Fertilizing Bermuda Grass
If you’ve ever walked through your local home improvement store you’ve seen the racks and racks of fertilizer. There are many brands and many types and each uses a slightly different blend of nutrients to arrive at the final fertilizer.
A few of the nutrients used to formulate bermuda fertilizer are urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, urea formaldehyde. Each of these chemicals provide a quick shot of nitrogen which thick lush bermuda lawns need more than phosphorus and potassium.
Nearly every fertilizer you find on the shelf these days will be in a granular form. This allows quick application to the lawn with a broadcast spreader and will last up to 3 months before another application is necessary.
The First Application
Bermuda grass goes dormant during the winter months. It won’t come out of dormancy until the ground temperature hits a balmy 65ºF. It’s likely that your grass will be about 50% greened up at this point for a visual reference. This is the perfect time to drop your first application of fertilizer on your lawn. It’s likely it mid-April when this first application will be needed as a point of reference.
For this first application you’re looking for a high nitrogen content. That means the first number should be high like 31-3-9. However a product that has 29-3-4 is going to give very similar results. If all the products have a high nitrogen content pick your fertilizer based on price. The higher premiums you’ll pay will likely add in slow release nitrogen to keep your lawn green between feedings.
Subsequent Applications
Your bermuda grass is going to thrive off fertilizer. You’ll want to apply another bag of bermuda fertilizer in 6 – 8 weeks (June 15). Drop a third bag 6 – 8 (August 15) weeks later and you’ll have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood.
Winterizer
Again depending on your area of the country you’ll want to drop a bag of winterizer on your lawn in the mid-September to mid-October time frame. The idea is to get the fertilizer down and watered in before the grass goes back into dormancy. This will feed and protect your lawn during those brutal winter months.
Weed Control
One area we failed to mention earlier was about weed control. Several fertilizer brands out there mix in some weed control products like HALTS. It’s likely you’ll find a winterizer with a weed control product. That will be your best bet for the winterizer fertilizer application. In the mid to late February time frame you’ll want to consider a broad leaf weed controller like HALTS to keep your lawn weed free. If you’re lucky you can mix this in with your first application if the grass has greened up enough.
A healthy well fed Bermuda lawn is a weed free lawn.
Hi,
Thanks for the info – I am getting ready to apply my 2nd round of fertilizer in mid June. Would a 11-11-11 fertilizer mixture be a good combination? What about in the Fall – what should I use then?
Thanks again,
TK
You really want a fertilizer with a really high nitrogen content. This will really help your grass to look great throughout the year. In the winter you want a higher second number as this helps promote root growth during the winter months.
I just recently laid sod in my back yard (mid August). There were no nutrients or fertilizer laid before it was put down and there has been nothing put on it since it was laid down. Will fertilizer at this time help or hurt the grass?? I was told that fertilzer at this time could possibly kill the grass since we are so close to winter time.
i planted bermuda seeds this summer. did not soil test and i have some weeds growing in some areas. what should i do at this time of the year. can i spray for the weeds. and whes should i fertilize?
I am a southern fescue guy but just bought a house with 100% bermuda. As knowledgeable as I am about fescue I am that ignorant about bermuda. The lawn that I just inherited (it is early Feb in GA and it has been a cold winter) has sprigs of green fescue looking weeds as well as other weeds. It is my understanding that Round -up will only kill if it is green. Can I apply a light Round-up application to the green stuff in the bermuda?
@Ted, I know its late now, but NEVER use roundup on a dormant bermuda lawn…I have yet to see one that goes fully dormant.
@TK, don’t waste your money on a triple X fertilizer, they are usually fast release and it will end up costing you more for many bags of cheap stuff to equal what comes in the more expensive bags.
I applied Round Up on my bermuda per instruction from the local landscaping shop. According to the note on 3/30/10, I should not have done that. The Round Up has killed the fescue weed/grass but will my bermuda come in? What should i do (if anything) to have a green lively yard now?
@Bryan: only time will tell. in the dead of winter its generally okay to use roundup to kill weeds. If the weeds are in active growth using a “weed-b-gone” product will do the job, however that won’t kill the fescue. Roundup is the only way to go. Next year just do it a month earlier to guarantee your bermuda isn’t coming out of dormancy.
I have bermuda grass & I live in South TX. extremely hot temperatures. Even these days we’re in 100′s. Is this time ok to use fertilizer? Also my husband bought Scott’s Max…weed, feed & fireant control but i was reading and said not to use on bermuda? Please advise.
I have just laid bermuda sod in april and live in the lookout mountain area of TN.Would like to request a suggestion for fertilizing the lawn and what quantities.
Thank you
I live in Metro Atlanta…and I have bermuda grass, you stated a fertilizer with high nitrogen…what is your suggestion for the best brand and mixture numbers?
I live in the Denver area and have enough Sott’s Winterizer for another application. Is it ok to use in June?
Between my house and my neighbors, we have bermuda (sparse) because of the shade that is present most of the day. Is there anything I can do? I was thinking of laying down a shade tolerant seed; but not sure what kind will mix well with bermuda…please advise.