Lawn Care Tips 1. The best feedings for your lawn (all types): Early  September High nitrogen Late November High nitrogen Spring feeding 1/2  rate nitrogen 2. Leave grass clippings. They continue to feed lawn. (Exception: tall clippings  due to rainy periods). Collect those that would clump and smother grass  plants. 3. Choose grass varieties that fit your maintenance schedule: Bluegrass High maintenance Perennial  grass Medium maintenance Turf-type  fescue Low  maintenance 4. Winter seeding is a great way to go if you can't fall seed. In late January or early February, go out and remove any fallen leaves and twigs from areas to be reseeded. Apply your seed to those areas (4/5 per inch) and go back and watch  TV. Freezing and thawing occurs, causing the seed to have a natural seed bed. Seed will germinate in the spring when soil warms to proper germination temperature. 5. For spring and fall seedings, straw helps to hold moisture around seed, but  straw does not replace moisture. You will have to water daily. If you decide on  straw, a bale should cover 2,000 square feet. This is a very light application.  If done according to above, no straw removal is necessary as straw will decompose by itself. Do I feed  first or seed first? An easy question to ask, even easier to answer. When putting down lawn food and grass seed the same day, always put down the fertilizer first so you're not walking on the grass seed any more than you have to.