St. Augustinegrass Maintenance Calendar for Texas

For a lush St. Augustinegrass lawn in Texas, it’s crucial to tailor care to its needs and the local climate. Our St. Augustinegrass calendar for Texas guides you in offering the proper care at the correct times. 

St. Augustinegrass is a native species around the Gulf of Mexico and thrives in Texas’s subtropical climate. Its tolerance for mild winters and hot summers makes it ideal for the region, but following best practices is vital for maintaining its beautiful blue-green color and lush appearance.

Spring St. Augustinegrass maintenance: March, April, May

As spring begins, your St. Augustinegrass emerges from its winter dormancy and starts growing again. During spring, your goal is to help your lawn bounce back from the winter and get ready for the summer. Since summer is the time when St. Augustinegrass grows the most, you’ll want to prepare your lawn for optimal growth.

Plant

The best time to establish St. Augustinegrass is during its active growing season, late spring and early summer. However, you can plant St. Augustinegrass as early as April. St. Augustinegrass establishes quickly and can be established using sod, sprigs, or plugs. (Seed is not available for St. Augustine.) Avoid planting during times of extreme temperatures, especially during cold weather.

The temperatures and climate vary across Texas, so the growth season may occur earlier or later depending on where you’re located. For an in-depth look at when to plant grass, check out our guide: “The Best Time to Plant Grass Seed in Texas.”

Mow

In March, once there is no chance of another frost, you can start mowing your lawn weekly. Keep your St. Augustinegrass mowed to a height between 2.5 inches and 4 inches. To avoid cutting off too much of the grass at once, follow the one-third rule, which means never removing more than one-third of the grass length at a time. If mowing weekly is too often, mow as needed.

Note: There are a few factors that go into having a perfectly mowed lawn, such as using sharp mower blades and switching up your mowing pattern. For more tips, take a look at our guide: “How to Mow a Lawn the Right Way.”

Water

After St. Augustinegrass comes out of dormancy, it needs approximately 1 inch of water per week, divided into two or three watering sessions. This grass type often requires more frequent watering when grown in sandy soils. For those living near the Gulf Coast, expect to water the lawn with about half an inch of water every three days.

Fertilize

Once you have mowed your lawn at least twice, you can apply your first round of fertilizer. It is always best to perform a soil test to ensure you provide your lawn with the proper nutrients. 

Be aware that applying fertilizer with nitrogen during this time can be unwise, as a late frost can damage grass stimulated by nitrogen. In Texas, this may be less of a concern since winter is typically mild and short-lived. However, freezes can occur in some areas of Texas through mid to late March.

Select the best fertilizer for your lawn by checking out our guide to the best lawn fertilizers for Texas.

Dethatch

Typically, aerating and dethatching are lawn maintenance tasks that are done together in May or June. This dynamic duo helps your lawn perform better. Dethatching removes the layer of thatch from the top of your soil, allowing sunlight, water, and air to reach your grass. 

Pro Tip: When dethatching and aerating your lawn, dethatch it first to make aeration easier and more effective.

Aerate

It’s best to aerate St. Augustinegrass in late spring or early summer. But in spring, you can aerate as early as April. Aeration relieves soil compaction, giving your lawn some breathing room. This strengthens your roots, helps your lawn grow more dense, and improves water absorption. As a general rule of thumb, you should aerate your lawn annually.

If you’d like a little extra help with the differences between dethatching and aeration and how they impact your lawn, you can check out our article — “Difference Between Dethatching and Aeration” — for more information.

Control weeds

Apply pre-emergent herbicides once soil temperatures reach 55 F for four to five consecutive days to prevent summer grassy weeds such as crabgrass, goosegrass, and sandspurs. Use post-emergence herbicides as needed for broadleaf weeds. 

Note: A wide variety of weeds can impact your lawn in Texas, depending on your region, the time of year, and lawn conditions. Our guide to the most common Texas weeds can help you identify and control the most common ones. 

Control diseases

Take-all root rot is a fungal lawn disease that typically affects St. Augustinegrass during the spring and early summer as the grass emerges from dormancy. The severity of this disease increases when the lawn is under stress from various factors, including:

• Extreme temperatures
• Soil compaction
• Overwatering or underwatering
• Mowing too short

Take-all root rot symptoms include yellowing turf, thinning, wilting, and irregular patches of brown grass. To prevent this, it’s important to promote healthy root growth in St. Augustinegrass. This can be achieved through practices such as dethatching, aerating, and mowing at the right height. If take-all root rot has already infested your lawn, fungicides can be effective.

