All homeowners want their grass to look pristine at all times, so it is important to avoid set backs and address problems quickly when you first see them. If a problem arises in the spring, there is a little more time to address it, but if the same problem arises in July, damaged areas might not recover until the weather cools in the fall. Typically, the amount of time a yard was neglected, is the same amount of time it will take to recover. For example: if I was in decent physical shape and decided to stop exercising, and start eating doughnuts and soda every day for a year... its probably going to take me a year of working out again, to get back to the decent shape I was in before. Keeping grass healthy in this area is hard enough in good conditions, so avoiding set backs is key.