6 Common Lawn Issues Texas Homeowners Face Annually
If you’re a Texas homeowner, you know how tricky it can be to keep your lawn looking its best. In this article, we’ll go over some of the issues and challenges that Texas homeowners face with their lawns and what you can do to address them.
1. You need to fertilize your lawn all year round
Some Texas homeowners think that they don’t have to fertilize or maintain their lawns during the winter or cold season. This is a mistake. If this is the advice you’ve been acting on, the grass on your property is probably looking a bit lackluster. You need to maintain and fertilize your lawn all year round because grass growth is just as rapid in the cold season as it does in other times of year in Texas, it’s just mostly below the surface.
2. You’ll face trouble if you cut your grass too short
If you cut your grass excessively short, the Texas climate and conditions are likely to cause it damage. This is especially true in the dry, hot Texas summer. You should also avoid cutting off more than one-third of the height of your grass during any one mowing session.
In Texas winters, you should adjust your mower to cut the grass so that it is two inches in length. This is true regardless of what type of grass you have. Making sure that your lawn is the right length at the right time of the year, together with properly bagging your grass clippings, will be important in preventing a buildup of thatch. It will also get rid of leaves, acorns and other tree-related debris from your yard. Plan to mow or maintain your lawn once every two weeks during the winter.
3. Texan homeowners must be precise with their watering
Ensure that you give your grass the right amount of water throughout the year. You should water your lawn early in the morning. This is important, as it will ensure that the sun does not evaporate the moisture before the lawn has a chance to absorb it.
Remember that the grass in Texas is still growing, albeit slowly, in January. You must carry on doing the most important lawn care duties during the winter. However, you should create a special winter watering schedule for your irrigation system. This should include reducing your watering days from two times a week to just one time weekly (and turning sprinker systems off in any weekly period that receives a half inch or more of rainfall). Installing a rain sensor compatible with your irrigation system will help determine if the lawn already has enough moisture and stop the irrigation system from operating if that is the case.
You may also want to have a freeze sensor for your irrigation system, as well. A freeze sensor will make sure that the system doesn’t come on when temperatures fall to freezing or below, possible saving your plants, underground irrigation lines and walkways from damage.
4. Weeds can be a problem in any Texas lawn
You should treat your weed problem in the pre-emergent stage. This means that the treatment is done before the weeds make an appearance. When you do such treatments, you’ll help stop the weeds from reaching the soil line. In North Texas, pre-emergency is usually applied one or twice between the months of November and February.
While doing pre-emergent weed control is very important, you’ll have to do curative treatment, too. Another term for curative weed control is post-emergent control. You need both pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control in order to create and maintain an attractive lawn. There are many good fertilizers that incorporate a weed-control component. Just make sure to select the one appropriate for your turf type and follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding application.
5. Clean up your lawn every two weeks in winter
Don’t slack off on removing unwanted debris from your lawn in the winter. You should remove unwanted objects (such as leaves and acorns) at least once every two weeks.
6. You should use grass suitable for both our North Texas climate and the amount of daily direct sun you expect it to receive.
Some of the best types of grass for Texas lawns are St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda. These species of grass tend to grow well in the climate. Each, however, has different shade tolerance, optimal growth height and water needs. Choosing the right kind of grass to suit your needs will go a long way in making sure you end up with a beautiful lawn.