If you’re like many Austinites, you use St. Augustine grass for your lawn. While it provides thick, hardy coverage during the spring, summer and early fall, St. Augustine suffers when the temperatures dip into the 30s. And if the thermometer goes below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, it will die.
Here are some tips to help ensure that your St. Augustine lawn will survive the upcoming cooler weather in Austin:
Protect with fertilizer
Fertilizing your lawn will help protect it from the occasional cold spells that hit Southeast Texas. Using a phosphorous-heavy or well-rounded fertilizer for lawns that have been in the ground longer than three months. And every month after that, use a nitrogen-based fertilizer. Doing so will help keep the root system strong enough to combat the cold.
Mow with care
You can keep your grass a little longer while the weather is warm. But just before winter sets in cut it to a length of 2 inches. This will help concentrate fertilizer nutrients in smaller sections of grass.
Keep your grass object-free
Remove all major objects and debris from your lawn. This includes lawn tables and chairs, children’s toys, branches, rocks and anything else that covers substantial portions of grassy areas. Make sure to rake up large accumulation of leaves, as it can starve the grass of oxygen.
Watch out for pets
If you have dogs, cats or other animals, watch for areas where they urinate. Uric acid can kill grass quickly, especially when it’s been weakened by cold weather. Hose down areas where your pets relieve themselves to dilute the urine concentration.
South Austin Irrigation is here to help you keep your lawn looking beautiful no matter the season. We offer irrigation system sales and repair service as well as expert horticultural advice. For the landscape care that more Austinites trust, contact us!