Certain lawn diseases are more common with St. Augustinegrass. For information on some common ones, check out: “Most Common Diseases in St. Augustinegrass.”

Control pests

Fire ants are very common spring pests in Texas and are extremely memorable to anyone who has felt their burning stings. They are dark reddish-brown in color and can build their mounds almost anywhere, although they typically prefer sunny areas close to a water source. 

Fire ant mounds do not have visible entry holes, but when disturbed, the ants will swarm to bite and sting the intruder. Both bait pesticides and the direct application of insecticides to fire ant mounds are effective methods for control.

For a more in-depth look at how you can kick out fire ants for good, see our guide: “How to Get Rid of Fire Ants in Your Yard.”

Summer St. Augustinegrass maintenance: June, July, August

Summer is the active growing season for St. Augustinegrass. This is the best time to establish a St. Augustinegrass lawn or perform more intense lawn maintenance tasks such as aeration since your lawn will recover more quickly. 

While your lawn thrives in the Texas heat, you may not. Avoid doing any lawn maintenance tasks during midday, when it’s hottest. Keep yourself hydrated and wear sun protection.

Plant

Early summer, particularly June, is an ideal time to establish St. Augustinegrass. This period coincides with the grass’s active growth season, allowing for quicker establishment. Although it is possible to plant later in the season, homeowners in Texas often face challenges such as high temperatures and drought conditions during that time. 

For warm-season grasses, plant when soil temperatures are between 65 and 70 F and air temperatures range from 70 to 95 F during lawn establishment.

Note: St. Augustinegrass seeds aren’t sold, so you can’t overseed a thinning lawn or bare spots. Instead, you can use sod to fix it. For more details on using sod to repair your lawn, check out how to fix patchy grass with sod.

Mow

During the summer, you’ll need to mow St. Augustinegrass more frequently, every five to seven days, as it’s in its peak growing season. It’s best to mow a little higher than usual during this time to promote deeper root growth, which can make your lawn more resilient, especially in Texas, where drought is a common problem for lawns.

If your St. Augustinegrass lawn is showing signs of drought stress, allow it to recover by taking a break from mowing and only mowing when necessary.

Water

Even in summer, you generally won’t need to water your St. Augustinegrass more than once or twice weekly. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage the development of healthy roots, which helps protect your lawn against drought stress. 

You can tell your lawn is experiencing drought stress when the lawn displays these symptoms:

• A blue-gray appearance
• Wilted grass
• Thinning
• Increased weed growth
• Visible footprints that linger

Avoid watering during rainy periods if rainfall is likely to meet your lawn’s needs. Keep in mind that many cities in Texas have watering restrictions in place during the summer months. Check with your local government or HOA for more information. 

Pro Tip: Remember to water your lawn for the appropriate time based on your sprinkler type, and test the amount of water reaching your lawn for accuracy. For tips on how to do this and more, check out our guide: “How Often Should I Water My Lawn with a Sprinkler System.”

Fertilize

Take advantage of St. Augustinegrass’s growing season by applying 0.5­ to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Apply the first round of fertilizer in late June or early July and repeat in mid-­August. Don’t exceed 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year.

You should conduct a soil test to determine if your lawn requires additional nutrients. If you don’t have soil test results and decide to wing it, you can use a fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio. Remember not to apply fertilizer to stressed grass, as this can make the problem worse.

Fertilizing Tip: It’s good to know which fertilizer works best for your grass type. Luckily, we have a guide for the best lawn fertilizers for St. Augustinegrass.   

Dethatch

If it feels like you’re walking on a bed of dish sponges when you’re out on the lawn, it’s time to dethatch. A little bit of thatch is good for your lawn, but too much thatch keeps your lawn from getting the nutrients it needs, which means a sad summer lawn. 

Pair dethatching with aeration for best results. Like aeration, you only need to dethatch once per year in May or June, but these two tasks can be done as late as August. 

Learn more about how and when to dethatch your lawn in Texas by checking out our article: “When to Dethatch Your Lawn in Texas.”

Aerate

St. Augustinegrass does not tolerate soil compaction, and early summer is a great time to aerate your lawn since your grass is growing actively. This gives your lawn the best opportunity to recover from aeration and come back stronger. Many types of aerators can be right for your lawn depending on size and your budget, but core aerators are the most popular.

