How To Successfully Care For Your Warm-Season Grass

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Warm-season grasses such as St. Augustine, Bermuda, and zoysia fill lawns across the Southern United States. In the warmest portions of this region, where winter temperatures stay relatively mild, warm-season grass can continue to grow throughout the year. In areas closer to the midsection of the country, where real winter weather can occur, these types of grasses will typically go dormant during the winter season. Regardless of whether your yard stays green and growing throughout the year or turns brown as it goes latent in winter, there are steps you need to take to successfully care for your warm-season grass.

Maintenance for your warm-season grass is very similar to lawn care for cool-season grass. Tasks such as proper watering, fertilizing, aerating, and overseeding are key to keeping your warm-season grass healthy. The key differences are when and how you perform these basic maintenance duties in order to make sure your warm-season grass is alive and thriving throughout the year and/or ready to emerge anew following a winter slumber.

Starting with the most basic of tasks, you should follow the one-third rule when mowing warm-season grass, just as you should with other types of grass. However, the height at which you cut the grass down can vary greatly depending on the variety. Most types of warm-season grass do well when cut to 1 to 2 inches. This means you should mow when the grass reaches around 1.25 to 2.5 inches tall. The exceptions to these height standards would be Bahia, which should be left 3 to 4 inches tall, as well as buffalo and St. Augustine, which should not be cut less than 2 inches and can be allowed to reach 4 inches in height. 

Of course, given that warm-season grass is typically grown in areas that are hot and often dry, proper watering is an absolute essential for maintaining a healthy lawn. However, although your warm-season grass will need plenty to drink, you should think twice about watering every day – even when the weather is hot and dry. Warm-season grasses tend to be fairly drought resistant, but require 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to really thrive. In most soil types, the best practice is to water less frequently, but more deeply. This entails utilizing one or two waterings per week to deliver the desired dose of hydration. The exception to this is in sandy areas, where the water runs through the soil quickly. If you have sandy soil, you are better off watering more often for less amount of time.

Warm-season grass also needs the proper nutrients. As is the case with most types of grass, warm-season varieties need nitrogen-rich fertilizer, such as Scotts Turf Builder Southern Lawn Food. The trick is picking the best time to fertilize your lawn. A simple rule of thumb is warm-season grass can be fertilized as long as it is growing. This typically means spring through fall. When applying, follow the suggested use, which ranges from a half-pound to 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet depending on the strain of grass.

It is also suggested to use a mulching mower and leave your grass clippings in place in order to further enhance the soil and lower the amount of fertilizer you need to apply. Before you begin spring or summer fertilizing, you should also consider aerating your soil and dethatching your lawn. If your lawn was dormant in winter, spring is also a good time to overseed