Free printable · one-page garage card
Want the fridge-card habit without the guesswork?
A lot of folks taped Randy's schedule to the garage wall for years — so we made our own. It's the Texas Two-Step™ on a single page, plain black-and-white so it prints easy at home. Tape it up, and you'll know what your lawn needs and when — all season long.
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If you searched for Randy Lemmon's fertilizer schedule or his GardenLine lawn calendar and landed here, welcome. We want to start by simply saying: Randy Lemmon meant something to Houston gardeners, and his absence is still felt.
Who Randy Lemmon Was to Houston
For more than 25 years, Randy Lemmon hosted GardenLine on Houston's 740 KTRH — a weekend radio program he once called the most-listened-to garden show in the country. For an enormous number of Houston-area homeowners, Saturday mornings meant Randy's voice walking them through fertilizer timing, freeze recovery, pest pressure, and whatever the Gulf Coast was throwing at their lawns that week.
Randy held a journalism degree and a Master of Science in Agriculture from Texas A&M, and he spent years producing agricultural programming before GardenLine ever existed. He authored several books on Gulf Coast gardening, including guidance covering everything from fertilizer schedules to the proper use of mulch. He was the person Houston turned to during hurricanes and hard freezes, when people needed to know what to do next for the plants and lawns they'd spent years building.
Randy passed away in January 2023 after complications from a stroke. He was 61. He's survived by his wife and children, and remembered by an entire region of gardeners who grew their lawns, their gardens, and in many cases their confidence as homeowners, listening to his advice.
If Randy's voice is part of your Saturday morning memories, you're far from alone. We wanted this page to be a place that honors that — not one that tries to replace it.
If You're Looking for a Schedule to Use This Season
We know a lot of people land on a search like this because they're trying to find a fertilizer schedule they can actually use right now — not just reminisce about one. Randy's old pages live on in a few corners of the internet, but the web changes over the years, and we can't speak to what you'll find there today. So we built our own complete version below, in his spirit, for anyone who needs one this season.
My name is Todd Farber.
I'm a Texas A&M horticulturist who's been working Houston-area lawns since 1991. The approach I use is called the Texas Two-Step™ — and the core idea is simple: feed your lawn based on what it's actually doing, not a fixed date on a calendar. Houston's weather swings too much year to year for a one-size-fits-all schedule to work perfectly every time.
The one number that runs the whole calendar
Watch the soil, not the calendar
Houston gardeners have heard it for years, and it's still true: your lawn doesn't know what the date is. It knows what the dirt feels like. Everything on the schedule below hangs on one number — 55°F soil temp
Below 55°, weed seeds are still asleep and your grass is still asleep. That's your pre-emergent window. Above 55° for a few days running, the weeds have already germinated and pre-emergent is money down the drain — but your grass is finally awake and ready to be fed.
An inexpensive soil thermometer settles every lawn argument you'll have this year. Push it four inches into the turf, mid-morning, in a sunny spot. That reading beats any date I could print on a card.
Two Moves. The Order Matters.
Like the dance. Rushing the second step is what causes almost every lawn problem Todd gets called out for.
Step One
Fix & Wake-Up
Winter into early spring — before the soil reaches 55°F
- Spring pre-emergent down by February 1st. Miss the window and you fight weeds all summer.
- Weeds already standing are a post-emergent job. Spot-spray only — never a whole-lawn spray, never weed-and-feed.
- Don't push growth. Let the lawn wake up on its own schedule. An optional wake-up feed is coffee, not a meal.
Key rule: Step 1 has to be finished before any heavy feeding.
Step Two
Feed & Protect
Once the soil is consistently above 55°F and the grass is greening, growing and needing a mow — usually late March into April
- Main spring feeding: a slow-release, nitrogen-forward, low-phosphorus lawn food. Water it in — never feed dry, stressed turf.
- Iron if it yellows despite feeding — Houston's alkaline clay locks iron up.
- Watch for chinch bugs, large patch, armyworms. Diagnose before you spray.
Key rule: Step 2 only works once the lawn has earned it.
Two moves, in order, and the lawn does most of the work for you. The soil temperature gets the final vote.
Your Houston Lawn Year at a Glance
Typical Houston timing for St. Augustine and Bermuda. The dates are a guide — the soil thermometer always gets the final vote.