For more information about aerating your lawn in Texas, see our guide: “When to Aerate Your Lawn in Texas.”

Control weeds 

Apply post-emergence herbicides as needed to weeds. Don’t apply herbicides if your lawn is suffering from drought stress.

Control diseases

Gray leaf spot is a common lawn disease for St. Augustinegrass in summer. It appears as small gray or brown lesions on grass blades that can expand to up to 2 to 3 inches long. The good news is gray leaf spot can be prevented by avoiding late afternoon or evening watering and not applying soluble nitrogen fertilizers to shaded lawns.

Take-all root rot can also affect St. Augustinegrass in summer. It presents as thinning irregular patches of turf that turn yellow and then brown. Roots are typically discolored, less dense, and brittle. For both gray leaf spot and take-all root rot, fungicides are an effective treatment.

Control pests

White grubs are c-shaped, white larvae of scarab beetles. While a few are harmless, infestations can lead to spongy turf, discoloration, and wilting grass. If you’ve seen grub damage in the past, apply preventative insecticides in June for the best results. Make sure the insecticide targets white grubs, as not all are effective against them.

Chinch bugs are also active during this time. Look out for yellow patches on your lawn or drought symptoms as signs of their impact. If you closely examine the base of your grass blades, you may observe small black-and-white bugs. 

Here’s how to test for chinch bugs:

1. Remove the top and bottom of a coffee can.
2. Push the can into the soil and fill it with water. 
3. After 5 to 10 minutes, any bugs should float. 
4. If there are more than 20 bugs per square foot, treatment should be applied.

If your lawn has been damaged by chinch bugs, use our guide — “How to Repair Chinch Bug Damage” — to help your lawn recover.

Fall St. Augustinegrass maintenance: September, October, November

In the fall, your lawn maintenance frequency will slow down as your grass gets closer to dormancy. For St Augustinegrass, it’s not until temperatures are consistently below 80 F and soil temperatures are below 55 F that the grass will go dormant. In Texas, this may not be until late fall or winter. 

During this time, your goal is to maintain lawn health and prepare your lawn for winter.

Mow

Follow the same mowing guidelines as March through May.

Water

Continue to water your St. Augustinegrass lawn with about 1 inch of water per week, adjusting the frequency as needed. In November, your lawn may enter dormancy. During dormancy, you can stop or significantly reduce watering. Typically, the combination of reduced growth during dormancy and natural rainfall means your lawn is likely receiving enough water.

Fertilize

Your last fertilizer treatment should be no later than mid-September OR four to six weeks prior to your first fall frost. Don’t exceed 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. Once your lawn goes dormant in November or December, avoid fertilizing since it will be unable to utilize the nutrients and can leach into the groundwater.

Our complete guide to fertilizing throughout the Lone Star State — “When to Fertilize Lawns in Texas” — can help you ensure that you apply fertilizer at the best time for your region.

Control weeds

Apply pre-emergence herbicides when soil temperatures have been at 70 F for four to five days. This will help prevent winter weeds like annual bluegrass and rescuegrass.

Control diseases

Once temperatures drop to 80 F, apply fungicides to deter large patch. This lawn disease is common in fall and can be severe, developing easily in the cool, wet weather associated with the season. 

You can learn more about large patch and other causes of brown patches here: “Why Does St. Augustinegrass Get Brown Patches?”

Control pests

In the fall, armyworms are the pests to watch out for on Texas lawns. You may notice brown patches of grass, bald spots, or grass blades that appear chewed or torn. Sometimes, they only consume the green part of the grass, creating a windowpane effect commonly associated with this pest. 

Winter St. Augustinegrass maintenance: December, January, February

Since St. Augustinegrass is a warm-season grass, it goes dormant in winter. This means that your lawn is still alive, but it’s not growing actively. This helps your grass conserve energy, so it can bounce back when conditions are ideal again. You’ll notice your lawn turn brown, but under the soil, the roots are strong, alive, and doing their job to keep your grass healthy. 

There’s not as much lawn maintenance to keep up with in winter. However, you can ensure that you avoid putting undue stress on your lawn and keep up with basic lawn care tasks.

Avoid Mowing

Since your lawn is dormant during the winter, your St. Augustinegrass doesn’t need mowing. Only mow if necessary or to keep weeds at bay.

