Your year-round lawn care calendar
What to do and when — a season-by-season guide tuned for West Texas lawns, from spring green-up to winter dormancy.
A year in your yard
Keeping your lawn lush and resilient year-round takes a tailored approach — especially in West Texas, where warm falls and drought periods challenge lawn health. Whether you have warm-season grass like Bermuda or a cool-season variety like fescue, a seasonal plan makes all the difference. Here’s what each season demands.
Spring: wake up your lawn
Dethatching. Removing the accumulated layer of thatch lets water, air, and nutrients reach the soil. It’s especially good for cool-season grasses in their active growth period, improving root development and drainage while reducing pests and disease.
Scalping. Mowing warm-season grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia) to their lowest height after the last frost removes dormant growth and warms the soil for faster green-up. Cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass) shouldn’t be scalped — keep them at their optimal height instead.
Aeration. Aerating in the peak growing season helps air, water, and nutrients reach the root zone. Cool-season grasses do best aerated in early spring or fall; warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer.
Top Dressing & fertilizer. After aeration, a compost or sand-soil top dressing improves structure and moisture retention, and a balanced fertilizer supports vigorous spring growth.
Summer: combat heat & foot traffic
Aeration. Summer aeration suits warm-season grasses at their peak, relieving compaction and improving heat resilience. Cool-season grasses should not be aerated in summer — they tend toward dormancy and are vulnerable to stress.
Leveling. A smooth, even surface prevents water pooling, reduces disease risk, removes tripping hazards, and makes mowing and maintenance easier.
Fertilizer. Early-summer fertilizing supports warm-season grasses through the hot months. Cool-season grasses are best fertilized in spring and fall, not summer.
Fall: fortify for winter
Top Dressing & fertilizer. Adding organic matter in fall improves soil structure, strengthens roots so grass can store energy for winter, and helps break down thatch for better absorption.
Aeration. Fall aeration is ideal for cool-season grasses, reducing compaction for deeper roots and winter resilience. Aerate warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer instead.
Overseeding. Cooler temperatures and moisture make fall the best time to overseed cool-season grasses, filling thin areas and boosting density. Warm-season lawns can be overseeded with ryegrass for green winter cover.
Winter: keep your lawn green
Turf Painting. When warm-season grasses go dormant and turn brown, a non-toxic, biodegradable turf paint restores a vibrant green without harming the grass. Compared with overseeding, it needs less water, less maintenance, and avoids spring-transition competition between grass species — an immediate, cost-effective lift to your lawn’s winter appearance.
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Want help staying on schedule?
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