The Austin lawn and landscape calendar, month by month
Central Texas has a long growing season, two pre-emergent windows, an oak-pruning window, a freeze risk that ends in March and a summer that starts in May. The calendar below is what the crews actually do, and when, for a warm-season lawn and the beds and trees around it.
- JanuaryMow dormant Bermuda and Zoysia every few weeks to keep it tidy; leave St. Augustine alone. Cut back ornamental grasses and perennials late in the month. Prune live and red oaks; this is inside the safe window, and every cut is painted. Plant trees and shrubs; roots grow in Austin's mild winter soil.
- FebruaryPre-emergent for crabgrass and sandbur, before the soil hits 55°F, which is often mid-month here. Prune roses around Valentine's Day. First mulch of the year in the beds. Last chance to plant bare-root and container trees before the heat. Check the irrigation system before it is needed.
- MarchLawns green up. First mow of the season once the grass is growing; scalp Bermuda low once to remove dead blades, never St. Augustine. Freeze risk ends in the second half of the month; warm-season annuals go in after that. Fall-planted perennials start to show.
- AprilFirst feeding once the lawn is fully green, not before. Weekly mowing begins in earnest. Spot-treat broadleaf weeds. Plant salvias, lantana and the summer perennials. Audit the sprinkler system against Austin Water's schedule now, before summer, by a licensed irrigator.
- MayThe lawn's best month. Mow weekly, raise the blade a notch as the heat builds. Watch St. Augustine for the first chinch bugs in sunny spots. Mulch anything that was missed. Last reasonable month to lay sod before summer.
- JuneSummer begins. Mow high: Bermuda at 2 inches, Zoysia at 2.5, St. Augustine at 4. Water deep on the assigned day, early morning. Second feeding for Bermuda and Zoysia if the lawn is growing well; none if it is stressed. Deadhead the beds.
- JulyHeat dormancy sets in. Stop feeding. Mow less often and never short. Check drip in the beds and top up mulch where it has thinned. The oak-pruning window opens; trim live and red oaks from now through January, painting cuts. Watch for a drought stage declaration and adjust the controller.
- AugustSurvive. Water on the assigned day, deep. Do not fertilize, do not seed, do not lay sod. Treat brown patch and chinch bugs on St. Augustine if they appear. Plan the fall projects: sod, trees, beds and stone all wait for October.
- SeptemberSecond pre-emergent, for the winter weeds that otherwise fill a Bermuda lawn by March. Fall feeding once the heat breaks. Start the fall cleanup. The planting season opens late in the month if the weather turns.
- OctoberThe best month in the Austin landscape. Plant trees, shrubs, perennials and sod. Build patios and walls. Core-aerate lawns on clay. Set out cool-season color: pansies, snapdragons, dianthus. Second mulch of the year.
- NovemberKeep planting. Mowing slows to biweekly as Bermuda and Zoysia go dormant. Leaf cleanup begins under the pecans and oaks. Cut the sprinkler schedule back; dormant lawns need little.
- DecemberLeaf cleanup. Mow dormant lawns occasionally. Cover tender plants when a freeze is forecast; a hard freeze like 2021 or 2023 is rare but not unknown. Oaks can still be pruned. Plan the spring: the February pre-emergent window comes fast.
Two rules that override the calendar
A freeze warning: cover tender plants, disconnect hoses, and if the irrigation system has a backflow preventer above ground, insulate it. A drought stage declaration from Austin Water: reset the controller to the new schedule the same week, water the trees by hand if the lawn is sacrificed, and stop feeding a lawn that cannot be watered enough to use it.
Questions on this
When exactly is the February pre-emergent window?
When soil temperature reaches about 55°F for several days, which in Austin is often mid-February and sometimes earlier. Late is wasted; the crews watch the soil, not the date.
Why no feeding in summer?
Warm-season grass goes heat-dormant above 95°F. Fertilizer then feeds weeds and burns the lawn. Feed in spring and fall when it is growing.
When can I plant a tree?
October through February. A tree planted in May spends the summer trying not to die; one planted in October spends the winter growing roots.
Is the oak-pruning window strict?
July through January avoids the oak wilt beetle's active season. An emergency cut outside the window is done and painted at once; routine pruning waits.
What does a drought stage mean for the calendar?
Fewer watering days, so the lawn gets less and the trees and beds get priority. Feeding stops, mowing goes high, and the fall projects wait for the stage to lift.
Does the calendar apply in Georgetown and Kyle?
Yes, within a week or two. The whole service area shares the climate; the soils differ, and the aeration and topsoil notes matter more on clay and limestone respectively.
Related reading: Lawn care · Tree trimming · Water restrictions · Sod installation