Lawn care during fall/winter.....

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
This board and several posters have given some great advice on lawn care. I read this book and read it front to back (book).

With the fall/winter coming up around the corner, what do I need to do? I have bermudagrass tif 419.

I currently water my grass about 1" per week 1 time per week. My neighbors water it like 3 times a week and I do mine only once a week (but deep). With the fall coming, do I need to water it that much? Can I reduce it below 1" per week? My Hunter sprinkler system has a setting for seasons so I can go 100% and below. Does my grass need as much water in the fall/winter? I know it goes dormant but how much water does it need?

And when do I need to use a pre-emergent weed killer? I have used LadyBug 824 fertilizer and not a weed-and-feed. But I have heard several people recommend pre-emergents. I really don't want to pick out weeds hours at a time like I did last year (my 1st year to have the house and grass both of which are new).

When and what to use?

Thanks!!!
 
You can certainly cut down your water usage in the fall. Obviously if hasn't rained in some time, give it a soaking. During the winter months make sure you give your lawn a watering if it is dry and a freeze is on the way. Also, it is good to fertilize going into the fall. You could probably do that now. You could also put down a pre-emergent to stop fall/winter weeds from germinating. Just get a bag of corn gluten and spread it out; it is also high in nitrogen, so it is good for your grass.
 
Jelly, thanks. So I currently water 1" one time per week. Should I still water 1 time per week but 0.5" at a time? Or less? Or less frequently?
 
I would stay at the 1" rate until we stop having 90+ temps. When we get into the 80's for the highs cut back.

In the winter your bermuda will likely go dormant and you don't need to water much at all.
 
If you really want to torture yourself, you can overseed with winter rye and mow all Winter long.
biggrin.gif
 
So when we hit 80deg and colder, ~ 0.5" per week?

When full blown winter, every other week 0.5" per time?
 
Pre-emergents are put down late in the fall to prevent spring weeds from sprouting. The usual recommended time frame for central Texas is late October, early November. For locations further north, do it sooner. Amaze and Excel are two that I hear mentioned most often.
 
If Austin provides your water remember that water usage is measured during the winter months (check web site for exact dates) to establish your wastewater usage/fee for the next year. Because of this it's prudent to try to minimize your water use during this time.
 
"Pre-emergents are put down late in the fall to prevent spring weeds from sprouting."

I am not familiar with the products you reference, so maybe they work differently, but pre-emergents put down in the fall control winter weeds. To prevent Spring weeds, you would put it down in early February.

Also, everyone keep in mind of Austin's new watering restrictions. I believe they go into effect in October.

Residential Customers: Address ending with odd numbers
Wednesday and Saturday only.

Residential Customer: Address ending with even numbers
Thursday and Sunday only.

Commercial, Multi-family and all other customers
Tuesday and Friday only.

No outdoor watering on Monday

Time of Day restrictions for outdoor watering are as follows:

Automatic Irrigation Systems
No watering 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mandatory year-around restriction
All customers
No hose-end sprinkler watering 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 1 to Sept. 30
 
"I got that flyer too. It says no irrigation between Nov 1 and Mar1...does that mean no watering at all?"

You can still water, but just follow the new guidelines. They really are just enforcing good watering practices.
 
Residential Customers: Address ending with odd numbers
Wednesday and Saturday only.

Jelly, I have a sprinkler system. So this means that I need to water only Wed. or Sat.? As it is, I have mine set up for front yard on Monday. Back yard on Tuesday. Sounds like I need to change that.

From October to when?
 
Pre-emergent needs to go down now. A rule of thumb is Sept 15 and Feb 15. As far as winter watering, I usually winterize my irrigation system in early Nov and dont water at all until next spring.
 
Brak, do you recommend any winter pre-emergents? I spent hours picking out weeds last spring (around March/April). I don't want to do that again.
 
OP - I just went to a local nursery (very well regarded in San Antonio) and asked the same questions about weeds. I left with a product called Manage for my current weeds (of which I am seriously tired of picking) and a scotts winterguard that they said I should apply in about a month.

I have to water a little more often than you because we san antonioans only have about a .25 to .5 inches of topsoil so I can't help you with your watering troubles.

hope that info helps.
 
"OP - I just went to a local nursery (very well regarded in San Antonio) and asked the same questions about weeds. I left with a product called Manage for my current weeds (of which I am seriously tired of picking) and a scotts winterguard that they said I should apply in about a month."

I am not familiar with Manage, but keep in mind that Scott's Winterguard is a broad leaf weed killer that will damage your trees & shrubs. The City of Austin has started a campaign to discourage its use due the damage it causes to trees and the fact that it is polluting the streams (highly water soluable). The City of Austin will eventually ban its use, as I don't think this campain will be as effective as it needs to be. You can control weeds with an organic pre-emergent, such as corn gluten, as well as maintaining a healthy lawn. Anyway, a few weeds aren't a big deal; trying to replace a dying shade tree is.
 
brak, can you buy those at Austin Natural Gardener? can you apply this with a fertilizer spreader?

i will go there but sometimes it is hard to get out there....
 
Just because grass is dormant doesn't mean it doesn't need water. Sometimes winter rain can provide enough rainfall to keep grass alive. However, the last drought cycle that we just came out of began during the winter of 2004-05 and many people had dead grass in the spring but didn't understand why because they usually didn't water in the winter. Same thing happened to many of their trees. You need to be aware of rainfall amounts to understand it you need supplemental watering or not.
 
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