Aggie Horticulturist · Houston Lawns Since 1991
The Texas Two-Step™ Lawn Method
Fix & Wake-Up → Feed & Protect
Houston lawns don't fail from lack of effort. They fail from bad timing. Two moves, in the right order — that's the whole method, and it's why your neighbor's yard looks like that.
A year-round lawn care schedule for the Texas Gulf Coast — St. Augustine, Bermuda and zoysia.
If you came here looking for a lawn care schedule for the Gulf Coast, you found it. Here is what nobody tells you first: the calendar is not in charge. The soil is.
Most Houston-area folks are doing the right things at the wrong time. They put fertilizer down in February because the garden center stacked it by the front door. They spray weeds in August when it is 95 degrees and the grass is already stressed. They buy the expensive bag, follow the label, and still end up with a thin, patchy, weedy lawn by June — and they cannot figure out why.
Todd has walked thousands of yards in this town since 1991, and the same pattern shows up over and over: good people, good products, wrong week.
That is why we break the whole year into two moves instead of one long, blurry season — like the Texas Two-Step. Step One is Fix & Wake-Up. Get the pre-emergent down at the right soil temperature, deal with the weeds already standing, and let the lawn come out of dormancy on its own. Step Two is Feed & Protect. Once the soil has warmed and the grass is truly growing, feed it hard and defend it through the summer.
Two moves. The order matters. Rushing the second step is what causes almost every problem we get called out for.
What the schedule below covers
- The full Houston lawn calendar — what to do in every window, from February through December
- Both pre-emergent windows, including the fall one most people miss entirely
- Exactly when to feed St. Augustine, and why Bermuda is on a different schedule
- How to read soil temperature yourself, so you stop guessing
- Mowing, watering, iron, chinch bugs, brown patch, and what to buy — and what to skip
Get the timing right and the lawn does most of the work for you. You will spend less money, buy fewer products, and stand out on your street.
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.
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A word of thanks
Randy Lemmon
1962–2023 · GardenLine
For more than twenty-five years, Randy Lemmon was the voice Houston turned the radio up for on a Saturday morning. He taught an entire generation of homeowners that a lawn is something you can actually understand — that there's a reason behind the timing, and that it's worth getting right. A lot of the people reading this page learned what they know from him.
We didn't always land on the same recommendation, and Randy would have been the first to say that's fine. He wanted people asking better questions. If you followed his schedule and loved your lawn, that's a win — keep going.
But we still hear from folks every season who are looking for a schedule they can pick up and use today, and can't find one they trust. That's who the Texas Two-Step™ is for. It's offered in his spirit, not in his place.
Thanks for the Saturdays, Randy.
Skip the guesswork in the aisle
Shop What Garden Guy Actually Uses
Every product named in the guide, organized in one place. Pre-emergent, fertilizer, post-emergent, iron, winterizer — plus a store for each individual weed.
Browse the Garden Guy Store →Garden Guy isn't sponsored by any fertilizer brand. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
From Houston Yards
★★★★★
"I'm new to Texas and needed help with my lawn and garden. I sent in a question with photos and got a response in less than 24 hours. Who else does that? Such a valuable resource."
Janet P. — Google Review★★★★★
"Todd's Two-Step Method finally made lawn care make sense. I was fertilizing too early and burning my St. Augustine every year. Not anymore."
Mike R. — Sugar Land"I sent Todd a photo, he wrote back himself, and he was right. My lawn looks incredible and it didn't cost me a thing."
Jennifer M. — Sienna"After 30 years in business, Todd knows Houston lawns better than anyone. The Two-Step Method works. Just follow the steps."
David L. — Missouri City"A wealth of knowledge. I appreciate your help and advice — you and Sabrina are the best."
Janet P. — New to TexasSend Todd a Photo. He'll Write You Back.
Not a chatbot, not an auto-reply, not a generic article that may or may not match what's actually happening in your yard. A Texas A&M horticulturist who's been walking Houston lawns since 1991 — who knows what our alkaline clay does to iron, why your St. Augustine yellows in August, and which of the two things it usually is.
Most questions get an answer within 24 hours.
.
The whole method, in two steps
Stop guessing. Start with the soil.
Most Houston lawn problems aren't a product problem. They're a timing problem — the right bag, thrown on the wrong week.
Step 1 — Fix & Wake Up
Before the soil hits 55°F. Pre-emergent goes down, weeds get handled, and the lawn gets a gentle start.
Step 2 — Feed & Protect
After 55°F, once it's growing. Now you feed. Rush this one and you'll pay for it all summer.
Free. No card, no catch. St. Augustine and Bermuda both covered.
