Mowing Bermuda Grass

Mowing Bermuda grass is often the most difficult grass to mow.  The reason is because more often than not the wrong lawn mower is used.  Bermuda grass needs to be cut to a height of 1 - 1.5 inches.  Most rotary lawn mowers aren’t capable of mowing that low without scalping the lawn.

Scalping is what happens when a wheel on your rotary mower drops into a small rut and causes the blade to dip down and scalp the grass.  When your bermuda is scalped a half moon shape appears where the blade has torn into the lower section of grass which is quite unsightly not to mention very stressful on your lawn.

To keep your bermuda from getting scalped a reel mower is about the only real option.  If you’re stuck with a rotary mower your only option is to raise the blade.  This will keep your lawn from being scalped but won’t allow you to get the nice low even cut like we enjoy on the golf coarse.   While reel mowers are more expensive they do provide a much more even cut, lower to the ground (in the sweet spot for bermuda), and will never scalp your grass.

In either case, reel or rotary mower, keep your blades sharp.  You should sharpen your mower blade at lease once per year.  This will keep the blades from being ripped which will intern keep your lawn disease free and use less water.   A dull blade can also cause your lawn to look a bit yellow where the blades have been torn.  What are you waiting for?  Get that blade sharpened!

Mowing Heights Throughout the Year

For the first cut of the year you’ll want to cut off the tips of the grass before its completely out of dormancy.  This will expose the ground to the sun and begin warming the soil.  Scalping the grass to the ground is not recommended nor is burning the any dead grass.

A good starting point in the early spring is the 1″ range.  As the summer wears on your may consider raising the blade up to 2″.  It’s critical that you never remove more that 1/3 of the blade of grass, so if you miss a week you’ll need to raise your blade to keep from really stressing out your lawn.  In the fall you’ll want to let your bermuda go dormant without excessive mowing.

Bagging Bermuda Grass

A lot of research has been conducted on whether bagging bermuda grass is beneficial.  It has been shown that leaving the clippings on the lawn will return nitrogen to the soil and eventually save you money on fertilizer.  It has also been shown that your lawn is not any more likely to be disease prone or thatch problems.  Let the clipping naturally decompose.

Brown Spots in Your Bermuda? It’s Dollar Spot.

Dollar spot is a fungus that affects both Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass.  If you’re finding small brown spots about the size of a silver dollar (a few inches across), it’s likely dollar spot.  Another tell tale sign of dollar spot is a lesion on the grass blade, particularly on the edge of the blade of grass.  Occasionally these lesions will go all the way across the blade which will cause the entire tip of the blade to die and turn brown.  In extreme cases these spots can bunch together masking itself as brown patch.  You’re also much more likely to notice dollar spot when you’ve closely mowed your bermuda or zoysia lawn.

If your lawn has fallen victim to dollar spot there are a couple of different reasons to consider.

Your nice and hardy bermuda grass is much more likely to develop dollar spot during a drought.  These dry soil conditions are the perfect breeding ground for this fungus.  Even a sufficient source of moisture like a morning dew, fog, or weekly watering will keep dollar spot at bay.

In the spring and fall, when temperature conditions are 60ºF-80ºF, is when disease development is most likely.  Normally the nights are cool and the days are warm when the conditions are just right for this fungus to run rampant.

If you’ve correctly diagnosed the problem the first thing to try is watering the grass.  Be sure to water the grass early in the morning so it will dry quickly.  This will give the bermuda or zoysia ample water to grow and reduce the severity of the disease.   If after 2 weeks your lawn isn’t recovering it’s time to move on to a fungicide.  The chemical for the job is Daconil 2787.  Be sure to read all safety labels and follow them closely.

To keep your lawn from getting dollar spot in the first place be sure to fertilize your lawn and irrigate deeply at least once per week.  Since dollar spot thrives in the absence of nitrogen it’s ideal to get a hardy dose of fertilizer on your lawn.  This should already be in your yearly lawn maintenance schedule.