Landscaping in Rio Hondo, TX on the Arroyo Colorado.

Watering rules from East Rio Hondo Water Supply

Many homes in and around Rio Hondo buy water from East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation, headquartered right in town. Its raw water arrives through Cameron County Irrigation District No. 2, so when the irrigation district cuts farm water, the water supply follows with drought stages of its own. Here's how its 2026 plan works:

• Stage 1: customers are asked to cut back on lawn and landscape watering voluntarily.
• Stage 2: sprinklers, both automatic and hose-end, may only run from midnight to 8 a.m. and from 8 p.m. to midnight.
• Also in Stage 2: hand watering and drip irrigation are allowed at any hour.
• Stage 3: landscape irrigation is not allowed at all.

That drip rule matters a lot when we plan a yard. Every flower bed and tree ring goes on drip lines, so they keep getting water through a Stage 2 summer, and the lawn zones run before dawn. If your water comes from the City of Rio Hondo's own system instead, check with the city for its current rules, since they can be different.

We think this is the smartest way to set up any Valley yard, drought or not. Spray heads lose a lot of water to wind on an open lot. According to the EPA's WaterSense program, as much as half of outdoor water can be wasted to evaporation, wind or runoff. Drip puts it at the roots.

Types of landscaping we offer in Rio Hondo

Rio Hondo jobs lean practical. These are the ones we do most.

Lawn care

A big lot needs a big mower and a schedule you can count on. We keep St. Augustine at 3 to 4 inches and Bermuda a bit shorter, edge the drive and walks, spot-spray weeds and feed in spring and fall. See dry yellow patches by the driveway in July? That's often chinch bugs, tiny insects that kill St. Augustine, so we look for them on every visit.

Sod installation in Rio Hondo

Sod installation in Rio Hondo rarely means the whole lot. Usually it's the yard around the house. We kill off and clear the weeds, till compost into the clay, grade it and lay Floratam or Bermuda sod. More detail is on our sod installation page.

Drip and sprinkler systems

We pair drip lines for beds and trees with rotor heads for the lawn. Every system gets a backflow preventer, the valve that keeps lawn water out of the drinking supply, and a rain/freeze sensor.

Shade trees and windbreaks

Out on an open lot, two things wear you down: the west wind and the afternoon sun. Texas ebony, anacua and live oak handle the sun. For the wind, we line the field side with Texas sage or other native shrubs.

Yard design

On a big lot, a plan keeps the lawn from growing past what you can water. We map out turf, trees, beds and drip zones, and you can build it over two or three seasons.

Pavers and paths

In the wet months, a paver path from the drive to the back door keeps the mud outside where it belongs. It sits on a compacted base of crushed stone, so it stays flat even on Rio Hondo clay.

How much does landscaping cost in Rio Hondo?

Most Rio Hondo landscaping projects run $2,000 to $18,000. Sod costs about $1.40 to $2.60 per sq ft installed, a sprinkler system with drip for beds $2,800 to $5,500, and shade trees about $250 to $450 each planted. Lawn care is quoted by lot size.

Rio Hondo is a bit of a drive for us, but we group jobs by day so you don't pay extra for travel. Typical 2026 costs:

A year of lawn care in Rio Hondo

Rio Hondo lawn care runs on the weather more than the calendar. Still, most years look about like this:

• February and March: clean-up, the first mow of the year and a spring feeding once the grass is green and growing.
• April to June: weekly mowing, weed control and a sprinkler check before the heat, so every zone reaches the far corners.
• July and August: mow a little higher, water deep and early, and watch closely for chinch bugs in the hottest spots.
• September and October: the rainy stretch. A fall feeding, and a look at where water stands after storms.
• November to January: mowing every two weeks or less, shrub trimming and a freeze check on the irrigation backflow preventer.

In summer an established lawn here wants about an inch of water a week, counting rain. Water deep and less often rather than a sprinkle every day. That schedule also fits easily inside the drought-stage hours.

Country lots along the Arroyo Colorado

Rio Hondo takes its name from its spot on the Arroyo Colorado, the old river channel that runs through town, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway cuts across the west side. Low ground near the water drains slowly after a heavy rain, so we raise beds there and skip trees that hate wet feet. Away from the water it's farm clay, rich but hard as brick in a dry spell. On those lots we till compost in deep before any sod or bed goes down, and we leave a mulched strip along the field fence so blowing dust settles there instead of on the lawn.

Out west on US 83, we also work in La Feria.