The temperatures are quickly falling as I sit down to write this article, and I can’t believe that I am writing about lawn care as we head into winter weather.  The cooler months of fall and winter do provide a little bit of relief from lawn care chores like mowing, weeding, and watering, but there are still a few tasks that you need to do to prepare for winter.

There is one big task that I recommend for winter lawn care, and it should save you some money.  Turn off your irrigation system!  In Central Texas, our lawns are generally warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, or St. Augustine.  These grasses all go dormant in the winter months.  Usually, you can easily tell when your Bermuda grass calls it quits for winter because it turns a nice golden color at the first hard frost or freeze.

We usually get more rain during the winter in this part of Texas.  Higher precipitation rates and cooler temperatures means that your lawn probably does not need any supplemental watering from the sprinkler system.  You might have to water a little if we go several weeks without rain, but generally speaking, you can turn the irrigation system off in the winter.  If you feel a strong urge to do some yard work in the winter months, you can take time to check your sprinkler heads to make sure everything is in working order before next summer.

You can also take a break from mowing in the fall and winter months unless you find yourself with a big winter weed crop.  If you have a lot of weeds in your lawn in the winter, try to mow the weeds before they flower to prevent the plants from forming seeds that will be a problem in the future.  You can also use a post-emergent weed killer for a bad case of winter weeds like henbit or annual bluegrass.

For more information on winter lawn care, contact Kate Whitney, Williamson County Horticulture Extension Agent, at 512-943-3300.  Be sure to check out our calendar of upcoming programs at https://williamson.agrilife.org/.