Spring Cleanup Checklist for Jacksonville Lawns

After 37 years in the Northeast Florida lawn care business, we've learned that spring cleanup isn't just about making your yard look better. It's about setting your lawn up for success during Jacksonville's intense growing season. The work you do in February and March directly impacts how your lawn performs when temperatures hit the 90s and the rainy season starts in June.

Jacksonville's spring is unique. We don't have a dramatic transition from frozen ground to warm soil like northern climates do. Instead, we watch our warm-season grasses slowly wake up as soil temperatures rise above 65°F, usually in late February or early March. St. Augustine might green up in Mandarin while Bermuda in Arlington is still dormant. This gradual awakening means timing your spring cleanup properly makes all the difference.

In this comprehensive spring cleanup checklist for Jacksonville lawns, we'll walk through every critical task our team performs when preparing yards across Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties for the growing season. Whether you're in San Marco with mature St. Augustine or managing new Zoysia sod in Nocatee, this checklist will help you start the season right.

Inspect Your Lawn for Winter Damage

Winter in Jacksonville is mild compared to most of the country, but it still stresses lawns. Your first spring task is a thorough inspection to identify problem areas before you start mowing and fertilizing.

Walk your entire yard systematically, looking for cold damage spots. These typically appear as brown or yellowish patches that don't green up when neighboring grass does. In Duval County, cold damage usually happens in low-lying areas where cold air settles or on the north side of homes that receive less sun. St. Augustine is particularly vulnerable to cold stress, especially the Floratam variety.

Check for disease indicators. Gray leaf spot, brown patch, and dollar spot can overwinter in Jacksonville's mild climate and explode when spring moisture and warmth arrive. Look for irregular brown patches, rings, or spots with dark borders. If you notice these patterns in Riverside or Avondale neighborhoods with mature oak canopies, you're likely dealing with fungal issues that need attention before they spread.

Bare areas require special attention. Determine whether they're from winter kill, disease, pests, or traffic patterns. In high-use areas like play zones or paths from gate to garage, you may need to plan for sod replacement. Dead spots from grubs or chinch bugs need different treatment than areas killed by cold or disease.

Jacksonville Pro Tip: Use a screwdriver to test soil moisture and compaction in bare spots. If the screwdriver doesn't penetrate easily in late winter when soil should be moist, you've got compaction issues that need to be addressed before installing replacement sod.

Document what you find with photos. This creates a baseline for tracking improvement and helps if you need to consult with a lawn care professional about treatment options.

Remove Debris and Dead Material

Jacksonville winters drop more organic material than you might expect. Oak leaves from Riverside's tree canopy, pine needles in Mandarin, and general storm debris accumulate through December and January. All of it needs to go before spring growth begins.

Rake thoroughly to remove leaves, twigs, and dead grass. A thick layer of debris blocks sunlight, traps moisture against the crown of grass plants, and creates ideal conditions for fungal disease. In areas with heavy oak coverage like San Marco or Avondale, you might need to rake multiple times as trees continue dropping leaves into March.

Don't use a leaf blower to push debris into planting beds. While it's tempting to clear the lawn quickly this way, you're creating problems in your shrub beds where excessive organic matter can smother plants and harbor pests. Bag the debris or compost it properly.

Clear storm drains and drainage swales. Jacksonville's spring can bring heavy rains, and clogged drainage causes standing water that kills grass and breeds mosquitoes. Pay special attention to drainage in low-lying areas near the St. Johns River or in neighborhoods like Deerwood where poor drainage is common.

Remove any dead annual plants from beds adjacent to your lawn. Old petunias, snapdragons, or ornamental cabbage from your winter color display need to come out before they become breeding grounds for pests that can migrate into your lawn.

Plan Your First Mowing of the Season

The first mow of spring is different from your routine summer cuts. Your grass is just waking up, and how you handle this initial mowing affects its vigor for the entire season.

For Bermuda and Zoysia lawns, consider a lower scalping cut to remove dead winter material and allow sunlight to reach the soil. Set your mower to 1-1.5 inches for Bermuda or 1.5-2 inches for Zoysia. This one-time low cut removes the brown, dead leaf blades and stimulates new green growth. Most Bermuda lawns in Jacksonville Beach or Atlantic Beach respond well to spring scalping.

