The first step is to decide what level of care and maintenance (i.e. time and money) you wish to invest in your lawn.  Understand that higher standards and expectations will require more time and money whereas a more forgiving approach or reducing the area being manicured will reduce the requirements needed to achieve your goals.  You will also need to decide if you wish to avoid using chemicals in order to preserve the environment or reduce exposure to children.  This will likely result in higher costs to achieve the same results, or may require acceptance of weeds and damage due to turf pests.  If you have high expectations but little time, you may wish to hire a contractor to manage your lawn for you, but be sure that they develop a program based on your goals and not theirs.

The next step in developing a lawn care program involves gathering information that will determine the strategies that you will use to achieve your specific goals.  This includes measuring the area of turf that you plan to maintain, determining the amount of sunlight and dominant exposure of the area, and obtaining information about the nature of the soils in your lawn.  Trying to manage high quality turf in substandard growing environments is very costly and it is unlikely you will recieve an acceptable return on your investment.  Careful consideration should be given to the long term cost of inputs that will be required to maintain a nice lawn versus improving the soil and/or growing environment.   The Connecticut Agricultural Extension Service has numerous resources that can guide you through this process.

The easiest way to maintain a healthy, attractive lawn is to follow the basic four step programs offered by numerous manufacturers available at most home and garden centers.  This program involves four applications of fertilizer/psesticide combination products timed to combat specific turf pests while feeding your lawn throughout the year.  The basic program addresses Crabgrass, Broadleaf weeds, surface feeding insects, and adds a final fertlizer only application to provide the turf with a healthy boost as it begins to develop roots for the following season.  Many of these programs may not address white grubs which can be a significant problem on many lawns.  Controlling this pest will require a separate application, and should be determined by a history of damage from these insects.  You can find more information by following the link above and click on the Home and Garden Fact sheets at the bottom of the page.  A qualified sales representative from your home and garden center can guide you through the process as well.

I will try to go into more detail when I have a little more time to dedicate to this feature.  Until then, identify your goals, do your homework, and read the labels.  I hope you have a great season.