San Antonio Lawn Care Guide

San Antonio lawn care requires unique knowledge about local grasses, water ordinances, lawn diseases, and other factors that may not come into play elsewhere in the country. Residents of San Antonio know that in order to maintain the best lawn possible, they need to arm themselves with location-specific techniques to care for their lawns.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about caring for your lawn, beyond just grass cutting, if you live in San Antonio, Texas, so you can keep yours looking pristine and beautiful year-round.

Basic Tips for Lawn Mowing in San Antonio

What better place to start than with the basics, right? The first thing we should discuss is lawn mowing. You’ll want to mow your grass anywhere from 2 to 4 times per month, depending on what kind you have.

It’s recommended that you keep your grass between 2 and 3.75 inches long, and never cut more than a third of new growth off at one time. Longer grass shades your soil and prevents excessive water evaporation, which is especially critical in the blazing San Antonio sun.

Try not to mow in the early morning when your grass is damp, this can cause it to bleed chlorophyll onto nearby sidewalks and stain them. It also makes it easier for your lawn mower to dig into the soil, causing unsightly ruts.

Make sure your mower blades are sharp as well because lawn mowing with a dull blade will tear your grass blades and make it easier for insects and diseases to enter inside.

Some people like to leave their grass clippings and mulch behind every now and then after they mow, as a way to save money on fertilizer. The clippings quickly decompose into the ground and release precious nitrogen into your lawn.

Watering Instructions for Lawns in San Antonio

Photo: Flickr / Dan Portman

You’ll obviously want to keep your lawn well-watered in San Antonio, but be careful not to overdo it. Current watering restrictions in San Antonio state that you are only allowed to water your lawn with a sprinkler or irrigation system once per week, before 11 am or after 7 pm.

These regulations are subject to change so be sure to stay up-to-date on them. In times of less or no restriction, you’ll want to water at least 3 or 4 times per week, especially during the growing season. Wintertime requires less water for your lawn.

Watering in San Antonio, Texas is best done during the late evening or the early morning when temperatures are cooler. This helps the soil retain more water.

Preventing Pests in San Antonio

There are some pests in San Antonio that you won’t find in many other places. Insects like slugs, grubs, chinch bugs, and snails can all cause serious harm to your lawn. If you notice any of these in your lawn, you may want to contact a lawn care service so they can take care of the problem.

Common Grass Types in San Antonio

Texas is a warm season area for most of the year, and your lawn will thrive with a warm season grass. A clear understanding of what kind your lawn has ensures you’re grass cutting and maintaining appropriately. The most common warm season grasses used in Texas are as follows:

Bermudagrass

Photo: Flickr / Richard Parker

This is the most popular kind of grass in Texas. It’s known to be very resilient against disease and pests. The more you mow this grass, the thicker it grows. This also makes it more able to withstand traffic than other turf grasses, meaning Bermudagrass is best suited for families with pets and/or children.

You should keep Bermudagrass at 1.5 inches tall and have little to no shade over it. Mowing it when it reaches 2.25 inches will give the best results.

Raleigh St. Augustine grass

This is the second most popular grass in Texas, as it’s cheap and doesn’t require a whole lot of maintenance, but can’t handle a lot of foot traffic. This grass is best for use during the summer because it becomes brittle and brown in the winter. Overseeding with a cool season grass like Ryegrass during the winter is the best way to keep your lawn looking fresh if you primarily use Raleigh St. Augustinegrass.

One drawback of this grass is that it’s very susceptible to chinch bugs and brown patch disease. It’s best kept at 3-4 inches long and requires almost no shade at all.

Buffalograss

This grass is very low maintenance and is native to Texas. It’s typically found in West Texas growing wild along highways. It has low potential for disease and low fertilization and lawn mowing requirements. It’s best kept at a height of 5-6 inches and needs only 1 inch of water per month to thrive. It does not do well in shade.

Zoysiagrass

Zoysiagrass has the best shade tolerance of all the grasses on this list, making it perfect for East Texas where shade is much more abundant. It’s very low maintenance and handles traffic decently well.

