Just because you stay nice and toasty in your house all winter doesn’t mean your lawn gets the same treatment. When a deep Texas freeze hits, your yard suffers, and there are certain things you can do to help it recover. Don’t worry – this isn’t the end of the world. There are a few simple steps that need to be taken in order to help your lawn thrive for the next spring season. When done correctly, you can help recover your grass from a Texas deep freeze in order for it to flourish the following spring.
Wait until the threat of a freeze has passed.
Patience is a virtue with this one. The last thing you want to do when helping your yard recover from a deep freeze is jump the gun on care. You’ll want to wait for temperatures to warm into the 40s Fahrenheit before beginning this process. The grass blades will need to thaw first. But in addition, you don’t want to begin the care process just to have another freeze a week later. Make sure that the threat of another freeze has passed so that you can begin properly treating your lawn.
Make sure to cut the lawn.
Next, you’ll want to give your grass a haircut. Lower your lawnmower by two notches. You don’t want to scalp your yard by any means, but rather just give it a haircut to remove the damaged grass that was frozen. Once you’re able to cut the grass to the appropriate height, you’ll eventually allow for new grass to grow.
Don’t leave any clippings behind.
You don’t want to leave any grass clippings behind here, so make sure to clean up accordingly. Make sure to have your bag on for this mow, or to rake up when you’re finished. The point of doing this is to avoid adding to your lawn’s thatch layer.
Apply new fertilizer.
If you like to use fertilizers, this is the step to consider. Applying a fertilizer like a 15-5-10 is a good option, but also you’ll want to make sure that you’re not fertilizing before active growth begins. Plants and lawns that are damaged by a freeze aren’t able to properly metabolize and use the fertilizers the way they need to. This is why it’s important to set your lawn up for success and wait for growth before fertilizing.
Water!
The last step in recovery from an active freeze is to water regularly. Soon after applying fertilizer, you’ll want to give your lawn a good soak. Water in about half of an inch, whether that’s from your sprinkler system or just good old-fashioned Mother Nature. This will help your grass to recover more quickly after the freeze.
And there you have it! A few simple steps that you can take you help your lawn after a freeze hits. As always, if you need some help to recover your grass after a Texas Deep Freeze, make sure to contact us at Handsome Lawn Service.
