DaveB – posted 09 July 2005 19:16
I seeded Bermudagrass 13 months ago and started mowing 6 weeks later. I mow about 3/4″ high. The clippings this year are about 6″ thick in furrows. Will this hurt anything or should they be removed?
Alex_in_FL – posted 15 July 2005 17:47
You need to mow more frequently and use a mulching mower. The clipping should decompose but may cause spotting if allowed to pile up (shading effect).
Alex
PS-I do not like mowing either and often let my grass get too high but a good mulching mower usually saves me.
DaveB – posted 15 July 2005 18:59
I’m mowing 3 times a week. Would a mulching mower work in this case? I’m thinking about a Trac-Vac. Does anyone have an opinion on these?
Alex_in_FL – posted 16 July 2005 22:53
A mulching mower should work just fine. Leaving the clippings is best. This returns nitrogen to the grass. Some cities will not pick up grass clippings (but you could make a composte pile with clipping and newspaper).
Alex
Turfmiester – posted 20 July 2005 15:24
All you need to do is to raise the height of cut up to 2 1/2-3″, then mow once a week no more than twice and that will cure the clippings problem. 3/4″ is too low to mow any grass unless it is on a golf course.
Ed77 – posted 23 July 2005 18:40
I am either very impressed or confused!
My understanding is that you have a yard you are cutting at three fouths of one inch on roughly a two day interval, and you are getting piles of clippings 6 inches deep!!!
Please pass on your secret for growth. ..I’ve never heard of growth of this nature. I’m sure the cattle and hay industry would be very interested in this accomplishment.
DaveB – posted 31 July 2005 17:01
It is hard to believe but true. I planted a seed from Pennington that they warned me was a very aggressively growing variety. I put 1500# of lime on last July along with a minimal amount of bermudagrass fertilizer. This spring I put another 500# lime in March and 500# of fertilizer. We have had a year of heavy rains and temperatures in the high 90’s. The yard is about 1/2 acre.
Alex_in_FL – posted 02 August 2005 18:59
I stick with my original suggestion. However, I freely admit that if my grass grew that fast I would strong consider mixing 1/4 teaspoon of roundup with 2 gallons of water and lightly misting a section to see if that stunted the growth. Alternatively I might buy a growth regulator. Of course I like a pretty yard just hate mowing!
One question. Is the grass possibly bahia? That is one of the fast growing ones. If so you are mowing it too low.
When and with what should I fertilize my 4 year old Bermuda grass?
I would shop first for fertilizer with low price per pound of N (nitrogen), then compare quality factors such as the completeness of other nutrients and slow release. There’s a big difference in price per pound of N that may not be justified by differences in quality. Most of the other nutrients may adequate in the soil already or like iron may be unavailable to the plant from granular fertilizer. Bermudagrass responds very strongly to nitrogen.
I found a 16 pound bag of 35-0-0 (35% nitrogen, no phosphorus, no potassium) for $17.48 which works out to $3.12 per pound of nitrogen. Another was 40.25 pounds of 20-0-8 (20% nitrogen, 8% potassium) for $59.98 per bag which works out to $7.45 per pound of nitrogen. Yes, it would be great to have a little potassium but you shouldn’t have to pay two and a half times as much for it. Potassium is often unsufficient in the soil, but it leaches very quickly from sand so if your lawn was really deficient you’d need to be fertilizing with potassium every 3-4 weeks.
That answers the what. When I get back I’ll mention when.