Bermuda grass in the lawn in USA, winter care tips, overseeding, aeration, mowing, and brown spots(dormant)
Bermuda grass is one of the native grass in the USA for lawns and Golf fields. It is spongy, fast-growing, dark green grass that like higher temperatures. Even direct sunlight of 6 to 10 hours doesn't damage Bermuda grass if you maintain proper moisture.
Bermuda grass can invade all the empty nearer areas on the lawn or in empty fields if it gets proper moisture and direct sunlight.
Let's understand Bermuda grass and its performance in various seasons on lawn and golf fields.
Bermuda grass lawn and care in winter in USA
Bermuda grass in winter
In even climate conditions(mostly summer), Bermuda grass grows almost the same during the winter season(12 to 15 degrees Celcius). In odd climates, it is challenging to remain green throughout the year for Bermuda grass.
In cold winters, Bermuda grass get dormant and starts to turn into brown grass which is called dry Bermuda grass. Generally, Bermuda grass doesn't grow comfortably below 8 degrees Celcius.
During the winter, it remains brown and looks dry but doesn't get die mostly. So you don't need to worry about its color because, next summer, it will turn green and spongy once again. It asks for a few treatments and irrigation, after that it will grow for the next 8 months without getting any brown color. TruGreen lawn care services
Bermuda grass in summer
Although we know now that Bermuda grass is like direct sunlight but it doesn't mean that it can grow without proper irrigation. Bermuda grass can stretch low moisture growth for a period but after a limit, it starts to get dry and brown. It stops the growth and dies in the end.
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Early morning is the best period for irrigation in Bermuda grass. Generally, Bermuda grass like higher temperatures from 28 to 40 degrees Celcius.
Best way to grow Bermuda grass
Now, let's understand how many ways we can grow Bermuda grass on the lawn. But before the process of growing, you should understand the requirements first-
Requirements to grow Bermuda grass
Tools requirements
Following are some important and basic tools for growing Bermuda grass on the lawn-
- Mowing machine
- Leaf rake
- Spreader
- Shovel
Soil type and pH
Although Bermuda grass can grow in acidic soil only that has a pH from 5.9 to 6.4 but by reducing the pH of alkaline soil, we still can grow Bermuda grass on the lawn. Generally, we use well-draining soil or loamy soil for Bermuda grass on the lawn.
But other soils may be useful if they have proper drainage and are easy to reduce their pH to acidic.
There are two ways to grow Bermuda grass on the lawn-
Process of Bermuda grass from seeds
If you have proper conditions for Bermuda grass growing(spring season), then you should start growing Bermuda grass in the containers from seeds.
- First, you need to prepare a fertile soil mixture for that. If your soil is not acidic, then make it acidic first with the help of sulfur.
- Take a wide plastic container to grow a portion of Bermuda grass. You can choose your rooftop for the initial growth to transplantation stage.
- Now, take garden soil with vermicompost and coco-peat in a 50:30:20 respectively.
- Fill the soil up to 60% in the container and don't push it hard.
- Sprinkle the seeds over the soil and cover them with a thin layer(1 inch) of the same soil mixture. 50-gram seeds are enough for a 10x10 square feet area.
- Spray some water and keep it in direct sunlight.
- When Grass starts to germinate, let it grow up to 4 inches.
- Keep your lawn ready for the transplantation of Bermuda grass plants. You can make soil fertile and acidic on the lawn but don't use sensitive fertilizers too early.
- Then after, transplant them to your lawn at some distance. It will cover all the empty areas of your lawn soon.
- Once your grassroots get stronger, keep the irrigation regular.
Turf plantation of Bermuda grass
Turf plantation is easier than seed plantation of Bermuda grass.
Before planting the market Bermuda grass turf, you need to prepare the soil on the lawn already. For that, you need to follow the basic instructions as you followed with seeds.
- Keep the turfs in the sunlight before planting them but irrigate their roots perfectly till the time.
- Don't let the lawn soil be tight and hard until you do plantation of turfs.
- Now, take the sections of turf and put them in the right spots. Repeat the process with each turf.
- Now, irrigate them properly. Let them be in direct sunlight for at least 5 to 6 hours.
- In 8 to 10 days, the turf Bermuda grass adopts the conditions of your lawn and starts to keep their root tight in the lawn soil.
- After three weeks, you can treat them as regular Bermuda grass lawns and start mowing.
- Keep the irrigation and mowing regularly.
