Your 2025 Pre-Winter Lawn Checklist for Bangor, Maine Homeowners (Don’t Get Stuck with a Dead Yard in Spring)”
First snowfall in Bangor is often before Thanksgiving, and once the ground freezes solid it’s too late for most lawn repairs. Homeowners who skip fall prep wake up to thin, brown, weed-choked yards every April.
At Gavin’s Lawncare we’ve been winterizing Bangor-area lawns for over a decade and know exactly what survives our -20°F nights and 100+ inches of snow. Follow this checklist in the next 2–3 weeks and your lawn will come back thicker and greener than ever in 2026.
1. Final Mowing & Height Rules Before Freeze
Do your last cut of the year once nighttime lows stay below 40°F (usually mid-to-late November in Bangor).
Cut cool-season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, rye) to 2.5–3 inches – never shorter going into winter.
Shorter than 2.5" invites snow mold and winter desiccation; longer than 3.5" mats down under snow and invites voles.
2. Leaf Removal – Why “Leaving Them” Is a Bangor Myth
Wet Maine leaves mat down fast and create the perfect environment for snow mold and vole runways.
Remove all leaves from the lawn before the first sticking snow.
Mulch a very light layer (one pass with a mulching mower) only if they’re dry and shredded finely.
3. Fall Cleanup: Sticks, Debris & Gutter Check
Rake or blow off twigs, pine needles, and branches – they hold moisture and disease.
Clean gutters now; ice dams in February will dump water right onto your lawn edges and kill grass in spring.
4. Late-Season Fertilization & Winterizer Application
Apply a true winterizer fertilizer (high in potassium, slow-release nitrogen) when soil temps drop to 50°F and falling (typically the week of Thanksgiving in Bangor). Locally recommended:
Jonathan Green Winter Survival
Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Roots keep growing until the ground freezes – this is their last big meal before spring.
5. Dormant Seeding – Bangor’s Secret Weapon
After the last mow and first light frost, spread new seed (late November–early December).
Seed germinates in April the second the soil hits 50°F – giving you a 4–6 week head start.
Best blends for Bangor: 100% Kentucky bluegrass or bluegrass/perennial rye/fescue mixes rated for Zone 5a.
6. Aeration & Overseeding Window (Closing Fast!)
Ideal window: September 1 – November 15. If you still have soft ground, aerate + overseed this week. After mid-November the plugs won’t heal before freeze and you risk winter damage.
7. Weed Control & Pre-Emergent for Spring
Apply a late-fall pre-emergent (prodiamine or dithiopyr) now to stop crabgrass and broadleaf weeds before they germinate under the snowpack. A single application in November gives 80–90% control through July in Bangor.
8. Protecting New or Weak Lawns from Snow Plow Damage
Install reflective lawn stakes or fiberglass markers 12–18" tall along driveways and walks.
Talk to your plow driver now – give them a lawn-friendly map and offer a small bonus if they stay off the grass.
9. Tools & Equipment Winterization
Drain and store hoses
Change mower oil, sharpen/replace blades, and add fuel stabilizer
Blow out sprinkler systems (if you have them) before Thanksgiving
Don’t Have Time for All This Before the Snow Flies?
We still have a handful of slots open for our Fall Cleanup + Winterizer Package before December 1st.
Book now and you’ll lock in 2025 pricing + get a free spring starter fertilizer application ($89 value) when we start in April.
Book Your Fall Cleanup Online or call/text (207) 745-4237 today.
Don’t wake up to a dead lawn in 2026 – let Gavin’s Lawncare handle the heavy lifting so you can enjoy the snow instead of worrying about it.
See you this spring – with the greenest lawn on the block!
Gavin’s Lawncare – Proudly serving Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Orono, Veazie, Hermon, and Glenburn since 2012.
