Warm-season lawn calendar: Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas and Alabama
When extension pages in GA, SC, TX, AL and NC time weed control, feeding and planting for bermuda, zoysia, centipede and St. Augustine lawns.
By LawnYear editorial team · Published · Updated Windows are read from the extension publications listed under Sources; the dates are approximate.
TL;DR: In these five states the extension pages put the spring preemergent herbicide in February and March, the first feeding after the lawn has fully greened up (early May in South Carolina), and sod, plugs or seed in late spring. Several pages add a September preemergent for winter weeds and tell you to stop feeding well before frost.
Approximate dates for your state. Check with your local cooperative extension office before you act.
What is a warm-season lawn calendar?
A warm-season lawn calendar is an extension publication that sets weed control, feeding and planting against the months when bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass or St. Augustinegrass actually grow.
Coverage is uneven. Georgia and South Carolina publish a calendar for each of the four grasses, Texas for bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass, and North Carolina for bermudagrass only. Alabama's page is a home lawn publication with a nitrogen table, not a calendar, so it appears here for feeding only. Comparisons between states are this site's reading of pages written for different climates. The Georgia details are as recorded on this site's Georgia page. Our guide to cool-season seeding windows covers the other half of the year.
Weed control: a spring window and a fall one
Georgia calls February and March the best months for a spring preemergent herbicide on all four grasses, with April possible. South Carolina says mid-February in coastal and central areas and mid-March in the piedmont and mountains, for crabgrass, goosegrass and sandspurs. North Carolina's bermudagrass page says mid-February to early March. Texas ties the date to the weed: crabgrass germinates around mid-February in South Texas, early March in North and Central Texas and mid-March in the Panhandle, and the St. Augustinegrass calendar says to apply when soil reaches about 55 F for 4 to 5 consecutive days.
Clemson adds a second step. On its centipedegrass, zoysiagrass and St. Augustinegrass pages it asks for a second application 8 to 10 weeks after the first, and says to hold off any work that disturbs the soil, because disturbing it lets weeds through the barrier. The same pages repeat the preemergent in September for winter annual weeds, again with a second application 8 to 10 weeks later. Texas A&M gives the fall step for both grasses, with the St. Augustinegrass calendar tying it to soil at about 70 F for 4 to 5 consecutive days.
Texas A&M says not to apply a fall preemergent if you plan to overseed with ryegrass. For centipedegrass, Clemson says not to apply post-emergent herbicides during spring green-up, and it notes that centipedegrass is sensitive to certain herbicides. Texas A&M's bermudagrass calendar says to use caution with post-emergence herbicides during spring green-up, since turfgrass injury may occur. For granular products it says to pick one with little or no nitrogen, since nitrogen belongs on green, actively growing bermudagrass. The Alabama publication gives no weed dates, and this site records no fall date for Georgia.
| State | Spring | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | February and March best, April possible | No fall date recorded |
| South Carolina | Mid-February (coast, central) or mid-March (piedmont, mountains); repeat 8 to 10 weeks later (not stated on the bermudagrass page) | September; repeat 8 to 10 weeks later |
| Texas | February to March; soil near 55 F for 4 to 5 days on the St. Augustinegrass page | September to October; soil near 70 F on the St. Augustinegrass page; not before ryegrass overseeding |
| North Carolina | Mid-February to early March (bermudagrass) | No fall preemergent date; a November to December option for winter weeds |
| Alabama | No weed dates in the source | No weed dates in the source |
Feeding: wait for green-up, stop before frost
Every page holds the first feeding back until the grass is growing. Alabama states the reason: fertilizing warm-season grass too early in spring can cut root mass as the plants leave winter dormancy, and fertilizing too late in fall may raise the chance of winter injury. Clemson is the most direct, with no nitrogen from January to April, partly because a late frost after early growth can seriously damage the lawn. Its first feeding is early May, once the lawn fully greens up. For Georgia, the calendar says to wait until soil at 4 inches stays at 65 F and is rising.
