In Episode 8 of the Houston Grass Podcast, Michael talks about some of the things you could do right now to get your lawn ready for cooler temperatures. We’ve been getting calls asking if you can still plant grass. So Michael talks about planting grass in the late fall — when you can do it and when it might be a good idea to hold off for spring. Call us at 281-431-7441 with your questions and a quote for your project.
Summary of the Houston Grass Podcast Episode 8
Fertilize in the Next Week & Cut Back Watering
If you haven’t done your fall fertilization, then it needs to be done in the next week. If that doesn’t happen, then you should wait until spring to fertilize. It the temperatures aren’t warm enough, your grass won’t absorb the fertilizer you put out there so you’d be wasting your money.
As the temperatures cool, you should cut back on your watering. You need to continue to water, but you should decrease the amount and the frequency of watering.
If you continue watering as you did during the summer months you invite fungal diseases like brown patch. You should also try to water in the mornings to prevent your grass from being wet all night. That could also invite fungal diseases.
Even though the lack of rain this fall has limited the occurrence of brown patch it’s still a good idea to apply Heritage G to your lawn. Remember to apply again 21 days after the first application.
You Can Still Plant Grass In Late Fall
Several customers a day call, and the first question they ask is, “Hey are y’all open?” Or “are y’all still selling grass?” And they’re implying that we that we must close as the temperatures go down and the grass goes dormant. That we quit selling grass. That is, in fact never ever the case. You can still plant grass in the late fall and winter in the Houston area.
We cut and sell grass year round here. We close for the the week of Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Other than that you can call Houston Grass at 281-4331-7441 and and order grass.
That being said, if you choose to put grass down this time of year, we’re getting late enough to where there may not be enough warm days between now and the time the grass goes dormant to put down some roots.
Which is fine if I’m looking at a new yard full of dirt or a yard that was hit really hard by chinch bugs over the summer. And I either have to look at this ugly weed infested backyard that’s got dirt in it, or I go ahead and replace it.
I’m going to replace the grass. It’s not going to hurt a thing. The only stipulation is you have to be able to keep the heavy traffic off of it for the winter.
Because what you’re going to do is put this grass out there and it’s basically just going to lay there. You’re still going to water it in real well. But it’s not going to take a whole lot of water while it’s laying there, not growing. You just want to keep it keep it moist.
Usually Mother Nature provides enough moisture during the winter months that you don’t have to water. So that’s why we can turn off our irrigation systems here at the office in about a month. But the grass does need water, new grass and established grass. You don’t want to ever let it dry out totally.
Avoid Heavy Traffic On Your New Grass
If you’re going to have heavy people or dog traffic, then you would probably want to wait till the grass is growing again in the spring. Other than that, if you can keep the heavy traffic off of it, you can go ahead and lay that grass, whether it’s brown, a little green, half brown and half green, whatever.
You can put it out there. Water it in real well. That grass will sit there until next spring. And who knows, if we get a warm November, which is not unheard of in this part of the world, the grass would still have plenty of time to put down roots and be just fine.
We Sell Grass Year Round
We do sell grass year round. People start asking now “is the grass super green right now?” Nope. It is not. The grass looks like everything else outside right now. It’s starting to get a little bit of brown in it, but it’s still way more than 50% green.
Those cooler nighttime temperatures are starting to take a toll on the grass, and you are starting to see a little brown in the grass pieces. Is it a hundred percent green? Absolutely not. Is it still really pretty good looking grass? Yes, it is. And will it be just fine and come out beautiful in the spring? Absolutely will.
Please give us a call if you’ve got any questions. Thanks again for listening.
