How to Grow Bermudagrass

Where bermudagrass grows

Bermudagrass is native to Africa (Clemson) and is the main lawn grass across much of the southern United States. Texas A&M says it is grown throughout Texas. In the low desert of Arizona, around Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, University of Arizona Extension calls it the best-adapted lawn grass for the heat and the water it needs. Clemson calls it a good choice for oceanfront property because of its excellent wear, drought and salt tolerance.

Cold limits it to the north. It browns with the first frost and stays dormant until spring; in Kentucky, warm-season lawns stay brown for six to seven months a year. K-State warns that most varieties sold were bred in the South and are not hardy in Kansas, though some seeded types with better cold tolerance grow in the southern half of the state. Cold-tolerant hybrids such as Latitude 36 and NorthBridge, both from Oklahoma State University, plus seeded Rio and Yukon, have pushed bermudagrass use into northeast Tennessee.

Common versus hybrid bermudagrass

Only common bermudagrass and its improved seeded selections can be grown from seed. The fine-textured hybrids most sod farms sell are crosses with African bermudagrass. They are sterile and must be planted as sod, sprigs or plugs. Hybrids give a denser, finer, darker lawn but need more mowing, fertilizer and pest control (Texas A&M, Clemson). For Florida, UF/IFAS reports that the seeded types Princess 77 and Sultan have performed well statewide. It also says Celebration tolerates slightly more shade than other bermudagrasses and can be mowed with a rotary mower at 1-2 inches.

When to plant bermudagrass

Plant during the warm part of the year, when the grass grows fastest. NC State’s Pender County Center ties good germination to soil that stays at 65-70°F. The dates for your zone above follow that rule, starting roughly five to ten weeks after your average last spring frost. Clemson targets May 1-14 throughout South Carolina. Tennessee plants from May 1 to June 30, Kentucky in late May or June once nights stay above 60°F, and Kansas from mid-May through July. In California, UC IPM seeds warm-season grasses from mid-April to mid-May. In the Arizona low desert, summer is the preferred season.

The timing matters both ways. Clemson says early seedings run into cold soil that slows growth and invites seed rot, and late ones are more likely to dry out in summer heat. K-State adds that late plantings may not fill in before winter, and Clemson notes that first-year cold tolerance is a concern with seeded varieties. In much of Florida bermudagrass can go in any month, but UF/IFAS recommends spring or early summer for north Florida.

Seed, sprigs, plugs or sod

Seed. Sow 1-2 lb of hulled seed per 1,000 sq ft (UF/IFAS, NC State). Clemson notes that hulled seed sprouts faster but costs more, while unhulled seed holds up better if sown in cool weather. The seed is tiny, so Clemson suggests mixing it with a carrier such as corn meal or grits for even spreading. Rake it into the top ¼ inch of soil and roll it lightly. UC IPM gives 10-30 days to germination, and Arizona says a seeded lawn takes about a month to establish.

Sprigs. Sprigs are pieces of stolon or rhizome with at least two nodes. UF/IFAS calls sprigging the most common and cheapest method in Florida, at 5-10 bushels per 1,000 sq ft; NC State uses 3-5 bushels to replant bare areas. Kentucky Extension says sprigs must stay continuously moist for the first 10-14 days, or they may die.

Plugs. UF/IFAS spaces plugs 12-24 inches apart. At 12 inches they cover in about 3-6 months, at 24 inches in about 6-9 months.

Sod. Sod gives an instant lawn. It usually roots down in two to three weeks.

Watering and first care

New plantings need short, frequent watering. UF/IFAS waters several times a day for the first 7-10 days. For the next 7-10 days it applies ¼-½ inch once a day, then two or three times a week. Sod should be fully established three to four weeks after laying. Wait 14-21 days before the first mowing, until the roots have “pegged” into the soil and the sod resists a tug. Wait 30-60 days before the first fertilizer.

Mowing, fertilizing and watering an established lawn

Bermudagrass tolerates a wide range of heights. UF/IFAS recommends 1-2 inches for typical home lawns, NC State says most lawns are kept between 1 and 2.5 inches, and Texas A&M gives 1-2 inches. Below 1 inch you need a reel mower. K-State says mowing at 2 inches cuts the job to about once every 10 days, while a 1-inch lawn needs mowing twice a week. Never remove more than one-third of the leaf at a time.

It needs more fertilizer than most lawn grasses. K-State suggests 2 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft a season for a lower-maintenance lawn or 4 lb for a dark green one, applied May through August, no more than 1 lb at a time. NC State starts several weeks after the lawn is fully green. In Florida, UF/IFAS makes the first application in early April in the central part of the state and mid-April in the north.

Bermudagrass survives drought by going brown and dormant. When you want it green, water when leaves fold or turn blue-gray or footprints linger. UF/IFAS applies ½-¾ inch per watering, and NC State figures about 1 inch a week during growth. In the Arizona low desert, a dormant, unoverseeded lawn generally needs little or no winter irrigation.

Shade, traffic and spreading

Bermudagrass withstands wear and recovers from injury quickly, which is why it is used so widely on golf courses and athletic fields. Shade is its weakness, so keep it out of the shadow of trees and buildings. It also spreads aggressively by stolons and rhizomes into flower beds and walks, and that same growth builds thatch.

Common problems

• Nematodes. UF/IFAS calls them the most serious bermudagrass pest in Florida, causing yellow, thinning turf on sandy soils. NC State flags sting nematodes. No cultivar is resistant.
• Spring dead spot. NC State describes circular tan or brown sunken patches, 2 inches to 3 feet across, that show as the lawn greens up, usually in lawns 3-5 years old. Limit late-season nitrogen to ½ lb per 1,000 sq ft in September. Map the patches and treat them with fungicide in fall.
• Insects. Mole crickets are a major pest. Sod webworms, armyworms, cutworms, grass loopers and bermudagrass mites also feed on it (UF/IFAS). Treat white grubs preventively when adults fly in early summer (NC State).
• Leaf and patch diseases. UF/IFAS lists dollar spot, large patch and Helminthosporium, kept down by sound mowing, watering and feeding.
• Thatch. Power-rake once the lawn is fully green if thatch is thicker than ½ inch (NC State).