Bermuda grass overseeding and aeration
- Overseeding
Overseeding is a method in which we use more than the required seeds to avoid a low germination rate. Overseeding doesn't mean that we make thick layers of seeds in the soil but it covers the soil totally with a single layer of seeds.
The purpose of overseeding Bermuda grass is to get thick and continuous growth of grass. Sometimes, the average seeding rate doesn't sprout enough grass and empty areas convert either into brown patches or remain blank.
Overseeding timing is very important. Generally, the best time for overseeding Bermuda grass is the spring season because it can take time to get full and faster growth in the upcoming summer season.
- Aeration
The aeration process is one of the factors in the healthier growth of lawn grass. Every lawn grass needs to absorb water and nutrients properly. Continuous walking and no weeding in the soil make it hard so it reduces the chances of sending moisture and nutrients deep into the soil.
Aeration is a process of making very thin holes in the soil with the help of sharp tools. The purpose is to not disturb the roots of the grass and make minor holes to release extra air from the soil.
Ideal best height for Bermuda grass
Bermuda grass can be taller than 5 inches and its roots grow even longer. Too long height of Bermuda grass is not good for the lawn for multiple reasons. Longer Bermuda grass looks ugly on the lawn, not easy to walk, not ideal for sunlight absorption, etc.
It is good to keep your lawn Bermuda grass 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. You can take to even 1 to 1.5 inches long too in summer. Regular mowing and maintaining proper height improve the growth and thickness of grass on the lawn.
Mowing of Bermuda grass
Bermuda grass mowing is important for a particular purpose. On the lawn, Bermuda grass mows every 8 to 10 days. It grows faster on the lawn and covers all the areas where it finds soil. It is important to mow the boundaries of Bermuda grass properly so that they can't grow out of the lawn.
In the bigger field(like golf), Bermuda grass can invade all the ground area but equal mowing is very important too.
In summer, as Bermuda grass grows faster, we mow Bermuda grass multiple times a month.
In even climate conditions, you can mow Bermuda grass once a month but not necessarily every month during winters. In too cold regions, you don't need to mow Bermuda grass throughout the winter. Just mow 1 week before starting of winter so that even low sunlight can help grassroots in winter.
Tips for Bermuda grass care in winter
In winter, Bermuda grass gets dormant on most of the lawns. If the overall temperature does not fall below 20 degrees Celcius then there are chances that Bermuda grass can get color between brown and green in full sunlight access in winter.
Following are some tips to care for Bermuda lawn in winter-
- Don't fertilize your Bermuda grass lawn in winter.
- Don't aerate, overseed, or mow your lawn till the next spring season.
- Don't use heavy fertilizers and strong weed removals in the fall.
- Reduce the irrigation in winter. If you get full sunlight access for 1 week continuously, then you can irrigate the Bermuda lawn with 20% water.
- Don't lose patience if Bermuda grass gets dormant because you can recover it easily next spring.
- Weed makes brown spots on the lawn in winter as they get dry. It becomes hard to distinguish between dormant grass and weeds in winter.
- Don't run heavy human walking traffic on dormant Bermuda grass lawn otherwise, it can destroy the lawn grass.
- With the start of winter, you can leave your Bermuda lawn as it is.
- In mid-winter, you can irrigate once a month with 25% water in sunlight.
- Don't use strong fertilizers and weed removals at the end of the winter.
Brown spots Bermuda grass
People think when green Bermuda grass becomes brownish then it complete its age. That's not 100% true. Although the brown color of Bermuda grass is a stage from where it can be dead.
In winter, it is normal that green Bermuda grass to turn brown and dry. But after season change and proper treatment, it starts to green once again and gets a quick growth after a time.
Brown spots in Bermuda grass is the stage when you can either treat or recover the Bermuda grass from the same plants. Once your lawn Bermuda grass is dead, you have to clean it and start from the beginning.
Bermuda grass can die because of many reasons. Very low moisture for a longer period, 24x7 shady atmosphere, no proper fertility in the soil, overuse of pesticides, and no proper transplantation are some of the main reasons that cause green Bermuda grass dead.
Bermuda grass price in the USA
Although there are multiple varieties of Bermuda grass seeds available on the market. Some of them are hybrid and some of them are odd for particular climate conditions. It is better to keep these things in mind before buying either turf or seeds for your lawn of Bermuda grass.
Seed price- US$15 to US$24/pound
Turf price- US$7/square foot to US$12/SF