St. Augustine requires a different approach. Never scalp St. Augustine. Instead, maintain your standard cutting height of 3.5-4 inches but remove no more than one-third of the blade length. St. Augustine stores energy in its leaf blades, and cutting too low weakens the plant and invites weeds. Whether you're maintaining Floratam in Ponte Vedra or Palmetto in Fleming Island, keep that mower deck high.

Bahia grass should be maintained at 3-4 inches year-round, with no spring scalping. If you have Bahia in Yulee or Middleburg, just resume your normal mowing pattern when grass actively grows.

Jacksonville Pro Tip: Wait until your lawn has been actively growing for at least two weeks before that first mow. If you cut dormant grass, you're just stressing plants without any benefit. Watch for new green growth at the base of plants as your signal to start mowing.

Sharpen your mower blades before the first cut. Dull blades tear grass instead of cutting cleanly, creating ragged brown tips that lose moisture and invite disease. A sharp blade is critical year-round but especially important on that first spring cut when grass is tender.

Check and Start Your Irrigation System

Jacksonville's watering restrictions from St. Johns River Water Management District make efficient irrigation essential. Spring is the time to ensure your system works properly before the summer heat arrives.

Start by blowing out your irrigation lines if you shut down your system for winter. Even in Jacksonville's mild climate, sediment can settle in lines during months of disuse. Turn on each zone manually and watch for proper coverage before programming your timer.

Inspect every sprinkler head. Look for heads that are clogged, broken, or tilted from settling soil. In new construction areas like Nocatee or Town Center, settling is common in the first few years. Misaligned heads waste water and create dry or overly wet spots in your lawn.

Adjust spray patterns to match current plant growth. Shrubs that were pruned back in fall have grown, and spray patterns that worked in October might now hit plant foliage instead of root zones. Make sure your lawn zones water grass, not your house siding or driveway.

Test your timer and rain sensor. Replace the battery if needed, and verify your rain sensor actually shuts off the system when it rains. A malfunctioning rain sensor wastes water and money while potentially violating watering restrictions.

Reduce your irrigation schedule for spring. Jacksonville lawns need far less water in March than they will in July. Start with once per week and adjust based on rainfall and grass appearance. Remember the SJRWMD rules: odd addresses water Wednesday and Saturday, even addresses water Thursday and Sunday, and no watering between 10am and 4pm.

Apply Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Mid-February is prime time for pre-emergent application in Jacksonville. This is one of the most important steps in your spring cleanup checklist for Jacksonville lawns because it prevents summer weed problems before they start.

Pre-emergent herbicides create a chemical barrier in the soil that prevents weed seeds from germinating. They're effective against crabgrass, goosegrass, spurge, and many other annual weeds that plague Jacksonville lawns during the growing season. The key is timing: you must apply before soil temperatures consistently reach 65-70°F, which triggers weed seed germination.

In Northeast Florida, mid to late February is typically ideal. Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville Beach warm up slightly earlier than inland areas like Middleburg or Fruit Cove, so coastal applications can happen in early February while inland applications might wait until late February.

Choose a pre-emergent appropriate for your grass type. Products containing prodiamine, dithiopyr, or pendimethalin work well on established St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia, and Bahia. Read labels carefully because some pre-emergents harm certain grass varieties.

Do not apply pre-emergent where you plan to install new sod or overseed. The same barrier that stops weed seeds also prevents grass seed germination and can slow new sod rooting. If you're replacing dead areas with sod, treat the rest of your lawn with pre-emergent but skip the areas scheduled for sod installation.

Water in the pre-emergent immediately after application. This activates the product and moves it into the soil where weed seeds germinate. Apply about a quarter-inch of water through irrigation or time your application before predicted rainfall.

Schedule Your First Fertilizer Application

March is fertilizer time for most Jacksonville lawns. As grass actively grows and soil temperatures warm, your lawn needs nutrition to support the vigorous growth ahead.

