr 1 – Apr 30
Crabgrass and goosegrass are normally controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide applied in April, and UK does not recommend weed-and-feed products because the best time for the herbicide rarely matches the best time for fertilizer. Whole month shown.
Bermudagrass
2 tasks
Bermudagrass in Kentucky
Seed
May 20 – Jun 30
Establish warm-season grasses in late May or June, after the soil is warm and nights stay above 60 F (shown as May 20 to June 30, this site's reading of 'late May or June'). The recommended bermudagrass seeding rate is 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft; improved strains are usually sprigged.
Bermudagrass in Kentucky
Fertilize
May 20 – Aug 31
Late spring into summer is the best time to fertilize warm-season grasses (shown as May 20 to August 31, this site's reading). Bermudagrass is 3 to 4 lb of nitrogen a year, in summer.
Zoysiagrass
2 tasks
Zoysiagrass in Kentucky
Seed
May 20 – Jun 30
Establish warm-season grasses in late May or June, after the soil is warm and nights stay above 60 F (shown as May 20 to June 30, this site's reading of 'late May or June'). Zoysiagrass is most often plugged, using plugs about 2 in across.
Zoysiagrass in Kentucky
Fertilize
May 20 – Aug 31
Late spring into summer is the best time to fertilize warm-season grasses (shown as May 20 to August 31, this site's reading). Zoysiagrass is 1 to 2 lb of nitrogen a year, in summer.
A transition-zone state with two sets of grasses
AGR-50 says Kentucky sits where half the year suits cool-season grasses and the other half suits warm-season ones. It names turf-type tall fescue as the best-adapted lawn grass, says Kentucky bluegrass struggles in summer heat, and says shade, poor soil, heavy traffic and the western part of the state should almost always choose tall fescue. Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass are also covered, but they stay dormant for six to seven months a year.
Seed in fall, with a narrower spring fallback
Mid-August to late September is the best time to seed cool-season grass, and mid-February to mid-March is second best, no later than mid-April. Rates are given in pure live seed: 2 lb per 1,000 sq ft for Kentucky bluegrass and 6 lb for tall fescue, because tall fescue seed is larger. Warm-season grasses go in late May or in June, once nights stay above 60 F.
Fertilizer follows a maintenance level
AGR-212 assigns nitrogen to months by how much work you want to do. One feeding in October is the low level, October and November the medium level, and the high and very high levels add December and September. Each feeding is 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft, and the yearly totals are 2 to 4 lb for tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, 3 to 4 lb for bermudagrass and 1 to 2 lb for zoysiagrass. The publication discourages spring nitrogen on cool-season lawns, because crabgrass responds to it.
Spring is for the preemergent herbicide, not fertilizer
Crabgrass and goosegrass are normally controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide in April, and weed-and-feed products are usually not recommended because their two jobs have different best times. Spring seedings need a herbicide that still lets seed germinate, and Among the reasons UK gives for early fall as the best time is that there is no competition from crabgrass or goosegrass. Kentucky has no mowing window in these two publications, so no mowing task is shown.
Sources
The dates and figures on this page come from these publications.
- [1]University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service ↗ (opens in a new tab)AGR-50, Lawn Establishment in Kentucky (2016); seeding times and rates (in pure live seed) for cool-season grasses and planting time for warm-season grasses.Publication year 2016 · Read 2026-10-30
- [2]University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service ↗ (opens in a new tab)AGR-212, Fertilizing Your Lawn (2014); nitrogen timing and rates by grass and maintenance level, and the April preemergent timing for crabgrass.Publication year 2014 · Read 2026-10-30