Lawn care calendar for Virginia.
Virginia Cooperative Extension publishes one maintenance calendar for cool-season turfgrasses, and it is the only source behind this page.
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 Virginia
In Virginia, for Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue, seed Aug 15 to Oct 15 and Mar 1 to May 31; fertilize Aug 15 to Oct 31 and Mar 1 to May 31, per Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025.
The same calendar gives weed control Mar 1 to Apr 30 and Aug 15 to Sep 15.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | Aug 15 to Oct 15Mar 1 to May 31 | Aug 15 to Oct 31Mar 1 to May 31 | Mar 1 to Apr 30Aug 15 to Sep 15 | Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025 |
| Tall fescue | Aug 15 to Oct 15Mar 1 to May 31 | Aug 15 to Oct 31Mar 1 to May 31 | Mar 1 to Apr 30Aug 15 to Sep 15 | Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025 |
| Perennial ryegrass | Aug 15 to Oct 15Mar 1 to May 31 | Aug 15 to Oct 31Mar 1 to May 31 | Mar 1 to Apr 30Aug 15 to Sep 15 | Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025 |
| Fine fescue | Aug 15 to Oct 15Mar 1 to May 31 | Aug 15 to Oct 31Mar 1 to May 31 | Mar 1 to Apr 30Aug 15 to Sep 15 | Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025 |
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.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue
6 tasks
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Seed
Aug 15 – Oct 15
Preferred seeding time for initial establishment or renovation. The chart marks it across the August to October columns; the dates are this site's reading of the mark, so treat them as approximate for all of Virginia.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Seed
Mar 1 – May 31
Second-best seeding time, March to May. Fall seeding is preferred.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Fertilize
Aug 15 – Oct 31
Preferred nitrogen timing is fall: up to 0.7 lb water-soluble N per 1,000 sq ft every 3 to 4 weeks. Months are read from the chart mark and are approximate; test the soil every 3 to 4 years.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Fertilize
Mar 1 – May 31
Second-best nitrogen timing, March to May: 0.25 to 0.5 lb water-soluble N per 1,000 sq ft every 4 to 8 weeks.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Weed control
Mar 1 – Apr 30
Spring preemergent herbicide against crabgrass, goosegrass and foxtail (March to April on the chart). Skip it where you plan to seed.
Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue in Virginia
Weed control
Aug 15 – Sep 15
Fall preemergent herbicide against annual bluegrass and winter annual broadleaves such as henbit and chickweed. Skip it where you plan to seed.
Kentucky bluegrass in other statesTall fescue in other statesPerennial ryegrass in other statesFine fescue in other states
Which grasses the source covers
Publication 430-523 covers cool-season turfgrasses, and the calendars below apply it to Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue. This site has no warm-season calendar for Virginia, so a bermudagrass or zoysiagrass lawn in Virginia is not covered here.
Seasons are ranked, not dated
The chart ranks times instead of giving one date: late summer into fall is preferred for establishing or renovating a lawn, and March to May is second best. Nitrogen follows the same ranking. In fall the publication allows up to 0.7 lb of water-soluble nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft every 3 to 4 weeks; in spring it gives 0.25 to 0.5 lb every 4 to 8 weeks.
Two herbicide windows, one condition
The calendar has a spring preemergent window (March to April) aimed at crabgrass, goosegrass and foxtail, and a fall window aimed at annual bluegrass and winter annual broadleaves such as henbit and chickweed. Both carry the same condition: skip the herbicide where you plan to seed. That is why the fall herbicide window overlaps the fall seeding window on the calendar but should not be used on the same patch.
How to read the dates
The windows come from marked cells on a chart rather than printed dates, and they cover the whole state, so treat the edges as approximate. The publication also says to test the soil every 3 to 4 years.
Sources
The dates and figures on this page come from these publications.
- [1]Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech) ↗ (opens in a new tab)Publication 430-523, Maintenance Calendar for Cool-Season Turfgrasses in Virginia (2025). Preferred and second-best months are marked on a chart.Publication year 2025 · Read 2026-10-29