Cold-Weather Lawn Care Tips for Winter in Dallas

Keep Your Yard Safe From Frost, Snow & Freezing Temps

Cold weather is right around the corner. Your lawn is probably starting to shut down by now, but you’re not quite off the hook yet. The work you do now, before it’s actually winter, will make an incredible difference in how your yard will look when spring rolls around.

 

Take care of your lawn this fall and you’ll have healthier, greener grass a few months from now. It’s as simple as that. Avoid the regular upkeep now and you’re setting yourself up for a patchy, struggling lawn that’s far more complicated to fix later on.

 

Hold on tight and we’ll discuss what you need to do prior to that first frost, how to prep for the coming cold months, and all the rest you should be aware of.

 

When to Get Your Yard Ready for Winter

South: Down here with our southern grasses (the kind that we’ve got in DFW), those will go dormant when that first frost hits, so you want to have all of that finished up later in the fall. One thing that catches people off guard: Cut out the high-nitrogen type fertilizers way before your grass is going to be dormant. All it does is grow new, soft growth that’s going to be killed the moment it gets cold.

 

North/Midwest: It’s up north that winter actually means something. You have to start the early tasks by early to mid-fall at the latest. Ideally, you’d have all the big things done (aeration, fertilizing, etc.) two to three weeks before freezing weather sets in.

 

Transition Zones: If you find yourself in one of those in-between locations, your timing will depend on the variety of grass you have and when the frost or snow actually happens where you live. It’s challenging because you’re kind of trying to balance cool-season and warm-season care at the same time.

What Can Damage Your Lawn in Winter? 

Snow, ice storms, and heavy freezing are not that usual here in Dallas, but it’s always nice to know what could come up. 

 

• Ice Damage: Don’t let water stand in puddles on your lawn before a freeze. When that water freezes into a solid sheet of ice, it will literally smother your grass underneath.
• Crown Hydration: This one is tricky. It happens when you receive those teasing warm snaps during the middle of winter. Your grass thinks spring is here, wakes up, and takes in water. The temperature then drops again and that water freezes rapidly, which opens the crown of the plant wide open. You can avoid this by scaling back watering late in the season so your grass goes totally dormant and stays that way.
• Snow Mold: It’s a fungus that shows up in these circular, matted areas following snow melt. You can prevent it by mowing a bit lower on your last cut of the season and making sure your lawn drains properly.
• Desiccation: Winter winds basically dry out your lawn by drawing the water directly out of it. People call it “burning” the grass. By continuing to water into late autumn, the grass can hold onto the water it truly needs to survive.

 

Your Essential Winter Lawn Care Checklist

1. Aerate the Lawn

 

Aeration softens up your soil so that water, fertilizer, and air can get to the roots. If you don’t aerate your lawn, the soil compacts over a period of time, and it’s hard for roots to breathe and grow.

 

The benefits? It relieves soil compaction and improves the absorption of winter lawn fertilizer and water.

 

When should you aerate? The best time is before the first frost, when the soil is still workable. FYI: Don’t aerate when the soil is frozen. It will damage the crowns of the grass and do far more harm than good.

2. The Last Mow of the Season

 

The last mow of the season is extremely important. You don’t want to leave the grass too tall or too short.

 

For Bermuda, St. Augustine, or zoysia (warm-season grasses), attempt to keep it at 1–1.5 inches. For Kentucky bluegrass or fescue (cool-season grasses), mow at 2–2.5 inches for your final mowing. Mowing slightly shorter in cooler areas reduces the threat of snow mold.

 

Also, always remember the one-third rule: Never cut off more than one-third of the grass blade in a single mowing. If your grass is too tall, lower the blade gradually over a couple of mows.

 

After your final mow, it’s a good time to service your mower. 

• Drain the gas or use a fuel stabilizer. 
• Clean off any caked-on grass.
• Sharpen the blades. (Sharp blades are more important than you might think. They cut cleanly, which is healthier for the grass.)

 

Getting this done now will have you ready to start off on the right foot in the spring.

3. Topdress With Mulched Leaves or Compost

 

After aerating, topdress a thin layer of compost or mulched leaves over the lawn.

 

Compost delivers slow-release nutrients and helps the soil retain water. Mulched leaves add organic matter to the soil. And it’s easier than raking! Just mow over them a few times to get them to break down over the winter.

