As it gets later in the year, there are some specific lawn-care tasks particularly suited to the late summer and early fall in Texas. Though the weather is still warm, it is time to start preparing your lawn and garden for winter and making sure you have the appropriate lawn equipment on hand for each task.
Fertilization
Warm-season grasses, which include the turf grasses typically grown in Texas, prefer to be fertilized during the warm months of the year. Applying lawn fertilizer in early fall helps strengthen the grass before winter sets in and the grasses go dormant. One of the easiest ways to apply fertilizer is with a spreader.
It is not helpful to fertilize grasses any later than October, as this will encourage lush growth that can be stressed by early frosts. After applying the last round of fertilizer for the year, you can start reducing how often the lawn is watered. Warm-season grasses need less water as their growth slows down, and the soil will hold water longer as the weather starts to cool.
Fungus and Disease
To help prevent stress on the lawn, make sure you keep up with raking leaves that fall from deciduous trees. Leaves that are allowed to remain on the lawn block light from reaching the grass. This stresses the turf grass, which affects how well the grass overwinters, as well as its ability to resist disease and fungus .
If any turf diseases or fungus have developed in you lawn, fall is a good time to treat the grass. For example, if you have a Bermuda grass lawn that experienced spring dead spot, the most likely cause was a fungus that attacked grass roots the fall before. A fungicide applied to the lawn in September will prevent the problem recurring next year. For more tips on treating and preventing lawn problems, check out this article.
Fall Planting
Gardens also benefit from care in the fall. In September, you can start dividing spring-flowering plants such as iris and daisy. This is also a good time for adding organic matter to garden beds in preparation for planting spring-flowering bulbs in October. In addition to planting new bulbs, October is a good time for cleaning up the garden beds to get ready for next spring.
If you are starting a new lawn or want to repair some bare spots in the grass, there are a few types of warm-season grasses which can be grown from seed. These include Bermuda grass hybrids, zoysia, and some varieties of Buffalo grass. When starting from seed, early fall is the best time to plant new grass. The same spreaders used for fertilizer can also be used for broadcasting seed.
Completing a few lawn care tasks in the late spring and early fall will help keep your Texas lawn healthy. Applying fertilizer at the right time, treating fungus, taking steps to prevent disease, and reseeding bare spots in your lawn will help your grass over winter and grow well next year. By working garden soil and planting spring-flowering bulbs in September and October, you can also make sure your landscape is ready for next spring.
