Bermuda Grass is famous here in Florida since it can successfully withstand the harsh sunny days and minimal rainfall that the area enjoys. Bermuda Grass is an excellent choice for Florida lawns, growing low to the ground and promising to sustain robustness and beauty even with heavy foot traffic from pets and humans.
Additionally, Bermuda Grass in Florida is easy to take care of – with the right amount of water, aeration, and mowing – here’s how!
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A Little About Bermuda Grass
Before we take a look at how best you can care for Bermuda Grass in Florida, let’s have a look at a little detail on Bermuda Grass.
Bermuda Grass is a perennial plant; simply put, it does not need re-seeding some types of lawn grasses. It gives a pleasing green hue with a fine texture making it the famous choice for putting greens on your lawn.
Also, this grass comes in a number of varieties that give varying benefits for lawns – from color to wear tolerance to climate to mowing height – it’s straightforward to find a variety that’s right for you and your lawn.
Whatever variant you settle for, this hardy grass needs minimal maintenance; can tolerate heat, drought, and extreme sun conditions; and produces uncompromising growth. Its only disadvantage is its brown color during winter and low tolerance to shade.
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How to Care for Bermuda Grass in Florida
Now that you have known a little bit about Bermuda Grass, how then do you take care of it? Here are a number of ways through which you can take care of Bermuda Grass in Florida:
1. Mowing your Bermuda Grass Lawn
Bermuda Grass is commonly falsely accused of being difficult to mow. However, in reality, the mistake is with the selection of a lawnmower.
Why?
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You need to cut your Bermuda Grass at the height of 1 to 1.5 inches, which most lawn mowers are incapable of doing without scalping the lawn.
To avoid injuring your Bermuda lawn, you need to invest in a Reel mower which offers a more even cut, closer to the ground and will never scalp your Bermuda.
If you stick with your traditional mower, you will have to raise your blade so as to avoid damaging your lawn, which implies that you won’t be able to attain that classic low, manicured cut that Bermuda grass is known for.
Be as it may, avoid cutting your Bermuda Grass to less than a third of its total height, or it will be stressed and predisposed for further damage.
Additionally, you do not have to bag Bermuda grass when mowing. You can leave the clippings to naturally decompose and restore nitrogen levels and keep your lawn healthy and fertilized.
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2. Watering Your Bermuda Grass Lawn
Regardless of the type of your grass, you need to water it consistently to maintain its growth, health, and green appearance.
As much as rainwater is the preferential way to water your lawn, it is not always predictable and practical. This implies that a man-made solution will be a good alternative.
Since it is drought-resistant grass, your Bermuda Grass should only need watering once or maybe twice per week.
The grass blades will bend or stoop down to prompt you when it’s time to water. When you water it only when needed, you will help the grass to grow strong, sink its roots deeper and maintain a healthy and beautiful look. The optimum water depth for Bermuda Grass is six inches.
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3. Aerating Your Bermuda Grass Lawn
Aeration is the act of poking holes into the soil of your lawn. You should perform it once annually, early in the summer, to maintain a great look at your lawn. Because you only need to aerate your Bermuda lawn once yearly, renting a core aerator is mostly the best alternative.
This aerator pulls up soil plugs as you push it over your yard. You will have to go over the lawn twice, first in one direction, then by a second pass at a 90-degree angle to the first pass, making a crisscrossing pattern.
Once you are done, apply proper fertilizer and water your lawn. You can aerate in early summer when your lawn experiences aggressive growth. This will enable the nutrients – water, oxygen, and other nutrients to get to the roots.
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