# Lawn care calendar for Nevada: when to fertilize and seed

> Nevada lawn care: three assigned watering days, fertilize late September, mow at 3 inches, with NOAA frost dates for Las Vegas, Reno and Elko.

Canonical: https://lucernel.com/guides/lawn-care-calendar/nevada
Last updated: 2026-11-04

A Nevada lawn is a water decision before it is a feeding one. Las Vegas grows bermudagrass and other warm-season grasses under Southern Nevada Water Authority watering days, Reno grows cool-season grass under Truckee Meadows assigned days, and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension sets the mowing and feeding rules for both.

**Mow at 3 inches, feed by late September, aerate once a year, and water on your assigned days.** University of Nevada Extension says to mow at 3 inches or higher, to fertilize no more than three times a year with none in summer heat and the last one in September or October, and to core aerate once a year. In the Las Vegas Valley the Southern Nevada Water Authority limits watering to three assigned days a week from September 1 through October 31 and bans Sunday watering. (University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; Southern Nevada Water Authority)

| Job | Las Vegas Valley (warm-season grass) | Reno and northern Nevada (cool-season grass) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mowing | Hybrid bermudagrass can be mowed very short; zoysiagrass needs cutting only every 10 to 14 days | 3 inches or higher, never more than a third of the blade at a time, with clippings left on the lawn |
| Fertilizing | Late September or early October, with a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mix | No more than three times a year; none in summer heat; the last feeding in September or October |
| Aerating | September or October, two or three passes on compacted soil, to at least 3 inches | Once a year; hollow tines, cores left on the lawn, up to a quarter inch of compost on top |
| Watering | Three assigned days from September 1 to October 31, never Sunday; three 4-minute cycles in the morning | Even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, never Monday |
| Overseeding | Ryegrass is the usual winter overseed, and bermudagrass takes it better than other warm-season grasses | Not applicable to cool-season lawns |
| Weeds | Spot-treat weeds rather than using weed-and-feed products | Mow at 3 inches; pull annual weeds before they seed; use preemergent only where it is needed |

Watering rules change by season and by water provider, so confirm your assigned days with SNWA or TMWA before you set a controller.

## Which grasses grow where in Nevada

The University of Nevada Extension places the middle elevations of the Mojave Desert, at 2,000 to 3,000 feet, in the transition zone, where either warm-season or cool-season grass can grow. Warm-season grass is best adapted to the heat: common and hybrid bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, buffalograss, seashore paspalum and St. Augustinegrass. The drawback is that they go dormant in cold weather, so some owners overseed with ryegrass, and bermudagrass takes that best.

Hybrid bermudagrass is finer, produces less pollen and stays green longer in fall than common bermudagrass. In Clark County, ordinances prohibit planting common bermudagrass because of its pollen. Zoysia tolerates desert soil and moderate shade and is mowed every 10 to 14 days, and St. Augustinegrass has the best shade tolerance of the warm-season group. In northern Nevada the lawns are cool-season turfgrasses, which stop growing in high heat.

## Frost dates from NOAA

Dates are the NOAA 1991-2020 normals for the last spring and first fall 32 F freeze at 50% probability. At Las Vegas (Harry Reid International Airport, formerly McCarran) the last spring frost averages January 20 and the first fall frost December 15. At Reno-Tahoe International Airport the dates are April 20 and October 23, and at Elko Regional Airport they are May 29 and September 18.

Counting the days between them gives about 329 frost-free days at Las Vegas, 186 at Reno and 112 at Elko (our arithmetic). An Elko lawn has less than four months between average freezes.

## Mowing and feeding

The university says that if you adopt only one lawn practice, it should be mowing at 3 inches or at your mower's highest setting. A tall lawn handles heat and drought, grows deeper roots and has fewer weed and pest problems. Mow often enough to take off no more than a third of the blade, and leave the clippings, which contain up to 5 percent nitrogen and do not make thatch.