Choose a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer with a ratio appropriate for your grass type. St. Augustine performs well with a 15-0-15 or 16-4-8 formulation. Bermuda and Zoysia can handle higher nitrogen with a 21-0-0 or similar formula. Bahia needs minimal fertilization, usually just one or two applications per year with a balanced formula.

Apply 0.5 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet for this first spring feeding. Too much nitrogen in early spring promotes excessive leaf growth at the expense of root development and makes grass more susceptible to disease and pest damage during summer stress.

Use a spreader and apply in a crisscross pattern to ensure even coverage. Uneven fertilizer application creates striping where dark green areas show excess nitrogen and light areas show deficiency. Calibrate your spreader according to the product label, not generic settings.

Water in the fertilizer within 24 hours of application. This moves nutrients into the soil where roots can access them and reduces the risk of fertilizer burn, especially important during warm spring days when temperatures might spike into the 80s.

Jacksonville Pro Tip: If you're planning to install new sod in areas of your lawn, fertilize those areas about two weeks before installation. This builds nutrient reserves in the soil that support new sod establishment.

Avoid fertilizing St. Augustine in April and May. These months bring increasing heat and the beginning of chinch bug season. Excess nitrogen during this period makes St. Augustine more attractive to chinch bugs and can trigger fungal disease problems as humidity increases.

Edge Beds and Sidewalks

Clean, sharp edges transform a lawn's appearance and prevent grass from invading planting beds and hardscapes. Spring is the perfect time to redefine these borders before aggressive summer growth.

Use a half-moon edger or flat spade to create a clean vertical edge between lawn and beds. The goal is a 2-3 inch vertical drop that prevents grass rhizomes and stolons from creeping into beds. St. Augustine and Bermuda are particularly aggressive spreaders that will take over beds if not contained.

Edge along sidewalks, driveways, and curbs. This creates the crisp, professional look that makes Jacksonville neighborhoods like Riverside and San Marco so attractive. Remove grass and soil that has crept onto concrete surfaces, creating a narrow gap between lawn and hardscape.

Trench along bed edges to a depth of 3-4 inches. This deeper barrier is especially important for controlling Bermuda grass, which sends rhizomes deep into the soil and can travel several feet underground to emerge in planting beds.

Remove edging debris from beds and lawn. Don't leave chunks of sod and soil on your beds or grass. This material can reroot and create new problem spots, and it looks sloppy while you're trying to clean up your landscape.

Consider installing physical edging in problem areas. Aluminum, steel, or heavy plastic edging provides a permanent barrier that reduces the need for manual edging multiple times per season. This is particularly valuable along beds with aggressive grasses like Bermuda or Zoysia.

Refresh Mulch in Planting Beds

Fresh mulch completes your spring cleanup and provides benefits that extend beyond appearance. Proper mulching conserves moisture, moderates soil temperature, suppresses weeds, and adds organic matter to Jacksonville's sandy soil as it decomposes.

Apply 2-3 inches of mulch throughout planting beds. Measure the depth accurately because too little mulch doesn't suppress weeds effectively, while too much can suffocate plant roots and create habitat for pests. In established beds with existing mulch, you may only need to add 1-2 inches to bring total depth back to 3 inches.

Keep mulch several inches away from plant stems and tree trunks. Mulch piled against bark creates moisture that rots bark and provides entry for disease and insects. Create a small bare zone around each plant stem, sometimes called a mulch "donut" rather than a mulch "volcano."

Choose mulch appropriate for Jacksonville's climate. Pine bark, cypress mulch, and eucalyptus mulch all work well in Northeast Florida. Pine straw is popular in neighborhoods with pine trees and provides good coverage at a lower cost than bark mulch. Avoid dyed mulches in high-visibility areas where fading from intense summer sun creates a maintenance issue.

Refresh mulch in tree rings extending to the drip line. Trees benefit from mulched areas that eliminate grass competition and prevent mower damage to trunks. In mature neighborhoods like Avondale with large oaks, properly mulched tree rings improve tree health and make mowing easier.

