Blog
Straight answers to what Dallas–Fort Worth homeowners look up, season by season: when to lay sod, how to care for it and what to do before the freeze.
Fall
Yes, you can lay sod in November in North Texas, but it is riskier than spring or early fall. The average first freeze in DFW is November 22, so new sod usually goes tan and dormant within weeks and may not fully root until spring green-up. It works best with Bermuda or Zoysia, careful watering in dry spells and no nitrogen fertilizer.
Fall
Start seven days before: walk the yard like a guest, clear leaves and trip hazards, trim edges, light the path and plan the parking. Thanksgiving always lands between November 22 and 28, right around the average first freeze in DFW, so expect a tan lawn and keep guests off wet grass. A bare, muddy patch near the door is the one lawn problem worth fixing before the holiday.
Winter
Tan new sod in winter is dormant, not dead. Keep watering it by hand during dry weeks, because new sod has no deep roots yet, keep traffic off it, mow little or not at all, and skip nitrogen fertilizer until spring. In DFW it usually greens up after the average last freeze (March 12), once the soil warms.