Still stumped? Todd's an Aggie-trained horticulturist who's been walking Houston lawns since 1991. Call 281-208-4400 or email hi@askgardenguy.com.
Ready to shop? Here's everything we actually use.
Watch the soil, not the calendar. — Todd & Sabrina
Houston lawn care FAQ
Houston Lawn Questions Todd Gets Every Week
Thirty-plus years of walking lawns in Sugar Land, Missouri City and greater Houston — and the same handful of questions come up over and over.
Where can I find Randy Lemmon's lawn fertilization schedule?
Randy Lemmon (1962–2023) hosted GardenLine for decades and taught a generation of Houston homeowners how to take care of a lawn. His fertilization schedule was a genuine Houston institution, and a lot of people are still looking for 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, 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.
It's free, it covers St. Augustine and Bermuda, and it includes a full-year Houston calendar. Send me the guide, or use the form above.
When should I fertilize my lawn in Houston?
Feed your Houston lawn after the soil warms past 55°F and the grass is actively growing — typically late March into April for St. Augustine, and later for Bermuda. Wait until the lawn has fully greened up and you've mowed it at least twice.
Fertilizing a dormant lawn in February feeds the weeds, not the grass. That's the single most expensive mistake Todd sees in Houston yards.
When should I apply pre-emergent in Houston, TX?
Get your spring pre-emergent down before February 1 — before the soil reaches 55°F. Once soil temperature crosses 55°F, weed seeds germinate and pre-emergent can no longer stop them.
The whole method is one sentence: pre-emergent before 55°F, fertilizer after 55°F.
Is 55 degrees the air temperature or the soil temperature?
Soil temperature, measured 4 inches deep. Not the nighttime low, not the high on your weather app. Air temps swing wildly in a Houston winter; soil temperature is what the grass and the weed seeds actually respond to.
A probe thermometer removes the guesswork for the entire year. This is the soil thermometer Todd uses.
Will pre-emergent kill weeds that are already growing?
No. Pre-emergent stops seeds from sprouting — it does nothing to a weed you can already see. Weeds that are already up are a post-emergent job.
And spot-spray them. Never spray the whole lawn.
How do I get rid of henbit, chickweed, burweed and Poa annua?
Those four are winter annuals — they germinate in the fall, not the spring. By the time you're putting down your February pre-emergent, they've already sprouted.
The fix is a fall pre-emergent applied late September through October. It's the step most Houston lawn calendars leave out entirely, and it's why sticker burrs come back every year no matter what you do in spring.
How often should you fertilize St. Augustine grass in Texas?
Not on an automatic 6–8 week schedule. That advice gets copied everywhere and it's wrong for Houston St. Augustine.
Plan on a main spring feed, an optional early-summer feed only if the lawn is healthy, and liquid iron when the grass is pale but still growing. Pushing nitrogen into St. Augustine during Houston heat and humidity is how you invite chinch bugs, brown patch and take-all root rot.
Bermuda is different — it genuinely does want feeding every 6–8 weeks during active growth.
Can you use weed and feed on St. Augustine grass?
Don't. Weed-and-feed forces you to fertilize and spray on the same day, and those two jobs almost never share the same correct week. St. Augustine is also sensitive to broadleaf herbicides during spring green-up and in summer heat.
Separate the jobs. Spot-treat the weeds you have, feed the lawn when it's ready, and never spray above 85–90°F or on stressed turf.
When should I apply winterizer fertilizer in Houston?
Apply a potassium-forward fall fertilizer while the lawn is still green and actively growing — generally October into November in the Houston area. Follow the bag rate and water it in.
Once the lawn shuts down for winter, stop. No extra nitrogen. The guide names the three winterizers Todd recommends, including one you can only get at a local nursery.
What is the best fertilizer for St. Augustine grass in Houston?
Look for slow-release, nitrogen-forward, low-phosphorus — that's the shape of the bag, and several brands make one. Timing matters far more than the logo on it.
Garden Guy is not sponsored by any fertilizer brand. Todd recommends what he'd put on his own yard. Here's the Fertilizer Store if you want to compare options — or buy the same thing at your local nursery, and we'll be just as happy.
Does the Texas Two-Step Method work for Bermuda grass too?
Yes. The guide has separate St. Augustine and Bermuda sections — mowing height, watering, feeding schedule, iron, pests and disease — because they're genuinely different grasses with different appetites and different wake-up dates.
Is the Texas Two-Step Lawn Guide really free?
Really free. Enter your email above and it lands in your inbox. No trial, no card, no upsell — just the method, the timing, and the shopping lists.