If you pay for a mowing service, having your first mow for the year may be the farthest idea from your mind, if you mow your own lawn, you may miss the exercise. Mowing can be critical at different times of the year, spring is one of those times. The first mow of the year should be this month, some years you may wait, depending on the weather, this year, mowing this month can help control weeds and help the yard transition.
Playing it safe, is the smart play however and most turf management professionals try to mow as late in march as possible or wait till April. The delay is in direct respect to the weather, and in Texas, weather is unpredictable. The worry is a late freeze coming after you have scalped the yard, a late freeze can literally be a killer.
Paying attention to the weather and having some patience can be difference in having dead spots or "Freeze Damage" show up in transition. The best recommendation is to wait till after the last freeze or the end of march as a rule. If you are a gambling man, you would mow now, the odds are with you. This region is not prone to late freezes, so you can be confident in the fact that if you mow, no freeze damage will happen.
Many homeowners have mowed already and let the turf manage itself, in most cases no problems result, yet, a late freeze can damage mowed turf. The height becomes a factor with first mowing's and the shorter the better, allowing sunlight to penetrate the root zone is the idea, making grass transition from dormancy to green top growth. Scalping is part of most turf management programs and scalping is done this month or next depending on the factors listed above. Contradictory however, is this notion of mowing now or waiting, a direct result of unpredictable weather in this region. Most homeowners and mowing companies feel safe to mow now and hope for the best. Good Luck
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