Try and mow a little higher if you live where there's dry summers. Usually 3-4 inches is a good height for summer mowing. This will help keep more moisture in the left blade.

Make sure you use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. This will be the first number(21-8-5).  Also make sure you buy a fertilizer with a pre-emergent in it. Barricade, Ronstar, Halts.  This will help control your summer weeds.  Do not sow any grass seed in the spring. The pre emergent will not allow it to come up and it does not have enough time to get strong roots before the summer heat arrives.  Lowes hardware carries fert. w/Halts or crab grass preventer.  If you have any broadleaf weeds(clover, henbit, chickweed) you can spray now using 2-4D. Make sure you always read and follow your directions.

Definition of warm season grasses,  grasses whose opitmal growing seasons are WARM.  Some examples of these grasses include; Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, Carpetgrass, St. Austine, and Bahia. These grasses growing conditions are 75F to 95F.  Depending on your Zone, these grasses will go dormant at certain times on the year.  When they are dormant you will probably get some Winter weeds.  You may spray these weeds out.  The most common chemicals to spray is Round-up and 2-4 D.  Just remember to read the label so Spring green up is to the maximum.      

Light Blue=Cool season, Purple=Transition Zone(Cool and Warm season grass), and Yellow=Warm season

Spring fertilization is coming around the corner.  Prepare by claening any leaves and debris off grassy areas.  This application should be done between April 15-April 30.  Below are a couple examples of fertilizers with pre-emergent.  Do not over seed with these fertilizers, they are put down to PREVENT summer weeds like crabgrass, goose grass, dallas grass, and all other grassy weeds.  Remember to read the label.  It will tell you what rate to spread.  When buying this first application, you are looking for a high nitrogen content, to green up your grass through out the spring.  This is always the first number(ex. 20-8-10). Keep that first number as high as possible, 18-26.

Some often used pre-emergents to look for are Halts, Barricade, and Ronstar.   

Lowes Hardware product

  If you have any landscape plants or trees you have not pruned, you should go ahead and do so.  Hold off on your Azaleas and Rhotos.  Prune them after they bloom.

You should be ready to winterize you irrigation system.  This is very simple to do without having a company to come out and charge you around $75.00 to do it.

Turn off the water to the irrigation system at main valve(or the backflow valve). Set the automatic irrigation controller to the "rain" setting. Turn on each of the valves to release pressure in the pipes. Drain all of the water out of any irrigation components that might freeze

If you are wondering when it is time to plant trees; plant them now.  Or, Plant them in the next few weeks.  If you buy from Lowes or Home Depot watch the sale papers or stop in often.  They will put all plants and trees on sale before winter.  Trying to move what is left over.  If you catch it right, then you can come across phenomenal trees at discounted prices.

Winter weeds are germinating as I write this.  The most common winter weed is Henbit and Chick weed.  You can spray these weeds with 2-4-D.  Lowes or Home Depot sell the chemical you need.  Alot of times you can buy a premixed spary.  Just read the front label and make sure it is for broadleaf weeds only.  The chemical you are looking for in the ingredients is 2-4-D.  It will probably cost between $6.00-$12.00 depending on the size bottle.

This is a premix. Just hook up to garden hose and spray.

Chickweed

Henbit