Cool-season grass in northern Nevada stops growing in high heat, so do not fertilize in summer. UNCE says to feed no more than three times a year and to make the final feeding in September or October for a quick spring green-up. SNWA says the same in the south: fertilize in late September or early October with a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mix, which improves root growth and color and builds cold resistance.

## Watering rules

The Southern Nevada Water Authority limits landscape watering to three assigned days a week from September 1 through October 31, Sunday is never a watering day, and the limit also applies to drip irrigation. For grass it suggests three 4-minute cycles in the early morning rather than one long run, moving to several short mid-morning cycles as weather cools. Bermudagrass and other warm-season grasses use about a third less water, and adding or removing one minute from a 4-minute cycle changes water use by 25 percent.

The Truckee Meadows Water Authority assigns sprinkler days by address: even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and no sprinklers on Monday. The page I read asks customers to shut sprinklers off between noon and 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and says drip and hand watering are allowed any day. Its water-and-wait method runs the sprinkler until puddles form, rests 1 to 2 hours, and repeats until the water reaches 6 to 8 inches.

## Aerating, weeds and the grass law

Compacted soil is common in the Las Vegas Valley, and SNWA advises aerating in September or October with two or three passes of a coring aerator to at least 3 inches, after moistening the grass a day or two earlier. UNCE says northern lawns should be core aerated once a year, leaving the cores to break down, with a thin layer of compost on top. Spot-treat weeds with a selective herbicide and apply fertilizer separately; weed-and-feed products put herbicide on the whole lawn.

A 2021 Nevada law will bar the use of Colorado River water delivered by Southern Nevada Water Authority member agencies to irrigate nonfunctional grass from 2027. SNWA says it covers commercial, multi-family and government property, and does not apply to grass at single-family homes.

## Fertilizer rules

Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 588 governs commercial fertilizers and agricultural minerals as products, with grade and labeling rules. I found no Nevada rule limiting phosphorus in home lawn fertilizer in it. UNCE and SNWA both point to timing and amount: no more than three feedings, none in summer.

The lawn fertilizer calculator on this site converts the nitrogen percentage of a bag into pounds of product for your square footage, which helps when a label gives its rate in pounds per 1,000 square feet.

## Frequently asked questions

### When should I fertilize my lawn in Las Vegas?

Late September or early October, according to SNWA, using a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mix. The feeding builds cold resistance and root growth.

### How often should I fertilize a lawn in northern Nevada?

No more than three times a year, none in summer heat, and the last one in September or October, according to University of Nevada Extension.

### How tall should I mow a Nevada lawn?

3 inches or higher, or your mower's highest setting. It makes the lawn better at handling heat and drought and cuts weeds and pests.

### How often can I water my lawn in Las Vegas?

From September 1 through October 31, three assigned days a week and never on Sunday. Other seasons have different limits, so check your watering group with SNWA.

### Can Lawnzo help me with a Nevada lawn?

Lawnzo for iPhone plans each lawn from its grass, sun and irrigation and tests jobs against the forecast. If a mow or feeding is delayed, it says why, and the journal records what you applied.

## Sources (checked 2026-10-02)

- [University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Keep Your Lawn Green; Mow, water and aerate](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=7064)
- [University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Fighting Weeds in Your Lawn](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=7065)
- [University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Turfgrasses for Urban Mojave Desert Landscapes](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=3546)
- [Southern Nevada Water Authority, How and when to water](https://www.snwa.com/landscapes/how-and-when-to-water/index.html)
- [Southern Nevada Water Authority, Watering group](https://www.snwa.com/conservation/watering-group/index.html)
- [Southern Nevada Water Authority, Understand laws and ordinances](https://www.snwa.com/conservation/understand-laws-ordinances/index.html)
- [Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Assigned watering days](https://tmwa.com/article/assigned-day-watering/)
- [Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 588 (Commercial Fertilizers and Agricultural Minerals)](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-588.html)
- [NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals: frost dates for Las Vegas, Reno and Elko (API query)](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-annualseasonal-1991-2020&stations=USW00023169,USW00023185,USW00024121&dataTypes=ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50,ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50&format=json)
- [NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (product page)](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals)