“Burning Off” Bermuda lawns …

GrassRookie – posted 07 March 2004 11:01

What exactly is the purpose of “burning off” an entire lawn?

Does this provide natural fertilizer?

Does it prevent weeds?

What purpose, other than making the entire yard an ugly BLACK, does this serve?

Lot’s of the “locals” do this here and I can’t figure out why in the heck they are doing this? I have ask some of them and get an entirely different answer from each one …

Dazed & confused …

ted – posted 07 March 2004 19:48

don’t burn it- it’s goofy. just stick to regular methods- proper watering, fertilization, and in your case close mowing. you may have to dethatch your bermuda as needed, as well. check with local university web sites in your area. they generally have the best info.

Alex_in_FL – posted 09 April 2004 23:14

Burning will de-thatch your yard and help supply nutrients to the soil. You are right that burning will make the area black and you will have to deal with ash.

vango123 – posted 10 April 2004 09:28

You might be getting a little potash if you burn your bermuda, I would hate to burn up all that growth that I worked so hard on the previous year. Does the grass come back more healthy and vigor, probably not. Not a good idea if you care about the health of the turf.

Alex_in_FL – posted 11 April 2004 17:16

It is probably late in the year to burn your yard now (I assume it is turning green). Burning is unlikely to hurt bermuda (roots are very deep). That is assuming you keep the fire small and don’t add any thing to make the fire burn hotter.

Dethatching will work just as good and not be near as messy. Nor do you risk burning your house and/or your neighbor’s house.

GrassRookie – posted 11 April 2004 18:09

No, No, No, I wasn’t planning on burning MY lawn … just curious as to why others do it.

quote:I would hate to burn up all that growth that I worked so hard on the previous year

As far as the statement about wasting what was grown last year … last years growth is just that … last years growth. It doesn’t re-green.

E.E. Green – posted 27 April 2004 19:26

I recently atended a seminar on St. Augustine care and feeding as presented by the University of Florida extension service. I asked that very question. The reply was that burning the lawn actually did damage. It does destroy the roots and the tender, living parts of the grass that are responsible for the “spread” effect.Then the Master turf gardener said that there are some grasses that do better if they are burned. St.A is not one of them.A neighbor burned her St.A and it will recover but it takes many months.The UF agent also said not to use a broadcast weeds- while- it- feeds kind of fertilizer because it introduces too much herbicide into the lawn. She said if you must use a herbicide, spot treat your lawn.Good luck. I came from a place where the lawn either lived or died but it wasn’t subject to “over” anything or attacks from fungi, bugs, etc. It’s pretty but it’s fragile.