Bermuda

Kenneth – posted 21 July 2004 07:58

I am new to bermuda grass and need some assistance. I live in Atlanta,GA. My bermuda yard is presently the greenest on the street. I put lime down at the beginning of the growing season and fertilize it using the Scotts progrom on the back of the backs. Usually, once a quarter I put down the recommended fertilizer. My problem is, the yard thickness is presently about 6″. It is extremely green, thick and plush. I have to cut it 2 a week sometimes. I have tried cutting it lower, but the blade leaves marks in the yard. Everyone else in the neighborhood cuts there extremely low, which leaves marks and does not look good. I am use to St Augustine grass in Houston, Tx which I always kept thick.

What is the recommended height for bermuda grass?

Do I need to sand the entire yard to get rid of the low spots?

houman – posted 25 July 2004 00:16

I live in acworth and have the same problem. I recently mowed it 1/4″ lower than usual to slowly get shorter. My thought was if i mowed just a 1/4″ a few times it would eventually get to where i wanted it, however everyday after the day i mowed it the lawn just looks ruined to me. Someone please help!!!! I really hope there is a fix for my problem, my lawn used to be very thick and green and now there spots of a very pale yellow everywhere.

einstein3018 – posted 27 July 2004 09:41

This is completely normal. I live in Canton,Ga and have bermuda as well. bermuda likes to be cut short. The green grows at the top and when you cut it lower, you are cutting it down to the stem. Plus you don’t have as many sprouts for lack of a better term coming from the ground,because sun doesn’t penetrate the tall grass. By cutting it shorter, you expose the ground to the sun and create a truly thick lawn. So in short just eat it guys and slowly get your turf down 2 1/2″-1″. Hope this helps.ein

grassnut – posted 27 July 2004 21:00

I agree with einstein. Bermuda does better when cut shorter (take your time getting it there), but it also depends on the type. I wouldn’t go under an inch with common, well maybe 3/4 inch. You can easily go to 1/2 inch with hybrids. For a really nice cut, get a reel mower, rotary mowers just rip the grass apart. Not sure about the Atlanta area, but here in Houston a powered reel mower is next to impossible to find. You might be able to get a good deal on ebay.

TClawn – posted 30 July 2004 17:00

the recommended height for bermuda is 1.5 to .5 inches.

flyingdog666 – posted 03 August 2004 07:37

dont “shock” your grass, i live in forsyth county where everyone has burmuda. u need to cut your grass lower a little bit at a time. cutting it to low at one time will make the grass look half brown half green, then in a week or two it will go back to normal. if you have already shocked it then just make sure your grass is getting alot of water.

bwmaier – posted 05 August 2004 04:49

I live in Paulding County and have hybrid bermuda. I began cutting my yard at 1.5″ and raised it to 2″ in June. Since it is so hot, would it hurt to raise the mowing height to 2.5″? Like all of the above posts, it looks brown in several spots, especially where the yard is uneven and the blade scalps the turf. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

buck – posted 17 August 2004 07:06

Check out any golf course in your area and I’ll bet you will find the tees are either 419 or GN and cut to about 7/16ths of an inch. I have GN and have no problem whatsoever maintaining 11/16ths to 15/16ths with a reel mower. Hybrid Bermuda easily tolerates very low heights. Looks great, thick enough that weeds really cannot get a foothold. Location is southeast coast of NC.

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