 

But make sure the leaves are nicely mulched. Thick layers of large leaves will smother grass.

4. Fertilize with a Winterizer

 

This isn’t the same fertilizer you use in the summer. Winterizer fertilizer is formulated to help the roots, not the blades.

 

Look for a combination that is higher in potassium and lower in nitrogen. Potassium strengthens the plant and allows it to be more cold- and disease-resistant. Too much nitrogen encourages top growth, which is what will be damaged by frost.

 

The grass will lock these nutrients in its roots, giving it a head start on growth in the spring.

 

When do you fertilize your lawn for winter? For the best effect, do this after aerating. And don’t fertilize when the ground is already frozen. The roots can’t absorb the nutrients.

Common Lawn Mistakes Made In Cold Weather 

Some things do get done at the wrong time or not at all, and that comes back to haunt you down the road. Here’s what not to do when you’re getting your lawn ready for winter.

 

• Using a high-nitrogen fertilizer too late in the season. You’re just asking for trouble.
• Leaving toys, furniture, and thick layers of leaves on your lawn throughout the winter. Come springtime, you’ll have ugly dead spots and probably some disease issues to boot.
• Skipping aeration leaves you with soil so compacted that winter fertilizer you throw down won’t even reach where it needs to.
• Overseeding too late in the season will result in those new grass seeds not having an opportunity to actually take root before the first frost sets in.
• Not testing your soil pH. Grass is finicky about such things and needs to be within a specific range to survive.

Is It Worth Hiring Someone for Winter Lawn Care?

It’s possible to perform most of the winter lawn work yourself, especially if your lawn is on the smaller side. But if you like doing this kind of yard work and you already havethe basic equipment, you can probably DIY.

However, you might be willing to hire someone if one of the following applies:

 

• You don’t have the time or you’re just not up to it physically. Between work, family, and all the other things life throws your way, sometimes the intelligent thing to do is to hire someone. And if your back or knees aren’t what they used to be, why risk harming yourself for the sake of lawn care?
• Your soil is as hard as concrete or you haven’t aerated in years. Heavily compacted soil requires more than just going through the motions. You need the right equipment and know-how to actually break up and make real change.
• You have a big lawn. When you’re dealing with an extensive property, the time and effort just really start to mount. What may take a professional an hour can easily take you all day, and that’s assuming perfect conditions.
• You’re noticing symptoms that something is going on. If disease is on the rise, you’ve got nasty dead spots, or insects are chewing things up, don’t mess around. Those issues require proper diagnosis and treatment, not you guessing what will work. A professional can determine what’s really going on and correct it before it gets to be a really big problem.

 

Final Winter Tips for Your Lawn

Clean Up Your Yard

Clear heavy leaf layers, branches, and any other material prior to the first snow. Leaving it all on just welcomes mold and gives pests a cozy place to live. Bring your furniture, toys, and firewood off the grass as well.

 

Watch What You Use on Ice

If you’re icing your sidewalks with ice melt, just make sure to choose one that’s safe for lawns. Regular rock salt will destroy your grass and burn any trees or shrubs that are close to it. Something that contains calcium or magnesium chloride is usually a safer bet.

 

Turn Off and Inspect Your Irrigation

If you have a sprinkler system, now is the time to winterize it. If you are doing so, this is a good opportunity to upgrade to a smart controller for next year.

 

Don’t Walk on Frozen Grass

Seriously, just stay off your lawn when it’s frozen. After a freeze, the grass blades are brittle and break easily. Stomp around on it too much and you’ll be staring at the damage all spring.

 

Ready for Quality Winter Lawn Care?

Taking care of your yard in colder weather shouldn’t be complicated or stressful. If you’re looking for help prepping the soil before that first freeze, keeping your grass alive through winter, or just getting a jump-start on planning for spring, we’ve got you covered.

 

Contact GroGreen, and allow us to handle the winter lawn care so that you don’t have to. We proudly serve the greater DFW area, ensuring high-quality lawn care and pest control services for these communities:

• Allen, TX
• Carrollton, TX
• Coppell, TX
• Fairview Farmers Branch, TX
• Flower Mound, TX
• Frisco, TX
• Lucas, TX
• McKinney, TX
• Murphy, TX
• Parker, TX
• Plano, TX
• Prosper, TX
• Richardson, TX 
• Sachse, TX
• St. Paul, TX
• The Colony, TX
• Wylie, TX