It requires about .5 inches of water to sustain itself and about .75 inches during the growing season. It’s best kept at a height of 2 inches and should be mowed when it reaches 3 inches.

Common Weeds in San Antonio

Weeds in Texas can be divided into two categories, grassy and broadleaf. Broadleaf weeds include Henbit, Dandelion, Thistle, Chickweed, and Purslane. If you’re lawn is too fraught with these, it’s recommended you contact a lawn service professional for assistance.

Henbit can be identified by the purple at the top of the plant, and Dandelion by its bright yellow flower. Thistle is a prickly bush that can grow several feet tall, and chickweed has white, star-shaped flowers all over it. Purslane has flat, paddle-shaped leaves, and can bloom year round in your lawn.

Grassy weeds look more like regular grass but can be just as harmful to your lawn. These include Rescue grass, Bluegrass, Crabgrass, and Dallisgrass. Rescuegrass is most common in Central Texas and features leaves which are hairy, flat, and spiky. It typically blooms in winter.

Bluegrass is one of the most common weeds in San Antonio, and usually shows up early spring or late winter. It grows in bunches, giving your lawn an uneven look and yellow color. Crabgrass is the most widely hated weed in America, because it grows primarily during spring and summer, and can stay dormant for ages. It’s resistant to drought and quickly dominates a lawn once it germinates.

Dallisgrass grows in large clusters so big that the middle sometimes dies while the outer edges of the clump will continue spreading and dominating your lawn. It tends to grow in clay or sandy soils, and it loves nitrogen fertilizer. It also grows twice as fast as normal turf grasses.

Common Lawn Diseases in San Antonio

Lawn diseases can afflict any lawn in San Antonio. It’s important to recognize them early on, so they’re dealt with quickly. If any of these diseases are too prevalent on your lawn, you should call a lawn service professional to help you.

Red Thread

This disease makes red or pink threads extend from your grass and can be easily identified by its color.

Dollar Spot Disease

Photo: Flickr / John Kaminski

You’ll know this lawn disease by the silver dollar sized patches of tan grass that will appear all around your lawn. Left untreated they can rot your whole lawn.

Brown Patch

Named for its look, this disease actually starts out causing purple-green patches with a dark ring around them throughout your lawn. Once it progresses, it kills your grass completely leaving dead, brown spots all around your yard.

Summer Patch

This disease starts out as small, crescent-shaped clusters of brown and yellow that will quickly rot your grass down to the soil if left untreated.

Hiring a San Antonio Lawn Care Company

San Antonio is known for its high temperatures and intense humidity, creating unfavorable conditions for most lawns—especially for cold-season grasses such as Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. Therefore, your watering and mowing routine need to be disciplined or else your lawn will dry and turn yellow. But sometimes taking care of your lawn is too demanding, which is why many of San Antonio residents choose hiring a lawn service professional.

Professional lawn care services offer important lawn treatment services that go beyond simple grass cutting. These services generally include pest control, weed removal, aeration, and fertilization. It’s also generally recommended to have an expert evaluate how much lawn maintenance your property needs. Additionally, there are several key tips to keep in mind before choosing a lawn care service in San Antonio.

The first one is to hire a real lawn service professional, not a cash-strapped teenager or anyone who only provides a truck and a mower. Although hiring amateurs may seem frugal, their lack of expertise will result in a neglected and unprepared lawn in the long-term, such as failing to identify diseases and pests early. The second tip is to hire a fully-insured lawn service professional. This will save you any anxiety in case a pro causes property damage.

Finally, you should consider organizing your neighbors together and request a bulk discount from a lawn care company. Landscapers usually offer lower prices if several jobs can be finished with just one trip to a neighborhood since they generate more profit from the time saved on their schedules. Additionally, landscapers are held to greater accountability for their quality of work since you and your neighbors will be able to compare lawns afterwards.

