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Spring Lawn Care in Texas

With temperatures on the rise, and the days slowly but surely getting longer, it is clear that spring is coming up quickly! We all know spring is an active time in the garden, but it is also an important time to give attention to our lawns. There are several tasks to perform this time of year to help our lawns transform into the lush, green oases we all want. Oh, and word to the wise – no matter how many commercials you hear this spring, weed and feed products are not ideal in central Texas! The timing is almost always off for one or two of those components (more on that later.) The first step to a great lawn is an honest evaluation of what you have.

Questions to ask include:

• What type of grass do I have?

• Is it a full, healthy looking lawn?

• Is my lawn overrun with weeds?

• Do I have patches that look diseased?

• How much water should I give my lawn?

Getting the answers to your evaluation will go a long way towards growing healthy, green grass, so let’s address each question one by one.

If you are unsure of the type of grass you have, place some cuttings in a Ziploc bag and take them to your closest garden center. Experts there should quickly identify your grass type. The most common warm-season grasses in our area are St. Augustine, Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Zosia. Knowing what you have is an important step as it will help dictate the types of products to use.

Understanding the general health of your current lawn is also important. If it looks spotty or displays a poor color, chances are you need to fertilize more regularly. However, if your lawn is lush and green, and your soil is healthy, you might not need to fertilize at all. In general, most Texas lawns require a fertilizer that is composed mostly of nitrogen. Nitrogen is the first of the three numbers that will appear on a fertilizer bag – the others being phosphorous and potassium. Too much phosphorous in the soil can lead to problems, so look for a product that has a high first number and a low second and third number. Many garden centers and hardware stores sell formulations labeled specifically for Texas lawns, which you should try to use. Each product is a little different, so follow the directions on the bag to determine how much fertilizer to apply.

I prefer to apply a top dressing of compost about a quarter of an inch thick on my lawn rather than use a typical fertilizer. Applying a compost is a fine idea as long as it is done early in spring – a late application can burn the lawn. For best results when choosing a fertilizer for your lawn, conduct a soil test.

In general, fertilize twice a year – once in spring and again in fall. Timing of the spring application will vary by year due to our erratic weather. Spring fertilizer should not be applied until the grass is actively growing. I recommend waiting until the lawn is at least 50% green before fertilizing. If fertilizer is put down before the grass is actively growing, it is going to waste! The proper time during fall to fertilize the lawny is early to mid-September. You don’t want to wait too late as it can make your lawn grow and become susceptible to winter injury.

Getting weeds under control leads to a healthy lawn. Use of pre-emergent herbicides to kill the seeds that current weeds are producing is one option, me, I pull the weeds out as they grow rather than use an herbicide. Most lawn weeds are annuals, which means they grow one season, produce seeds, and die. If you stop the weed seeds from spouting, then you eliminate the weeds! Similar to fertilizers, apply herbicides spring and fall; however, they require a different application schedule than fertilizers. If it’s the right time for one, it’s probably not the right time for the other, which is why weed and feeds are not ideal.

In general, apply spring pre-emergent products mid-to-late February or early March. In the fall, apply them early-to-mid October. There are a number of good products out there for this purpose. If you want to keep organic, the best pre-emergent product is corn gluten and has shown to be effective in Texas. Make sure the one you choose is labeled for the type of grass you have. Once you have applied your pre-emergent, water it in as soon as possible, which assures it is effective and actually helps prevent it from washing away. If weeds are not a problem in your yard, you probably don’t need a treatment, but you can always start treating as soon as you notice them.

If you have St. Augustine grass, you could potentially struggle with brown patch disease, which is caused by the Rhizoctonia fungus. Brown patch creates brown circular-shaped lesions in your grass. Typically, they start forming in the spring and persist into summer. Left untreated, brown patch can spread throughout the yard. Use a fungicide labeled for brown patch disease to treat this common problem. Warning: brown patch usually needs to be treated multiple times before it can be controlled.

Insects can damage a Texas Lawn. First on the list of usual suspects are grub worms. Grub worms are a white, fleshy larvae that live in the ground until emerging as a beetle. They leave large brown patches in the lawn that often get confused with brown patch. No matter what type of lawn you have, grub worms can be a problem. It is easy to diagnose them as you simply dig into the affected area and if you have more than a handful, they are likely your culprit. If the problem gets too bad, i.e., your lawn displays several larva-infested brown patches, you might need to treat it. Look for a granular grub killer. It is recommended to treat the entire lawn and not only the affected area. Next on the hit list are chinch bugs. These little critters love the heat. They typically attack lawns at the edges first, often near a sidewalk. Chinch bugs are treated with an insecticide spray.

Watering your lawn on a proper schedule is probably the single most important aspect of Texas lawn care. Most lawns in the area require one inch of water a week. I believe it is better to split up the one inch of water that is needed into two weekly applications. In other words, apply a halfinch of water twice a week to your yard. If we get rain, adjust your watering accordingly.

I know this is quite a bit of information at once, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Getting your lawn on a good watering schedule, knowing when to fertilize and being aware of what problems could arise, and simply knowing how to handle them will get your lawn lush and green in no time!

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054