Prune Winter Damage on Shrubs

Late winter and early spring frosts occasionally damage tropical and subtropical plants in Jacksonville landscapes. Proper pruning removes dead wood and encourages healthy new growth as spring progresses.

Wait until new growth confirms which wood is dead. It's tempting to prune brown branches immediately, but some plants experience dieback that looks severe but isn't. New growth emerges from nodes along branches, showing you exactly where living tissue ends and dead tissue begins.

Prune to just above a node or branch junction in living wood. Make clean cuts at a slight angle to promote water shedding and rapid healing. Use sharp pruning shears or loppers to avoid crushing plant tissue.

Common Jacksonville landscape plants that need spring pruning include hibiscus, ixora, crotons, and some palms. Tropical plants in coastal areas like Jacksonville Beach usually suffer less cold damage than those in inland Duval or Clay County locations that get colder overnight temperatures.

Remove frost-damaged foliage from ornamental grasses. Many Jacksonville landscapes include pampas grass, muhly grass, or fakahatchee grass that brown in winter. Cut these back to 6-8 inches above the ground in late February or early March before new growth emerges.

Avoid heavy pruning on spring-blooming shrubs like azaleas. These plants set their flower buds in summer and fall, so spring pruning removes the display you've waited months to see. Save azalea pruning for immediately after they finish blooming in April.

Jacksonville Pro Tip: Don't prune palms unless fronds are completely brown and dead. Removing green or partially green fronds stresses palms and slows growth. The exception is after genuine freeze damage when entire fronds have been killed.

Check for Early Pest Activity

Pests begin emerging as Jacksonville temperatures warm in late winter and early spring. Early detection prevents minor problems from becoming major infestations that require expensive treatment or sod replacement.

Inspect for chinch bugs in St. Augustine lawns. These tiny insects emerge as temperatures rise and are particularly active along sunny edges near driveways and sidewalks. Look for irregular yellow patches that expand over time. Part the grass and look for the insects themselves—small black bugs with white X-shaped markings on their backs.

Check for mole cricket activity. These tunneling insects create visible runways just below the soil surface and can damage large areas of lawn. They're most active in sandy soils common throughout Duval and St. Johns counties. Look for soft, spongy areas of turf and small volcano-shaped mounds of excavated soil.

Watch for armyworm damage on Bermuda and Bahia lawns. These caterpillars can defoliate large areas of lawn rapidly. Early spring populations are usually small, but monitoring now establishes a baseline for detecting summer outbreaks when armyworm pressure increases.

Inspect trees and shrubs for scale insects, aphids, and whiteflies. These pests overwinter on landscape plants and expand populations rapidly as spring growth provides fresh, tender foliage. Heavy infestations stress plants and drip honeydew onto lawns, creating sticky surfaces that grow sooty mold.

Look for signs of lawn disease. Brown patch, gray leaf spot, and dollar spot become active as spring moisture and warmth create ideal conditions. Fungal disease is much easier to control in its early stages than after it has spread across large areas of your lawn.

Consider a Soil Test

If you haven't tested your soil in the past two to three years, spring is an excellent time to gather information that guides your fertilization and amendment program for the entire growing season.

Collect soil samples from several locations across your lawn. Take 6-8 samples from different areas, mix them together, and submit about a cup of the mixed soil for testing. This composite sample gives you an accurate picture of your overall soil condition rather than the conditions in just one spot.

Submit samples to the UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory in Gainesville. This is the most reliable source for Florida-specific soil analysis and recommendations. The fee is minimal, and results typically arrive within two weeks. Alternatively, Clay County, Duval County, and St. Johns County Extension offices can help you with the sampling and submission process.

Request a standard lawn soil test that measures pH, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Jacksonville's sandy soils are typically low in organic matter and nutrients, slightly acidic, and prone to leaching. Your soil test results will show specific deficiencies that affect your lawn's performance.

Follow the recommendations provided with your results. If your pH is below 5.5, lime application will help grass absorb nutrients more efficiently. If potassium is low, a fertilizer with potassium in the formulation supports stress tolerance and disease resistance.