Texas A&M uses a mowing test instead of a date. The first feeding waits until the lawn is actively growing and has been mowed at least twice for St. Augustinegrass, or 2 to 3 times for bermudagrass, and nothing goes on a drought-stressed lawn. North Carolina says several weeks after the lawn turns fully green, and gives one winter rule in capitals: do not fertilize.
The end of the season matters as much. Clemson says to feed centipedegrass no later than August 15 in the Upstate and September 1 on the coast, and to apply no nitrogen from September through December on any of its four grasses. Texas A&M's St. Augustinegrass calendar says the last nitrogen goes on 4 to 6 weeks before the first historic frost. North Carolina keeps September feeding light on bermudagrass to limit spring dead spot. For how much to apply, see our guide to nitrogen per feeding.
| State | First feeding | Last feeding |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | After soil at 4 in stays at 65 F and rising; best months May to August | September at the latest for bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and St. Augustinegrass; August for centipedegrass |
| South Carolina | Early May, after full green-up | August 15 (Upstate) or September 1 (coast) for centipedegrass; none September to December |
| Texas | Lawn growing and mowed 2 times (St. Augustinegrass) or 2 to 3 times (bermudagrass) | 4 to 6 weeks before the first historic frost (St. Augustinegrass) |
| Alabama | Summer; the standard schedules start in May | July or August on the standard schedules; the maximum schedules add more doses |
| North Carolina | Several weeks after full green-up (bermudagrass) | Light in September; none in winter |
Planting: sod, plugs and seed in late spring
Late spring is the planting window nearly everywhere. Clemson says to replant large bare areas in May with sod, plugs or sprigs. North Carolina says late May for bermudagrass, and adds that most fine-textured, turf-type bermudagrasses must go in as sod, sprigs or plugs rather than seed. Texas A&M's St. Augustinegrass calendar says only that warm-season grass is best established during active growth. Georgia's months are May to July for bermudagrass seed, May and June for zoysiagrass and May to July for centipedegrass, and its St. Augustinegrass calendar says that grass cannot be established from seed.
Seed is slow. Clemson says centipedegrass seed is expected to germinate in 28 days, that establishment is slow, and that a new lawn from seed can take three years to become uniform and dense. It also says 'Zenith' zoysiagrass is sold as seed and is best planted in late spring or early summer. Clemson's pages give no fall replanting dates for centipedegrass or zoysiagrass.
Overseeding is a separate decision. Georgia's zoysiagrass and centipedegrass calendars advise against ryegrass, and Texas A&M's ryegrass caution for fall preemergents points the same way. For each state's full list of dates, see the pages for Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama and North Carolina, or the grass pages for bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass. The lawn schedule by ZIP picks the right state for your address.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I put down preemergent herbicide on a bermudagrass lawn?
- Georgia says February and March, North Carolina mid-February to early March, South Carolina mid-February on the coast and mid-March inland, and Texas before crabgrass germinates, from mid-February in South Texas to mid-March in the Panhandle.
- Why does Clemson say to apply preemergent twice?
- On its centipedegrass, zoysiagrass and St. Augustinegrass pages, Clemson asks for a second application 8 to 10 weeks after the first, and says to delay soil-disturbing work, because disturbing the soil lets weeds emerge through the barrier. The same repeat applies to its September application.
- Can I fertilize warm-season grass in early spring?
- The pages say wait. Alabama warns that early spring feeding can reduce root mass. Clemson says no nitrogen from January to April. Texas A&M waits until the lawn is growing and has been mowed at least twice.
- When is the last time to feed centipedegrass in South Carolina?
- Clemson says the last feeding is before August 15 in the Upstate and before September 1 along the coast. It says to apply no nitrogen from September through December.
- Can St. Augustinegrass be planted from seed?
- No. Georgia says it cannot be established from seed. Clemson says to replant bare areas in May with sod, plugs or sprigs, and Texas A&M says to establish warm-season grass during active growth.
How we read the sources: where a post sets states or grasses side by side, the comparison is ours, made by reading the extension pages next to each other. Every number comes from the page named.