LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Taking Care of Bermudagrass Lawns

In the past, I’ve written articles about how to care for centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass lawns. These are probably the most common turfgrasses in Louisiana yards. Occasionally, I do get inquiries about other turfgrasses, so I thought I would write about the other two biggies, bermudagrass and zoysiagrass. I’m addressing bermudagrass this week.

Bermudagrass may be more common on sports fields, golf courses, and pastures than in home lawns. It’s highly tolerant of wear (foot traffic, etc.) and more drought-tolerant than centipedegrass or St. Augustinegrass. A significant advantage for people who need to cover large areas is that common bermudagrass and some named varieties can be seeded, making it less expensive to establish than turfgrasses that need to be sodded, plugged, or sprigged.

Probably the biggest downside of bermudagrass, for some situations, is that it’s the least shade-tolerant of the common turfgrasses and needs full sun for optimal growth.

Bermudagrass also requires a good deal of maintenance. As you may be aware, this grass can be a weed where it isn’t wanted, so it may surprise you that more nitrogen fertilizer is recommended for it – especially for hybrid cultivars – than for other warm-season turfgrasses. It also grows quickly and needs to be mowed frequently.

A soil pH between pH 5.8 and 7.2 is recommended for bermudagrass. In some places, lime will be needed to achieve this. You can get a soil test to find out if lime is needed.

Fertilizer can be applied to common bermudagrass at the rate of 1 pound of actual nitrogen (N) per 1000 square feet in April, June, and August. If more growth is desired, another application can be made in July. If you have hybrid bermudagrass, it’s recommended that 1 pound of N be applied in May, too, and an optional 0.5 pound N application can be made in early September.

If slow-release fertilizer is used, some applications can be combined. For example, instead of applying 1 pound N in both April and May to hybrid bermudagrass, you can apply 2 pounds N in April.

Some examples of fertilizers and amounts of them that provide 1 pound N include the following: 3.1 pounds 32-0-10 (32% nitrogen, 0% phosphate, and 10% potash), 6.3 pounds 16-0-8, 6.7 pounds 15-0-15, 7.7 pounds 13-13-13, 10 pounds 10-10-10, 12.5 pounds 8-8-8, and 3 pounds 33-0-0.

The best choice will depend largely on what amounts of nutrients (other than nitrogen) your lawn needs. A soil test report provides this information.

Mowing height recommendations for bermudagrass range from 0.75 to 2 inches. It’s best to mow often enough that you don’t have to remove more than one-third of the total height of the grass when you mow. For example, if you mow at a height of 1 inch, try not to let the grass get taller than 1.5 inches. (I acknowledge that this is a “do as I say, not I as I do” situation.)

Sometimes, soil gets compacted and needs aerification. If you try to stick a knife into the soil when it is neither very wet nor very dry and the blade doesn’t go into the ground easily, the lawn may need to be aerated. Late spring and early summer are generally good times to do this.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).