The Perfect Guide To Winterize Your Lawn In Texas
Here in Texas, winter doesn’t often mean snow and ice, but that doesn’t mean your yard doesn’t need a little extra love and care to keep it thriving in the colder months. Living Houston has the tips you need to winterize your lawn and keep your grass green and healthy all winter long.
The Best Tips To Winterize Your Lawn In Texas
Here in Texas, our lawns never hibernate entirely. Even through January, it grows very slowly, but it’s still growing. Due to the year-round growth our lawns experience, Living Houston has the winter lawn care tips you or your landscaper can apply to keep your lawn thriving.
The Right Height
You should cut your grass to different heights depending on the time of year. In the summer, grass should be cut between 2.5 and 3.5 inches high. This reduces water loss from the soil and provides greater insulation from the heat. In the winter, adjust your lawn mowing height to 2-2.5 inches. Cutting to this height allows the roots of the grass to get more sunlight, which is weaker in the winter months. But pay close attention. Mowing your yard too short can stress your grass out, often to the point where it begins to die. Be diligent about the height setting of the mower used in your yard.
Keep Your Lawn Clean
Keeping your lawn clear of leaves, acorns, and other debris will give your grass a chance to thrive in the colder months. These types of items can suffocate your lawn, preventing it from getting the nutrients, air, and water that it needs. Too much debris in your yard can also be a breeding ground for molds and fungus that can negatively affect your grass’s health. Keeping the grass shorter will help in an overnight freeze, which can cause matted turf if the grass is left too tall.
Don’t Let Weeds Get A Foot In The Door
The most crucial weed prevention applications happen during your lawns “off-season.” Apply a pre-emergent and current weed control application to minimize winter weeds in the fall, and you should use a second application in December. Most people don’t realize that the influx of weeds you often see in the spring and summer starts in the fall. Properly treating your yard in autumn allows you to plant flowers and enjoy your yard in the spring instead of fighting weeds.
It’s also essential to fill in bald patches in your yard in the winter so that those spots can flourish come the warmer months. Do not rake or remove the thatch; this can damage the living crown of the turf. A fall application of fertilizer and new seed in the area should allow fresh grass to grow and fill in the thatch.
Winter Watering Schedule
Because Texas grass never stops growing, you don’t want to stop watering your lawn in the winter. Retaining some moisture in your soil will keep your grass healthy. In the summer months, the optimal watering schedule for your yard is three times a week. In the winter months, you should be watering once a week. Watering once a week will give your soil the exact amount of water needed to stay healthy. Watering the areas close to your house, such as flower beds, will also keep the soil moist to prevent foundation cracking.
Winterize Your Lawn For A Quicker Home Sale
Rather than taking a vacation from your lawn care service in the winter, allow your yard service to mow and clean your yard twice a month. Maintaining your yard in the winter will not only preserve your yard, but it can often save you money on your lawn and landscaping come springtime. It also prevents a decline in curb appeal that often happens in the winter months.
Many people decide to sell their homes in the spring. Having a beautiful and healthy yard can increase your chances of selling your home quicker. And Living Houston looks forward to the opportunity to help you make that sale. We specialize in selling homes fast, so do your best to keep your lawn ever-green.
