Texas Lawn Mowing Guide
Texas runs warm-season grass, which changes everything about mowing: the lawn greens up in spring, peaks through a long, hot summer, and goes dormant (brown) in winter. The two grasses most Texas homeowners have (Bermuda and St. Augustine) want different mowing heights, and getting that wrong is the most common mistake in the state.
What grass do you have?
- Bermuda: full-sun, drought-tough, the default across most of Texas. Cut it low.
- Zoysia: dense and slow-growing; tolerates a bit more shade than Bermuda.
- St. Augustine: the shade-tolerant choice for East Texas and coastal lawns. Cut it high; scalping it invites weeds and chinch bugs.
Mowing heights for Texas grasses
| Grass | Mowing height | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bermuda (common) | 1.5–3 in | Hybrid Bermuda runs 1–2.5 in, best cut with a reel mower rather than a rotary |
| Zoysia | 1–2.5 in | Coarse-textured types; fine-textured types 1–2 in. Raise toward the top of the range in shade |
| St. Augustine | 2–4 in | Never scalp; the high cut shades out weeds and deters chinch bugs |
Cut no more than one-third of the blade height at a time, and raise the deck about half an inch through the worst of the July–August heat to reduce stress.
Texas mowing calendar
| Month | Mowing & lawn care |
|---|---|
| Jan | Dormant. Mow only if needed to keep winter annual weeds from flowering. Sharpen the mower blade for spring. |
| Feb | Still dormant. Late Feb, Bermuda only: a low “scalp” cut clears dead thatch before green-up (bag the clippings). AgriLife generally advises against spring scalping St. Augustine. |
| Mar | Green-up begins (South Texas first). First real mow as color returns. |
| Apr | Active growth: mow weekly at the upper end of your grass’s height range. |
| May | Peak spring growth; mow weekly. Keep St. Augustine at 2–4 in. |
| Jun | Heat ramps up. Raise Bermuda/Zoysia slightly; mow every 5–7 days. |
| Jul | Peak heat: raise heights ~½ in, mow in the evening, never cut stressed turf short. |
| Aug | Hot and dry. Hold the raised height; water deeply and infrequently. |
| Sep | Cooler temps; growth resumes. Return to normal heights. |
| Oct | Strong fall growth: mow weekly. |
| Nov | Growth slows and regular mowing ends. Mow only if needed to keep winter annual weeds from flowering. |
| Dec | Dormant. Final cleanup; mow only if needed to keep winter annual weeds from flowering. |
Mowers & equipment
A standard rotary mower handles common Bermuda, coarse-textured Zoysia, and St. Augustine at these heights; hybrid Bermuda and fine-textured Zoysia cut cleaner with a reel mower. See our mowing height guide and best lawn mowers for picks.
Get the full Texas plan
Lush Lawns Texas: region-specific mowing heights, seasonal timing, and lawn care for Texas (Bermuda, Zoysia, and St. Augustine).
Printable Texas lawn care calendar and worksheet
Two PDFs to print at home, built from the extension service publications for Texas. Each page lists the publications it draws on.
Texas Lawn Care Bundle: $5.99
The calendar and the worksheet together, $3.49 less than buying both.
Buy the bundle for $5.99Texas Lawn Care Calendar: $4.49
Find your grass on the first page, then turn to its page for when to mow, water and fertilize, with mowing heights for each grass.
Buy for $4.49Texas Lawn Planning Worksheet: $4.99
Measure your lawn, record a soil test, work out how much fertilizer to spread, test what your sprinklers put down, and log the season month by month.
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