How Often Should You Mow Your Lawn in Texas?
When it comes to mowing your lawn, it’s a bit like paying taxes — it’s ongoing! But how often you mow your lawn and how you mow it matter a great deal when it comes to maintaining a beautiful and healthy appearance.
The fact is, there’s no hard and fast answer to the question of how often to mow lawn in Texas, but there are considerations that will help with a mowing schedule.
Texas Lawns
The major consideration for lawn care is climate. Central Texas experiences oppressively hot summers and cold, wet winters. Neither the brutal heat nor the cold of winter is good for lawns, and care needs to be taken to protect them from the harsh elements. This protection is best achieved by caring for your lawn year-round.
How Often to Mow Lawn in Texas
Because mowing is a tedious chore for many people, the temptation is to cut your lawn as short as possible so that the trim will last longer. However, when the grass is cut too short, it is vulnerable to being damaged.
The most common type of grass in Central Texas is Bermudagrass, as it is well suited to the hot climate, is ideal in direct sunlight, and is drought-tolerant. Other popular Central Texas grasses are:
- Zoysia
- Buffalo grass
- Centipede grass
- Kentucky bluegrass
- Carpetgrass
- St Augustine
Each grass type has different characteristics which make it more suitable in some soil types than others. When it comes to asking how often to mow lawn in Texas, the grass type needs to be considered, and the following considerations will help determine the frequency:
The Seasons
Warm-season grasses grow the most in summer, and cool-season grasses grow more in spring and fall. During their growing season, all types will need to be mowed regularly.
How Often to Mow Lawn in Texas: The General Rules
As a general rule, your lawn will need to be mowed once a week during the growing season. In the off-season, it should be mowed every two weeks unless it doesn’t need it. How can you tell? Follow the one-third rule.
The One-Third Rule
When grass has too much length cut off, it starves the lawn, and the grass will turn brown. Only one-third of the height of the blades of grass should be cut at a time.
If the lawn hasn’t been done in a while and it’s long, stick to the one-third rule and mow it more regularly until it reaches the desired height. Cutting more than one-third at a time will damage your lawn.
Maintain Good Lawn Habits Year Round
Your lawn needs to be maintained year-round, not just during the growing season. Lawn maintenance includes:
Fertilization
Lawns in Central Texas need to be fertilized five to six times a year. Fertilize warm-season grasses in spring, and every six to eight weeks after, using a slow-release fertilizer.
Weed Control
The best weed control solution is to use preventative weed control, combined with a post-emergent weed application to remove any weeds that have grown.
Watering
Your lawn requires consistent irrigation rather than the occasional hosing down when it starts to dry out. Water the lawn two to three times a week during summer, early in the morning, and once a week in winter unless you’re getting a lot of rain. While this is recommended, water districts in Texas sometimes limit water usage for irrigation systems during times of drought. In such a case, you should be aware of your water district’s water restrictions and adjust your watering schedules accordingly. If you can only water 1x/week then you will need to adjust so that each zone waters for a longer period on your assigned day of the week. If you are in Austin, you can find current information at https://www.austintexas.gov/department/saving-water-home.
Aeration and Overseeding
A core aerator will put small holes in your lawn to allow water, air, and nutrients into the roots of the grass to promote healthy growth. After aerating your lawn annually, spread grass seeds across the entire lawn to stimulate new growth.
Simple lawn maintenance will help maintain a healthy lawn all year long.
Lawn Care in Texas
If you want a fabulous lawn but don’t have the time or energy to care for it, call in your local lawn expert to maintain it for you. Regular mowing is vital to keep your Central Texas lawn thick and in good condition.
Grass Works has been providing Expert Local Lawn Care Services in Central Texas: Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Avery Ranch, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Steiner Ranch & West Austin since 2007! Need help with your landscaping? Get a free estimate today!
Ferris MyCue is the founder and owner of Grass Works Lawn Care, LLC located in Leander, TX. As a former firefighter who maintained yards on his days off, he saw a need for a dependable, local maintenance company that knew the hill country climate and could deliver quality landscaping services for a reasonable price. Since 2007 he has used his leadership to grow the company into one of the top landscape maintenance companies in Austin and surrounding areas offering landscape maintenance, design, and irrigation services to both residential and commercial clients. Ferris is also a member of the Seasonal Employment Alliance (SEA) and an active participant in advocacy efforts to help promote cap relief.