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Lawn Care & Maintenance in San Antonio, TX

Quick answer

San Antonio lawns are warm-season grasses: St. Augustine, Bermuda, zoysia or buffalograss. They are fertilized during active growth after spring green-up, mowed at the right height for the species, and watered deeply on the days your provider allows. Anyone applying weed or pest control for hire must be licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

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Lawn care in San Antonio is built around warm-season grass, long summers and limited water. The lawns that look best in late summer are usually the ones mowed at the right height, watered deeply and not too often, and fed only when the grass is actively growing.

Know your grass first

  • St. Augustinegrass: the most common lawn in many San Antonio neighborhoods. Coarse and dense, with better shade tolerance than Bermuda. It needs more water than the other options to stay green, and it is prone to chinch bugs in hot, sunny spots and to brown patch and take-all root rot.
  • Bermudagrass: tough, fast-growing and drought tolerant, and a good choice for full sun and heavy traffic. It has essentially no shade tolerance and creeps into beds.
  • Zoysiagrass: dense and attractive, with some varieties handling partial shade. It grows slowly, so it recovers from damage slowly.
  • Buffalograss: a native, low-water grass for sunny, low-traffic areas. It does poorly in shade and with heavy watering or fertilizer.

The Bexar County AgriLife Extension office publishes a lawn grass comparison for Central and South Texas that rates shade, drought and wear tolerance.

Seasonal timing

Warm-season grasses are fertilized during active growth, after spring green-up, not in late winter. Pre-emergent weed control is timed to soil temperatures in late winter and early fall. Heavy nitrogen in the heat of summer can feed disease in St. Augustine. A one-size program applied to every yard is a red flag; ask how the schedule changes for your grass and your soil.

Mowing basics

  • Remove no more than about one-third of the blade at a time.
  • Keep St. Augustine tall; scalping it is a common cause of thin, weedy lawns. Bermuda and zoysia are cut lower.
  • Keep blades sharp, and leave clippings on the lawn when possible.
  • Raise the mowing height during drought so the grass shades its own roots.

Watering within the rules

SAWS limits sprinkler and irrigation hours year-round, and drought stages restrict sprinklers to an assigned day based on the last digit of your address, or less. Other cities in the area, including New Braunfels, Boerne and Schertz, have their own providers and stage rules. Deep, infrequent watering on your allowed day builds deeper roots than short daily runs. If a lawn company also adjusts your irrigation controller, make sure it matches your provider's current rules.

Soil and fertilizer

Many San Antonio soils are alkaline and high in calcium, so lime is rarely needed, and iron chlorosis (yellowing between leaf veins) is common. A soil test through Texas A&M AgriLife's soil lab tells you what your lawn actually needs. North-side lots over the Edwards Aquifer recharge and contributing zones are a reason to apply only what a test calls for and to keep fertilizer off driveways and streets.

Licensing for weed and pest control

Mowing and fertilizing alone don't require a state license in Texas. Anyone applying pesticides, including weed killers, to lawns, trees or ornamentals for hire must be licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, either as an agricultural applicator in the landscape maintenance category or through the Structural Pest Control Service in the lawn and ornamental or weed control categories. Ask for the license number if your program includes weed or insect control.

What to ask before signing up

  • What is included in each visit, and how many visits per year?
  • Is the program tailored to my grass type and a soil test?
  • How do you watch for chinch bugs and fungal disease?
  • Can I pause service during a drought stage?

Not sure which grass you have or need? Read our San Antonio grass guide, then request a lawn care company.

See how it works

How a sprinkler zone waters a lawn. Press the buttons to run each step and see what happens inside. Made with Colorfigures ·
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Frequently asked questions

Why does my St. Augustine have dead patches in summer?

Common causes in San Antonio include chinch bugs in hot, sunny areas, drought stress, and fungal diseases such as brown patch or take-all root rot. The Bexar County AgriLife Extension office can help identify the cause before you treat.

Does a lawn care company need a license in Texas?

Mowing and fertilizing alone don't require a state license. Applying pesticides, including herbicides, to lawns for hire requires a Texas Department of Agriculture license, either an agricultural applicator license or a structural pest control license in the right category.

How short should I mow St. Augustine?

St. Augustine is kept taller than Bermuda or zoysia, and mowing it too short is a common cause of thin, weedy lawns. AgriLife turf publications list recommended heights by variety.

Sources and further reading

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