Brown TIF 419

drewster – posted 09 July 2004 21:14

I sodded in about 3/4 acre of 419 about a year and a half ago. Grass is growing great. However, every time I mow, the grass has lots of brown in it. It seems as though only the top 1/4 inch of grass turns green. The lower part of each blade is brown. I use a Johndeere riding tractor to mow with. (not a reel mower) Any suggestions, other than using a reel mower. – Austin, TX.

tommy – posted 10 July 2004 12:25

Most of the plant parts of bermuda are not green leaf! Runners and stems make up a big part of the bermuda plant. Golf courses with bermuda greens are constantly top dressing with sand in order to bury the stems and runners -to force the plant to make new leaves close to the surface. Of course this is unreasonable for the homeowner, so other methods most be employed. A lot of people start the season by scalping (de-thatching) in the spring, and this in effect gives the grass room to grow (with more green leaf)throughout the growing season. You start off in spring cutting short, and then as the season goes on – raise the cutting height a little each month to avoid cutting off too much leaf and exposing the thatch below. You can also de-thatch in late summer/ early fall- if you want the bermuda to hold its color longer in cool weather. If your going to overseed with rye, de-thatch in fall…at least a couple of weeks before first frost.

tommy – posted 10 July 2004 14:19

…….but anyway, the short term fix is to raise the cutting height and mow more often. Also, do not fertilize too heavily! You want green grass but not excessive growth.