diff --git a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/guide/performance.scrbl b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/guide/performance.scrbl
index 555fd3345f..6fade46141 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/guide/performance.scrbl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/guide/performance.scrbl
@@ -613,7 +613,10 @@ immediate garbage collection, but instead requests that each minor
 collection perform incremental work up to the next major collection.
 The request expires with the next major collection. Make a call to
 @racket[(collect-garbage 'incremental)] in any periodic task within
-an application that needs to be responsive in real time.
+an application that needs to be responsive in real time. Force a
+full collection with @racket[(collect-garbage)] just before an initial
+@racket[(collect-garbage 'incremental)] to initiate incremental mode
+from an optimal state.
 
 To check whether incremental mode is use and how it affects pause
 times, enable @tt{debug}-level logging output for the
diff --git a/racket/src/racket/gc2/newgc.c b/racket/src/racket/gc2/newgc.c
index 29eb834a98..8fa4ac7f22 100644
--- a/racket/src/racket/gc2/newgc.c
+++ b/racket/src/racket/gc2/newgc.c
@@ -5811,6 +5811,9 @@ static void garbage_collect(NewGC *gc, int force_full, int no_full, int switchin
                     incremental mode has been enabled: */
                  || ((gc->since_last_full > FORCE_MAJOR_AFTER_COUNT)
                      && !gc->started_incremental)
+                 || (gc->full_needed_for_finalization
+                     && !gc->incremental_requested
+                     && !gc->started_incremental)
                  /* In incremental mode, GC earlier if we've done everything
                     that we can do incrementally. */
                  || (gc->started_incremental
@@ -5823,12 +5826,13 @@ static void garbage_collect(NewGC *gc, int force_full, int no_full, int switchin
     return;
   }
 
-  next_gc_full = gc->gc_full && !gc->started_incremental;
+  next_gc_full = (gc->gc_full
+                  && !gc->started_incremental
+                  && !gc->full_needed_for_finalization);
 
-  if (gc->full_needed_for_finalization) {
+  if (gc->full_needed_for_finalization && gc->gc_full)
     gc->full_needed_for_finalization= 0;
-    gc->gc_full = 1;
-  }
+
 #ifdef GC_DEBUG_PAGES
   if (gc->gc_full == 1) {
     GCVERBOSEprintf(gc, "GC_FULL gc: %p MASTER: %p\n", gc, MASTERGC);