October is too late to seed, so I'd give up that idea for now. And there's no need to rake, the dead grasses will rot off by themselves--and raking too vigorously will damage the existing grass just as it's starting to recover from the dry spell we just came out of!

If you want to gently rake the dead areas, that's fine, but be careful.

At this point, we work on repair. Feeding your existing lawn--which looks to be a pretty standard northern tri-mix of fescue, bluegrass, and rye--is never a mistake. And an October feeding is a good time to do it, even though you won't see a lot of repair at this point in the season.

The feeding will go to strengthening the lawn for winter, keeping it from being damaged, and encouraging initial growth and repair in spring. Which is exactly what you want. Then feed again when growth stops and you mow for the last time to neaten up--usually around Thanksgiving for most of us, but it could be as early as November first or into December depending on the year!

And hands off at that point in terms of feeding until Memorial Day of 2020. Then feed it normally with any good fertilizer. Or, if you prefer, feed organically on May first instead.

Feeding earlier in spring simply leads to tapping out the sugars in the roots, which will give you faster growth...and result in weaker summer performance, more death when the weather gets hot, and a poor lawn come fall.

If things still don't look great come next August, overseed just as you notice that summer is starting to end--usually August 15th to September 1st. That gives your newly-sprouted grasses sufficient time to sprout and grow in before winter hits. And for bluegrass, it may not sprout until 15-30 days post planting!

@morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA) Hi! Hope you're well! You were very helpful to me last year with helping me save some sod I put down and my lawn in general.. The Milorganite you recommended was awesome! Could I ask for your opinion again now? -- What should I be doing with my Northern NJ lawn now? We just dethatched it and did a clean up. And the temps are getting high (mid/high 60s) Wondering if I should do pre-emergence now?. We have a puppy, so want to be careful. We could maybe just do some chemicals on the front lawn and keep him off of that. We have some bald spots, so maybe also spot seed those areas? And, then I think you've recommended waiting until May to do Milorganite fertilizer? MANY THANKS in advance!