Water

In winter, St. Augustinegrass goes dormant and stops actively growing. Therefore, you do not need to water your lawn as frequently as you do during the rest of the year. It’s best to significantly reduce your watering or stop altogether, as the lawn typically receives enough moisture from rainfall during the winter months. Watering should only be done if the conditions are unusually dry.

Control weeds

Apply post-emergence herbicides as needed for winter weeds. Broadleaf weeds like chickweed are common during this time of year.

Bothered by broadleaf weeds? We’ve got you covered with our guide: “How to Identify and Control Broadleaf Weeds.”

Control diseases

Texas lawns can still be vulnerable to diseases during the winter months. Monitor for large patch and take-all root rot, as these can cause significant damage. Sometimes, the effects of winter lawn diseases may not become apparent until spring. 

To help prevent this, keep your lawn at the appropriate mowing height during the fall, avoid winter fertilization treatments that can increase susceptibility to disease, and refrain from excessive watering. If necessary, treat active lawn diseases with fungicides.

Control pests

During winter, you might notice a decrease in insect activity, but don’t be fooled—other pests remain active. Animals like rats, mice, raccoons, skunks, and opossums often seek shelter from the cold, finding cozy spots under decks, in sheds, or even inside homes.

To deter these unwelcome guests, eliminate things that may attract wildlife, such as debris, standing water, and food sources like birdseed. While DIY traps are an option, it’s best to consult a wildlife control professional, especially if the animals exhibit aggressive behavior or signs of illness.

Pro Tip: For more information about common Texas pests, check out this article: “Common Pests in Austin (and How to Get Rid of Them).” While it’s focused on Austin, many of these pests exist throughout the state and cause problems no matter the season.

St. Augustinegrass and Texas’s climate

St. Augustinegrass, a warm-season grass, thrives in temperatures of 85 to 90 F, making it ideal for Texas’s warm climate. You’ll notice that if you live east of I-35, your St. Augustinegrass may encounter very few issues. However, if you live west of I-35, growing and maintaining St. Augustinegrass can be more challenging.

St. Augustinegrass struggles in West Texas, the Panhandle, and some of Central Texas due to lower temperatures and dry conditions, as it has only moderate drought tolerance. On the other hand, St. Augustinegrass thrives in the subtropical climate that covers most of the rest of the state and particularly thrives near the Gulf Coast due to its salt tolerance. 

Additional lawn care resources for Texas

Learn more about lawn care in Texas with these guides:

• The Best Types of Grass for Texas Lawns
• Bermudagrass  Maintenance Calendar for Texas
• Zoysiagrass Maintenance Calendar for Texas
• Best Grass Types for Austin
• Best Grass Types for San Antonio
• Best Grass Types for Houston

FAQ about St. Augustinegrass

How do I know if my St. Augustinegrass is dead or dormant?

You can tell if your St. Augustinegrass is dead or just dormant in two main ways:

1.  Unlike other grasses that turn uniformly brown, St. Augustinegrass turns brown in patches when entering dormancy.

2.  You can do a tug test: Pull on a small bunch of grass. If it resists and you see white roots, it’s still alive. If it breaks off easily, it’s dead.

For more signs and symptoms, see our article “How to Tell if Your Grass is Dead or Dormant.”

What happens if I mow my grass too low?

Mowing your grass too low is called scalping. It makes your grass more vulnerable to weeds, lawn disease, and drought stress. While scalping is sometimes done on purpose to help warm-season grasses green up faster after winter dormancy, St. Augustinegrass is not suited for this practice.

Should I leave grass clippings on my St. Augustinegrass lawn?

Yes, after mowing your lawn, leaving your grass clippings behind is a great way to give your St. Augustinegrass an extra boost. Grass clippings decompose quickly and provide nutrients to the soil, acting like a mini fertilizer treatment.

Hire a pro

Maintaining St. Augustinegrass in Texas requires specific care tailored to the warm climate of the region. By understanding the unique needs of St. Augustinegrass, homeowners can ensure a lush and healthy lawn in every season.

St. Augustinegrass is a beautiful grass type to have if you’re willing to put in the effort. You can also hire a Texas lawn care professional to ensure that your St. Augustinegrass stays healthy and vibrant throughout the year, allowing you to enjoy a beautiful and well-maintained lawn without the stress and effort of managing it on your own.

Main Image Credit: Forest & Kim Starr | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0