JanuaryStep One
Spring pre-emergent goes down by February 1
Get it down before the soil hits 55°F. Weeds already standing get spot-sprayed only — on a mild, dry day with no rain, heavy dew or freeze expected within 48 hours. No fertilizer yet.
February – early MarchStep One
Wait and watch the thermometer
Check soil temperature once a week. Let the lawn wake up on its own — an optional light wake-up feed is coffee, not a meal. Keep spot-spraying weeds that are already up.
Late March – AprilStep Two
The main spring feeding
Once the soil stays above 55°F and the grass is greening and needs a mow: a slow-release, nitrogen-forward, low-phosphorus lawn food. Water it in. If it stays yellow after feeding, add iron.
May – AugustSummer
Water deep, feed smart, diagnose first
St. Augustine doesn't go on an automatic feeding schedule — one optional early-summer feed only if it's healthy, and iron for pale-but-growing grass. Bermuda gets fed every 6–8 weeks while it's actively growing. Water deeply and less often. Diagnose chinch bugs or webworms before you spray, and skip broadleaf weed killers on St. Augustine once it's above 85–90°F.
Late September – OctoberFall
The fall pre-emergent
This is the one most people miss. Henbit, chickweed, burweed and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) sprout in the fall — so the fall pre-emergent is what stops them, not the February one.
October – NovemberFall
Fall feeding (winterizer)
A potassium-forward fall feed — but only while the lawn is still green and actively growing. Follow the bag rate and water it in. Once the lawn shuts down for winter, no extra nitrogen.
DecemberRest
Let it rest
No fertilizer. Turn the sprinkler timer way down for cool weather. Spot-spray winter weeds on mild, dry days, and start planning your February 1 pre-emergent.
Want the products, rates and grass-by-grass details? They're all in the free Texas Two-Step™ guide.
Want this on your garage wall?
The whole year on one page, plain black-and-white so it prints easy at home. Free.
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The schedule above is the short version. The full guide is the one Todd actually hands people — every product, every rate, every timing window, broken out for St. Augustine and Bermuda. Written for Houston clay, not for a national label.
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Common questions
Houston Lawn Schedule Questions
Where can I find Randy Lemmon's fertilizer schedule?
Randy's GardenLine schedules were his own, and copies of his old pages still turn up around the internet — but we can't speak to what you'll find there today. This page gives you a current Houston lawn schedule from Todd Farber, a Texas A&M horticulturist who has worked Houston-area lawns since 1991.
When should I put down pre-emergent in Houston?
Twice a year. The spring pre-emergent goes down by February 1, before the soil reaches 55°F. The fall pre-emergent goes down in late September to October — that's the one that stops winter weeds like henbit, chickweed, burweed and annual bluegrass (Poa annua).
When should I fertilize my St. Augustine lawn in Houston?
Once the soil is consistently above 55°F and the grass is greening, growing and needing a mow — usually late March into April. Use a slow-release, nitrogen-forward, low-phosphorus lawn food and water it in. St. Augustine doesn't need an automatic summer feeding schedule; give it one optional early-summer feed only if it's healthy, and a fall feed while it's still green and growing.
Is the 55°F number the air temperature or the soil temperature?
Soil temperature, measured 4 inches deep — not the daytime high and not the overnight low. Take the reading mid-morning in a sunny spot with a soil thermometer.
Should I use weed-and-feed on my lawn?
No. Pre-emergent belongs before 55°F and fertilizer belongs after 55°F, so a combination product puts one of them down at the wrong time. Weeds that are already up are a post-emergent job — spot-spray them only, never the whole lawn.
What should I do for my Houston lawn in the fall?
Put down the fall pre-emergent in late September to October. Give a potassium-forward fall feeding only while the lawn is still green and actively growing, follow the bag rate and water it in — then no more nitrogen once it goes dormant. Turn your sprinkler timer down as the weather cools.
Who is Garden Guy?
Garden Guy is owned and run by Todd and Sabrina Farber. Todd is a Texas A&M horticulturist who has worked lawns in Sugar Land, Missouri City and Greater Houston since 1991. You can send us a question any time.
Keep Going
Houston lost the voice that taught a whole generation of us how to take care of our yards. We're not trying to replace it. We're just trying to keep answering the phone.
In memory of Randy Lemmon, 1962–2023
Garden Guy is owned and run by Todd & Sabrina Farber — a Texas A&M horticulturist and his wife, working Houston lawns since 1991. Send us a photo of your lawn and Todd will write you back himself. More about us →
