Winter might be a slower time for your Texas landscape, but don’t put the brakes on your lawn care services—especially if you want to avoid extra work in spring and keep up with the progress you’ve made to get your lawn in shape.
The reality is, our North Texas lawns never completely hibernate. The grass is still growing (slowly) in January. So, there are some essential winter lawn care tasks either you or a pro should manage to preserve your lawn. Here’s what you need to know.
Winter lawn care in Texas should include adjusting the mower to cut grass 1 inch shorter so it is 2 inches tall for the last major lawn cut of the season, whether your lawn is Bermudagrass, St. Augustine grass or Zoysia grass.
A closer cut, along with bagging grass clippings, will help remove thatch buildup and pull up clutter like acorns and leaves from the yard. You’ll still need to mow your lawn on about a bi-weekly basis during winter, so it’s not too late to accomplish that shorter cut if it didn’t get done in late fall.
You don’t want leaves and acorns to sit on your lawn all winter because the debris can suffocate your grass, preventing it from getting the water, air and nutrients it needs to look good now—and really thrive in the spring. Also, it’s best to keep short grass so an overnight frost or a freeze won’t cause matted turf, which is more susceptible to damage and disease.
Winter lawn care in Texas starts early. Some of the most crucial weed control applications for Texas lawns happen during the off-season, beginning in fall with a pre-emergent and weed control application to minimize winter weeds, and with another treatment again around December. This preventive treatment stops weeds from developing into full-blown broadleaf weeds that are frustrating to manage.
Spring weeds start growing in winter, so preventive weed treatments will nip tough-to-manage broadleaf weeds in the bud. Then in spring, rather than fighting weeds, you can focus on planting annuals and enjoying a beautiful lawn.
Wondering when to winterize a lawn in Texas? Because the grass doesn’t actually stop growing, you don’t want to completely stop watering your Texas lawn during winter because keeping some moisture in the soil will maintain your lawn’s health.
Irrigation systems should be set to a winter watering schedule, which generally means reducing watering days from three to once weekly. Also, rain and freeze sensors should be checked to be sure they are operating correctly.
A rain sensor will stop the irrigation system from running if the lawn and landscape have received enough moisture from Mother Nature.
A freeze sensor turns off the sprinkler system when temperatures drop to freezing or below. Otherwise, the irrigation system would run, and excess water could freeze on the driveway or sidewalk and cause a safety hazard.
Aside from the importance of retaining soil moisture during winter for the health of your grass, regularly watering landscape beds and the ground near your home’s foundation will help that soil stay moist to prevent foundation cracking, which is common in certain neighborhoods.
Rather than taking a winter vacation from lawn care services, keep up with mowing and yard cleanups on a bi-weekly basis to preserve the health and beauty of your lawn and landscape—and save time and money in the spring. You could end up forking over a good $1,000 or more in leaf cleanup, plant replacement and lawn repair if you sideline winter maintenance.
Covering the basics of mowing, winter weed control, and watering will prevent a decline in your property’s appearance, vitality, and overall value.
Don’t lose progress on your lawn during winter. Bring in the pros to keep your lawn and landscape in shape with essential winter lawn care services. Get a Free Quote, then you can enjoy the best lawn on the block!
