Bermuda grass is a popular warm-season turf known for its exceptional heat tolerance and aggressive growth habit. Unlike many other lawn varieties, Bermuda spreads horizontally using both above-ground runners (stolons) and below-ground stems (rhizomes). This vigorous, lateral growth creates a dense, carpet-like appearance but demands a strict and frequent mowing schedule. Maintaining this turf requires a precise technique and frequency to promote the desired density and overall health.
The Critical Role of the One-Third Rule
The most important guideline for mowing Bermuda grass is the “One-Third Rule”: never remove more than one-third of the grass blade height in any single mowing session. This constraint ensures sufficient green leaf tissue remains for photosynthesis, which produces the energy needed for growth and root development. Violating this rule severely stresses the plant, forcing it to consume stored energy to recover and diminishing its overall resilience.
During the peak growing season, adhering to this rule requires a high-frequency mowing schedule. For a lawn maintained at a target height of one inch, you should mow again as soon as the grass reaches 1.5 inches. This calculation often requires mowing two to three times per week, or every three to five days, during the warmest months when growth is most active.
If too much of the blade is removed at once, the lawn will exhibit a temporary brown or yellow appearance, commonly called “scalping.” This browning occurs because the lower sections of the blade contain less chlorophyll and are exposed when the protective green canopy is suddenly removed. Frequent, light cuts prevent this shock, encouraging the grass to grow outward and create the dense turf texture Bermuda is prized for.
Repeatedly violating the rule by allowing the grass to grow too tall leads to thinner turf and reduced root mass over time. When the plant constantly recovers from severe cuts, it diverts energy from root development to leaf production. This makes the entire lawn more vulnerable to heat stress, drought, and weed invasion.
Ideal Cutting Height and Necessary Equipment
The ideal cutting height for Bermuda grass is significantly lower than for most other turf varieties, encouraging its natural tendency to spread laterally. For common residential Bermuda grass, a manageable height range is between 1 and 2 inches. Maintaining the turf within this range promotes a thick, dense lawn that resists weed pressure.
Hybrid Bermuda varieties, such as those used on golf courses, thrive at even lower heights, often between 0.5 and 1.5 inches. Cutting at this low level forces the grass to develop a tight, mat-like growth habit, resulting in a highly manicured appearance. The shorter the desired height, the more frequently the lawn must be cut to maintain the One-Third Rule.
Achieving these low heights requires specialized equipment. A standard rotary mower is suitable for maintaining common Bermuda closer to 1.5 to 2 inches. However, a rotary mower struggles to maintain a height below one inch and may not provide the precise, clean cut needed for the best aesthetic.
To achieve the finest, lowest cuts, especially for hybrid varieties, a reel mower is the preferred tool. Reel mowers use a scissor-like cutting action, which is cleaner than the tearing motion of a rotary blade, reducing stress on the grass plant. This design allows the mower to be set to the sub-one-inch heights necessary for a golf-course quality lawn.
Adjusting Mowing Frequency Based on Season
The growth rate of Bermuda grass depends heavily on soil temperature, meaning mowing frequency must change throughout the year. During the peak summer months (late spring through early fall), soil temperatures are consistently above 65°F and growth is maximized. This period requires the maximum frequency of two to three times per week to keep pace with the rapid growth.
As the season transitions into the cooler shoulder periods of early spring and late fall, the growth rate slows down. The interval between cuts can be extended to once or twice a week, or every seven to ten days, as the turf takes longer to reach the height threshold. Monitoring the grass height, rather than relying on a fixed schedule, is the most accurate way to determine when to mow.
A key adjustment occurs late in the fall as the grass prepares for dormancy. It is beneficial to slightly raise the cutting height during this time, allowing the grass to grow to about three inches. This increased leaf surface allows the plant to maximize photosynthesis and store carbohydrates in its roots and stolons, providing energy reserves for the winter months.
Once the Bermuda grass has gone fully dormant and turned brown in winter, mowing is no longer necessary since all growth has ceased. The focus then shifts to protecting the dormant turf until soil temperatures rise again in the spring, signaling the start of the next active growing season.