Retest every two to three years or when you notice persistent problems despite proper cultural care. Soil conditions change based on fertilization practices, organic matter decomposition, and leaching from Jacksonville's heavy summer rainfall.

Plan Landscaping Projects and Sod Installation

Spring cleanup is also strategic planning time. As you inspect your lawn and landscape, make decisions about projects that need to happen before summer heat arrives.

Schedule sod installation for dead or thin areas. Late March through early May is good for sod installation in Jacksonville, but October and November are actually optimal. If damage is severe enough that you can't wait until fall, plan spring installation for late March or early April when soil temperatures support rooting but before the intense heat of June.

Identify areas where traffic patterns have created bare soil. Consider installing stepping stones, extending hardscaping, or choosing more durable ground covers in these high-use zones. Repeatedly installing sod in the same wear patterns creates a maintenance cycle that's expensive and frustrating.

Plan irrigation upgrades or expansions. If your spring cleanup revealed dry zones that aren't covered by existing irrigation, now is the time to plan additional heads or zones. Installing irrigation before the peak growing season ensures your entire lawn enters summer with adequate coverage.

Consider landscape bed expansions. If mowing around trees is difficult or slopes are challenging to maintain as lawn, converting these areas to mulched beds with appropriate plantings reduces maintenance and often looks better. Spring is ideal for this work because you can establish plants before summer heat.

Schedule delivery of bulk materials. If your spring plans include significant bed renovation, soil amendment, or new planting, order materials like compost, topsoil, or mulch now. Delivery times extend during peak spring season, so planning ahead ensures materials arrive when you need them.

Sharpen and Maintain Mowing Equipment

Your spring cleanup checklist for Jacksonville lawns isn't complete without preparing the equipment that will maintain your lawn all season.

Sharpen mower blades to ensure clean cuts that don't stress grass or create entry points for disease. A sharp blade makes a clean cut that heals rapidly. A dull blade tears and shreds grass, leaving ragged brown tips that leak moisture and increase disease susceptibility. Plan to sharpen blades every 8-10 hours of mowing time, which might mean monthly sharpening during peak growth season.

Change oil and filters according to manufacturer recommendations. Most mowers need fresh oil at the start of each season. Clean or replace air filters that have accumulated dust and debris. These simple maintenance tasks ensure reliable operation and extend equipment life.

Check tire pressure on riding mowers. Uneven tire pressure creates scalping on one side and missed grass on the other. Properly inflated tires ensure even cutting height across your entire lawn.

Test your trimmer and edger. Fresh fuel and a new trimmer line get these tools ready for edging beds and trimming around obstacles. Make sure safety guards are in place and all controls function properly.

Stock up on supplies. Buy extra trimmer line, spare spark plugs, air filters, and other consumables so you have them available when needed. Running out of trimmer line mid-project on a Saturday afternoon is frustrating and wastes time.

Conclusion

A thorough spring cleanup prepares your Jacksonville lawn for the demanding growing season ahead. From inspecting for winter damage to applying pre-emergent, from refreshing mulch to planning sod installation, each task on this checklist contributes to a healthier, more beautiful lawn.

The work you do in February and March pays dividends throughout the year. Pre-emergent applied now prevents crabgrass in July. Soil test results guide efficient fertilization that saves money and protects water quality. Properly maintained irrigation delivers water efficiently during summer drought periods when SJRWMD restrictions are strictest.

At Jax Sod, we've performed spring cleanup on thousands of Northeast Florida lawns over 37 years. We know which tasks matter most, which timing is critical, and how Jacksonville's unique climate affects every aspect of lawn care. Whether you're managing an established St. Augustine lawn in San Marco or maintaining new Bermuda sod in Nocatee, following this spring cleanup checklist for Jacksonville lawns sets you up for success.

If your spring inspection revealed areas needing sod replacement, or if you're planning a major lawn renovation, our team can help. We deliver premium sod throughout Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties and provide expert installation that ensures proper establishment.

Ready to prepare your lawn for Jacksonville's growing season? Contact Jax Sod today at (904) 901-1457 or visit jaxsod.com for a free estimate on sod delivery or installation.