How to Care for Warm-Season Grass in THE Winter Season Around North Carolina

If you live in a warm-climate region like central North Carolina and the Triangle Area, where your lawn is dominated by Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, or St. Augustine grass, you already know winter is a quiet season for your turf. But “quiet” doesn’t mean “ignore.” Even when warm-season grass goes dormant, it still needs a little help to survive the cold months and bounce back strong in spring. In this post I’ll walk you through practical, experience-tested tips for winter lawn care for warm-season grass, showing you how to prep warm-season grass for winter and protect warm-season grass when it’s dormant.

Why Winter Lawn Care for Warm-Season Grass Matters

Warm-season grass in the winter typically enters dormancy, it significantly slows growth, turns a tannish color, and appears “asleep.” But there a few things to remember during that time:

• The root system is still alive and needs protection.

• Winter weeds don’t always stay dormant, so they can sneak in.

• Soil compaction, debris cover, or poor nutrient reserves can weaken spring growth.

In other words, what you do now affects how great your lawn comes back next spring. If you neglect protecting warm-season grass in winter, you risk bare patches, slow green-up, and weed problems.

When to Start Winter PrepING for Warm-Season Grass

Don’t wait until the first frost. The best time to start winter prep is actually in early fall, while your grass is still slightly active. That’s when it can best absorb nutrients, recover from stress, and build up reserves for the cold months ahead. Think of it like packing a lunch before a long trip, you want your lawn fueled and ready before it settles in for the season.

5 Tips to Prep and Protect Warm-Season Grass for Winter

Here’s what I do every fall to keep my warm-season lawn healthy through winter, no fancy gadgets, just tried-and-true practices:

1. Give it a little extra height for the final cuts

As fall winds down, gradually raise your mower deck. For most warm-season grasses, that means leaving the grass around 1.5 to 2 inches tall for the last few mows. This extra height helps protect the crown (the vital growing point at the base) and insulates the soil a bit. Cutting it too short, aka “scalping”, right before dormancy stresses the plant and leaves it vulnerable to cold damage.

2. Stop weeds before they start

Apply a pre-emergent herbicide in early fall, ideally before soil temps drop below 55°F. This blocks weed seeds from sprouting while your grass is napping. Just make sure it’s low- or zero-nitrogen, you don’t want to trick your lawn into thinking it’s spring and trigger tender new growth right before a freeze.

3. Water sparingly, but don’t skip it

Dormant grass still needs moisture to keep roots alive, especially in dry winters. If you haven’t had rain in a few weeks and daytime temps are above 40°F, give your lawn a light watering. The goal isn’t to soak it, just enough to keep the soil from drying out completely. Overwatering in winter is a fast track to fungus and root rot.

4. Clear away the clutter

Rake up fallen leaves, twigs, and pine needles. A thick layer of debris traps moisture against the grass, blocks sunlight, and creates the perfect environment for disease. Also, if you’ve got more than a half-inch of thatch (that spongy layer between grass and soil), consider dethatching in early fall, before dormancy sets in.

5. Test your soil and tweak it now

Fall is the perfect time to grab a soil test kit (most local extension offices offer them cheap or free). If your pH is off or your potassium levels are low, now’s the time to apply lime or a potassium-rich fertilizer. These amendments take weeks to work, so getting them in before deep cold hits gives your soil a head start.

A Few Bonus Moves That Make a Difference

• Go easy on the foot traffic. Dormant grass can’t repair itself, so repeated walking or parking on it can cause lasting damage.

• Sharpen your mower blades before storing for winter, it’ll save you time in spring and give you a cleaner cut when growth resumes.

• Take notes (or photos!) of trouble spots, areas that stayed bare, pooled water, or felt spongy. That way, you’ll have a clear plan for aerating, reseeding, or amending come spring.

Winter is not a “hands-off” season for warm-season lawns, it’s a quiet but crucial chapter in your lawn’s yearly cycle. A little attention now pays off big when your neighbors are still waiting for their grass to green up… and yours is already thriving.

So pick one or two of these tips and try them this fall. Your future self, and your lawn will thank you when spring rolls around.

By: Lucio S.