Got mostly lawn? Practice patience and consistency throughout its annual life cycle to help it survive.
Ananya Seth is an intern in SAWS Conservation.
As the hot summer sun blazes across South-Central Texas, we feel the heat — and so do our grasses. But nature, adaptable and rhythmic, can adapt to hot days and cold nights.
With September approaching, the growth of summer grasses will start to slow and prepare for the seasonal transition ahead. Generally, we observe our grass progress through many different stages year-round. While there are various thoughts, facts and personal preferences on how to maintain your grasses, I hope this article can help you better understand their journey throughout the year and put in perspective how important it is to trust the process for true flourishing growth.
Summer (technically warm season) grasses like Bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine prosper in hot and humid conditions in Central Texas. Using turf grass as a landscape element requires your understanding and patience (and consistency!) through their annual life cycle.
Here are a few things you can do to help prepare your summer season grasses in early spring
- Mow consistently: It’s recommended that once you start to see growth, most likely in late spring to early summer, mow your lawn once or twice a week or before it exceeds 4 inches. Consistency is key. To establish a healthy lawn, first establish consistent mowing habits that follow the one third rule. This rule recommends not to cut off more than 1/3 of your grass blade at a time to prevent the unnecessary stress of removing too much leaf tissue at once (instantly transforming a green lawn to a brown one!) This can also prevent winter weeds from going to seed.
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Follow watering rules: As San Antonio weather fluctuates it’s important to keep an eye on SAWS water recommendations that measure evapotranspiration due to heat, wind, solar radiation and precipitation.
How to care for your summer grasses in the hot summer months
- Pay attention to growth: The first part of summer often sees the fastest grass growth, especially if we receive precipitation and high humidity in May and June. This may require you to mow a bit more frequently to keep up with growth. Adjust the mowing height to help grasses better retain moisture and nutrients (and help prevent bald spots and weeds).
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Understanding summer dormancy: It’s normal to see grass begin to fade or brown in the second half of summer. But don’t panic. Browning can be a result of several external factors, including dormancy. While we stay inside cooling off in the AC these soft green stalks have adapted their own methods for dealing with summer sun. They’ll temporarily pause their growth to focus on holding nutrients in their root systems, and as the older grass blades brown, they are no longer replaced by fresh green ones. On the plus side, dormant grass requires less mowing as growth slows down during the hottest days of the year. All you need to give your dormant grass is a break.
An easy method to test if your grass is in dormancy is to lightly yank it. If the root system doesn’t get uprooted your grass is still alive.
- Follow watering rules: As turf grass changes from fast growth to summer dormancy, watering once per week is all that’s required to continue to keep the roots healthy until conditions improve.
Your summer grasses in fall and winter
- Temperature decreases: Shorter days and decreasing soil temperatures will bring an end to the warm season grass growing season.
In winter, you will meet your cool season grasses as rescue grass, rye grass and other species begin to germinate. (You can either enjoy the winter green, or proactively prepare for these winter grasses to emerge by applying a preemergent herbicide at the end of August to early September to prevent them from germinating in the first place.)
Winter months to early spring
- Take care of your roots: Summer grass will brown as the temperature drops. While your grasses halt growth, they are very much still alive and your roots may need infrequent watering, especially during drier years. An easy reminder is to water once a month in winter if it has not rained; you can use the major holidays as a reminder to check.
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Make room for summer grasses: To help prepare for the emergence of early spring summer grasses make sure to mow frequently to help light penetrate the grass roots. Keep your roots heathy and your summer grass will start to seed in late April while your winter weeds will start to die off as temperatures rise and their growth becomes less favorable.
Remember, lawns and grass types are unique and can be affected by temperature, moisture, sunlight, fertility and mowing heights. Understanding the cycle of your grass will help you better appreciate the complexities of your lawn.
Most importantly, when it comes to grass in South-Central Texas, less is more. We encourage you to explore our coupons and rebates to help convert your lawn to outdoor living spaces or drought resistant landscapes.
