Preparing Your Lawn for Florida’s Winter: What To Do
Lawn care practices look different for Florida homeowners as we enter the winter season. Adjust irrigation, mowing, and fertilization schedules based on your region to keep your turfgrass healthy and ready for spring. Be ready for a freeze and know how to help your lawn recover.
While Florida winters are by no means as harsh as those in the North, this cooler season still calls for special care and adjustments to lawn maintenance practices. Across the state, turfgrass habits change as these warm-season species move into various levels of dormancy for the winter. So what does this mean for Florida homeowners? Lawn care duties slow down (no need for weekly mowing, thank goodness!) but irrigation, mowing, and fertilization are still appropriate through the cooler months.
Winter Watering
Throughout the growing season, you most likely water your lawn once or twice a week. Lawns still need water during the winter, but frequency decreases as the weather cools and turfgrass growth slows, particularly in North and Central Florida.
North Floridians can water every two to four weeks. Central Florida homeowners should irrigate weekly or biweekly. South Florida lawns may still need water one to two times a week.
These are general guidelines that depend on rainfall, temperature, soil type, shade, and turfgrass species. Pay close attention and look for these signs of a thirsty lawn: grass that doesn’t spring back (you can see footprints), is a blue-gray color, and has folded leaf blades.
Adjust Your Mowing Habits
Grass grows more slowly during the winter months and requires less frequent mowing. Instead of sticking to your summer schedule, mow as needed to keep the grass at a consistent height. The University of Florida IFAS Extension recommends mowing at the highest recommended height year-round, as this increases the stress tolerance of the plant.
Recommended heights for common Florida turfgrasses are as follows:
- St. Augustinegrass: semidwarf cultivars, 2-2.5”; standard cultivars, 3.5-4”
- Bahiagrass: 3.5-4”
- Zoysiagrass: 1.5-2”
- Centipedegrass: 1-2”
As always, follow best practices for mowing to keep your grass healthy: don’t mow when the grass is wet, keep your mower blades sharp, avoid scalping (removing too much of the leaf blade), and leave grass clippings on the ground.
To Fertilize or Not?
The answer to this question depends on your region within the state. In North and Central Florida, lawns go dormant and the window for fertilizing is over: the last application should be late September in North Florida and mid-October in Central Florida. South Florida lawns, on the other hand, can typically be fertilized year-round.
Central and Northern Floridians, do not fertilize again until the spring (late March for Central Florida and mid-April for North Florida), when temperatures are warm and there is no more danger of frost.
In the Case of a Freeze
It is normal for lawns to turn brown after a freeze. Avoid fertilizing in an attempt to bring color back; this will do more harm than good. Grass should naturally grow green again in the spring.
In some cases, areas of a lawn most exposed to cold (those in the shade, for example) may decay after a freeze. In the case that your grass does not begin to grow back come spring, remove the affected areas and fill them with plugs or sod. Act quickly to prevent weeds from moving in.