Bermuda grass is a warm-season turfgrass valued for its durability, dense growth, and aggressive spreading nature, making it an ideal choice for sunny, high-traffic lawns. Achieving a high-quality Bermuda lawn requires a specific and consistent management strategy tailored to the grass’s unique physiology. These practices detail the necessary steps, from cutting and watering to feeding and protecting the turf, ensuring a vibrant and resilient lawn throughout the growing season.
Mowing and Thatching Practices
Maintaining a dense Bermuda grass lawn begins with a low and frequent mowing regimen that promotes horizontal growth. The ideal cutting height for most hybrid Bermuda varieties ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 inches, demanding the use of a reel mower to achieve the lowest cuts without scalping the turf. During the peak growing season, the grass may need mowing two to three times per week to prevent excessive removal of the leaf tissue.
This frequent schedule is necessary to strictly follow the “one-third rule,” which states that no more than one-third of the grass blade should be removed in a single mowing session. Violating this rule stresses the plant and hinders root development. Keeping the mower blades sharp is also important, as a dull blade tears the grass, increasing water loss and making the turf susceptible to disease.
Bermuda grass’s dense growth naturally leads to the formation of thatch, a layer of organic matter that accumulates between the soil surface and the green vegetation. This layer should be kept below 0.5 inches; thicker thatch impedes the movement of water, air, and nutrients to the roots. When thatch builds up, mechanical removal through verticutting or dethatching is recommended during the active growing season in late spring or early summer to allow for rapid recovery.
Watering Schedules for Optimal Growth
A deep and infrequent watering strategy is essential for encouraging the robust, deep root system that makes Bermuda grass drought-tolerant. Rather than light daily sprinklings, the goal is to deliver approximately 1 to 1.5 inches of water to the lawn over the course of a week. This total amount should be split into two or three separate watering sessions, allowing the soil to partially dry out between applications.
Deep watering encourages the roots to grow downward, making the grass more resilient to heat and drought stress. The water should penetrate the soil to a depth of about six inches, which can be checked by probing the ground after irrigation. The best time to apply water is in the early morning, ideally before 10 a.m. This timing minimizes water loss to evaporation and allows the grass blades to dry quickly, reducing the risk of fungal disease.
Visual cues indicate when the lawn is thirsty. Signs of underwatering include the grass turning a dull, bluish-gray color instead of vibrant green. Another indicator is “footprint retention,” where the grass blades do not quickly spring back up after being walked on, with footprints remaining visible for more than 30 minutes.
Nutrient and Fertilization Strategy
Bermuda grass is a heavy feeder that requires a high amount of nitrogen to maintain aggressive growth and a dense, dark green color. A high-quality lawn typically requires an annual application of 3 to 5 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, applied throughout the active growing season. Never exceed a rate of 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in a single application to prevent burning the turf.
The fertilization program should begin in late spring after the grass has fully greened up and soil temperatures have consistently reached 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Subsequent feedings should follow every four to eight weeks, depending on the fertilizer’s release rate and the desired turf density. Fertilizers with an N-P-K ratio favoring nitrogen, such as 3-1-2 or 4-1-2, are recommended during the peak summer months to fuel shoot growth.
Conducting a soil test is recommended before starting any regimen to determine the precise needs for phosphorus and potassium and to check the soil’s pH level. Potassium is important for overall plant health and stress tolerance, especially toward the end of the season. To achieve a deeper green color without stimulating excessive vertical growth, liquid iron supplements can be applied, as iron enhances chlorophyll production.
Addressing Weeds and Common Pests
A dual-action strategy involving both preventative and curative measures is employed to manage weeds in Bermuda grass. Pre-emergent herbicides are applied to create a chemical barrier in the soil that prevents weed seeds from germinating. The first application should occur in the spring before soil temperatures reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the critical germination temperature for summer annual weeds like crabgrass.
A second pre-emergent application is required in the fall, generally when soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees, to prevent the germination of winter annual weeds such as Poa annua. Existing weeds that emerge must be treated with post-emergent herbicides. These applications should be used with caution, avoiding the spring green-up period and the hottest part of the summer, as the turf is most sensitive to chemical injury during these times.
Bermuda grass is susceptible to several common pests, notably armyworms and mole crickets. Armyworms are caterpillars that quickly consume grass blades, sometimes leaving a “window pane” appearance. Since they do not destroy the roots, rapid recovery follows a curative insecticide treatment. Mole crickets, conversely, tunnel through the soil, damaging the root system and causing the turf to thin in patches, often requiring a granular insecticide application to control their subterranean activity.
Preparing Bermuda Grass for Dormancy
As the growing season ends and temperatures consistently drop, Bermuda grass requires preparation for winter dormancy. The timing of the final fertilization application is important to enhance cold tolerance. A fertilizer heavy in potassium and containing low or no nitrogen should be applied approximately four to six weeks before the first expected frost.
This potassium-heavy feed aids in hardening off the turf, which improves its resistance to both cold weather and winter disease pressure. Mowing practices also change in the fall; the cutting height should be gradually raised to two or 2.5 inches for the final cuts. This increased leaf surface provides extra insulation, protecting the grass’s crowns, stolons, and rhizomes from potential winter injury.
An optional practice for maintaining a green appearance through the winter is overseeding the dormant Bermuda grass with a cool-season turf, such as perennial ryegrass. This provides temporary winter color, but it is a choice that requires careful management in the spring to ensure the ryegrass dies off completely. This ensures the warm-season Bermuda grass is not delayed or hindered as it attempts to transition back to active growth.