How to Control Annual Bluegrass in Central Texas Lawns

How to Control Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) in Central Texas Lawns If you’ve noticed bright green clumps popping up across your lawn in late winter and early spring, you’re likely dealing with annual bluegrass (Poa annua). This cool-season grassy weed thrives in Central Texas conditions and has become one of the most frustrating lawn problems for homeowners. As a horticulturist working here in the Texas Hill Country, I want to give you a clear, realistic approach to managing it—because the old “just use a pre-emergent” advice isn’t working like it [...]

By |2026-04-23T14:13:55-05:00April 23rd, 2026|Lawn Care, Weeds|
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How to Control Rescuegrass in Central Texas Lawns (Before It Takes Over)

If you’ve noticed patches of light green, fast-growing grass popping up in your lawn during the cooler months, you’re likely dealing with rescuegrass. This common Central Texas weed can be frustrating, but understanding its life cycle is the key to getting ahead of it. What Is Rescuegrass? Rescuegrass is an annual cool-season grass, which means it germinates in the fall, grows through winter and early spring, and then dies out naturally once the summer heat arrives. While that might sound like good news, the problem is that it produces plenty [...]

By |2026-04-23T13:59:13-05:00April 23rd, 2026|Lawn Care, Weeds|
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13-13-13 Fertilizer-Good or Bad?

Is 13-13-13 fertilizer good or bad for Central Texas soils? If you garden in Central Texas, you’ve probably seen bags of “all-purpose” fertilizer labeled 13-13-13 and wondered if it’s a safe default. It isn’t—and in our region, it can actually make things worse. Our Soils Aren’t a Blank Slate Most soils across the Hill Country and surrounding areas are naturally alkaline and already high in phosphorus (P). This comes from the underlying limestone geology and years of fertilizer use. A soil test from Texas A&M Soil Testing Lab will often [...]

By |2026-04-15T15:09:25-05:00April 15th, 2026|Vegetable Gardening, Lawn Care, Plants, Trees, Palms, Native Plants, Ornamental Trees|
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Corn Gluten as a Pre-emergent

Corn Gluten Meal is a by-product of the corn milling process.  It is an Organic alternative to chemical pre-emergent, and doubles as a slow-release Nitrogen source with about 9% N by weight. It is the best choice if you live near the lake or other water source or are applying it under fruit or nut trees. Again, timing is critical in order to realize the best results possible. With corn gluten meal, the wet/dry period must be managed carefully, AND, the product must also be applied BEFORE the weed emerges from the [...]

By |2025-02-08T12:36:18-06:00October 2nd, 2023|Lawn Care|
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Weeds: Winter Annuals

  Henbit   (Lamium amplexicaule) is a cool season, ANNUAL broadleaf weed with square stems and pink to purple flowers. It is mostly noticed in the early spring after it has had a chance to grow all winter in the lawn and then begins to bloom. These blooms produce seed which will lay dormant over the hot summer, then begin to germinate in the fall as the temperatures cool. The plant itself dies completely in hot temperatures and does not come back from the roots.  Products labeled for pre-emergent control of [...]

By |2024-10-06T10:01:16-05:00February 27th, 2023|Lawn Care|
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Are Epsom Salts Good for Plants?

Myth:    Epsom Salts are a good fertilizer and will promote blooms, make tomatoes and peppers more productive and are a general “cure-all” for the garden. Fact:    Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), a very simple chemical consisting of magnesium, water and sulfur. Magnesium is one of the minor elements which plants need to grow, and it is rarely deficient in soils in Central Texas. It may be deficient in a sandy, acidic soil, but we don’t have to worry about that here!  A soil test will confirm if the soil [...]

By |2023-02-28T08:25:13-06:00February 1st, 2023|Vegetable Gardening, Lawn Care|
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Weed Control with Horticultural Vinegar

Weed Control with Horticultural Vinegar Are you looking for a more “natural” way to kill unwanted grass and weeds? Fortunately, we have options! One method that has been around for years is using 20% Horticultural Vinegar as a “burn back” method to kill weeds. “Burn back” is exactly what it sounds like. The Vinegar “burns” back the leaves of the weed.  The vinegar is not translocated to the roots like the chemical methods of weed control, and it is likely that the weed will grow back from the roots again. [...]

By |2023-01-23T12:38:45-06:00January 23rd, 2023|Vegetable Gardening, Lawn Care|
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Winter Watering of Established Landscapes in Central Texas

  Winter Watering in Central Texas If you think you have a hard time adjusting to Central Texas drought, seasonal flooding, or freak freezing temperatures, think of what our plants go through! At least we can drink water, go inside to the air conditioning or warm ourselves with central heat. While rain and temperature are things that we cannot control, we can control the amount of water that our plants receive. When we are in a drought year, it is very important that we use our water carefully while keeping [...]

By |2023-12-03T09:33:18-06:00November 30th, 2022|Lawn Care, Plants, Trees|
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King Ranch Bluestem

Yes, it is that time of year again. The King Ranch Bluestem, aka “KR Bluestem”, is sending up the tall telltale seed heads to let us know it is there. You see, it has been there all along. It is a perennial grass that was introduced from Europe and Asia in the 1920s and 1930s as a “desirable” species for erosion control and forage for cattle. (Another good idea gone awry.) As you can guess, it is no longer “desirable”. KR Bluestem is now on the Texas Invasive Species list, [...]

By |2022-09-10T14:17:43-05:00September 10th, 2022|Lawn Care|
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Weed Control with Captain Jack’s Deadweed Brew and Lawnweed Brew

Here are Some Great New "Natural" Weed Control Products. As always, read the entire label before using.     Deadweed Brew:   Use this non-selective post-emergent herbicide to kill weeds, grass, mosses and algae in gardens, gravel and other areas where an approved organic product is needed. Remember, it kills everything that it is applied to, so proper application is necessary. The active ingredient is product made from caprylic acid ad capric acid derived from palm oil.     NON-SELECTIVE WEED CONTROL - For use on non-selective herbaceous broadleaf and grassy [...]

By |2023-01-23T12:43:52-06:00September 7th, 2022|Vegetable Gardening, Lawn Care|
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Sticker Bur Control

Sticker Bur Control            Sticker bur control is dependent on the identification of the species of bur that you are needing to control. We get many questions throughout the year regarding control of stickers in the home lawn. To get the best control, you must first determine what type of  stickers you are dealing with. Do you have Bur Clover, Field Sandbur, Lawn Burweed, Khaki Weed or the very painful Goat Head?  Control for each type of sticker bur relates to the time of the year that [...]

By |2026-02-02T14:21:54-06:00April 5th, 2022|Lawn Care, Plants|
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Khaki Weed Control

Khaki Weed (Alternanthera caracasana) is a perennial weed from tropical America that has invaded the southern U.S. at an alarming rate. Because it has a tremendous tap root, it is difficult to control in its mature stage. First, let's be sure to identify this pesky weed correctly. It is often confused with a native groundcover called Horseherb.     Khaki weed grows close to the ground and branches out like spokes on a wheel from a central stem coming from a taproot.             Khaki weed [...]

By |2025-05-01T09:44:41-05:00September 4th, 2021|Lawn Care|
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