Top Lawn Care Companies in San Antonio

Now you might wonder: where to find a San Antonio lawn care service near me? Since finding a top-rated lawn mowing service can be tough, we offer a list below that ranks the best San Antonio lawn care services based on our review of online customer satisfaction. WikiLawn.com is in no way affiliated with these, nor have we used them ourselves.

Agustin at De Leon Lawn Service & Maintenance offers complete care packages for all of your San Antonio lawn care needs. Texas has a very unique landscape, and it takes a special touch to get that Texas lawn right. De Leon has got that touch and experience it takes to make your lawn all it can be. Reach out to him today and see which services he offers can work best for you.

Arbor care is important to the health of your trees, as well as the safety of you, your family and your property. Having an arborist on hand is a must, and in San Antonio there is hardly a better tree service than Top Notch Arbor Care. If you have an unhealthy, or dead tree take care of it ASAP. Call Christopher to schedule him for a visit.

It’s always nice to have an all around handyman, and in San Antonio All Pro Remodeling and Lawn Care has got your handyman needs covered inside and out. Whether you need your lawn cared for, or you are looking to remodel your kitchen, Michael is the one to call. His schedule is tight, but he is worth the wait. When you contact him, be sure to tell him we sent you.

SA Citywide Lawns is renowned in San Antonio for their exceptional landscaping services as well as their lawn care expertise. There is no shortage of lawn care professionals in San Antonio, but very few can keep up with Jeremiah. So, whether you need your current landscape maintained professionally, or are looking to install some hot new garden beds, Jeremiah and team have the experience to serve you!

SG Landscaping is well known for the lawn care services they offer in San Antonio. If you have lived in San Antonio a while, you have almost certainly seen one of the properties maintained by Steve and his crew. From the first spring blossoms, to the fall leaves, SG Landscaping does everything in between. No doubt about it, there are few professionals in Texas like those at SG Landscaping.

If you are looking for professional handyman work, at a fair price, look no further than Luis. He has a lot of experience as a handyman in San Antonio and its suburbs. Whether you need your gutters cleaned, or are looking to have your house painted, he comes highly recommended. Check out Good Prices Handyman for all your housework needs.

Everybody wants to come home to a neat, clean, relaxing lawn. With Absolute Lawn Care your lawn will be absolutely what you want. Whether you just want to enjoy those San Antonio summer days relaxing in the yard or hosting your neighborhood BBQ, Absolute Lawn Care is a lawn care service that you can trust. For absolutely all of your lawn care needs, its Absolute Lawn Care.

Lawn Lovers SA wants to share the experience of a loving lawn with you. Lawn care can be overwhelming and we all fall behind sometimes. That is why we need to hire professionals sometimes. And when it comes to lawn care in San Antonio, Lawn Lovers will get your lawn where it needs to be. Fall in love with your lawn again, with Lawn Lovers SA.

Whether you need your lawns fertilizer application handled, or you need some mulch delivered and spread in your gardens QSI has you covered. James Green and his lawn care crew have a lot of experience with professional lawn care services in San Antonio. Whatever it is you are looking to have done in your lawn, you can call them to get the job done.

Texas is unique in a lot of ways. For one its big, and it also a unique climate. There are many types of lawn care companies in America, but few are as well equipped for the unique lawns of Texas as Greater Lawn Care Services. From rockscapes to green lawns Jessica and her crew offer lawn care service done right. If you want a greater lawn,it‘ss Greater Lawn Care Services.

I’ve got a lawn care offer you can’t refuse. It’s the Lawn Dons A Service Company. Lawn Dons of San Antonio Texas is a professional lawn care service.  They offer seasonal as well as one time services. Don’t let the name scare you, with the Lawn Dons, the only thing getting whacked are your weeds.

JND Lawn Maintenance is a full-service lawn care team that operates in from the heart of San Antonio. They work on both commercial lawns and residential properties.  Jesse and the team at JND team always deliver quality lawn care services. So, whatever you want from your grass being mowed, or a broader lawn care service, call Jesse’s crew at JND.