New Bermuda Sod Mowing Height
stl_nwark
15 years ago
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Comments (9)
texas_weed
15 years agoretro55
15 years agoRelated Discussions
New bermuda sod in northeast ga
Comments (5)I was scared to mow with it only being a month old. The Bermuda bible says to scalp it for the first time in spring. Is that true with it being new sod. I had the Sod delivered and installed on two different days due to the size. The first set looked real thick and that's where the weeds are coming from now. The second delivery was cut really short and those do not have any weeds at this time....See Morenew bermuda sod help
Comments (10)Lilman I looked over your photos, not uncommon what you are experiencing, not is it as bad as you think. What you see is somewhat normal. The tan or dormant grass is drought dormancy, meaning the grass has gone dormant to protect itself from being too dry. It is too dry because it has no roots to speak of to pull water up from the sub soil, and because you have not been keeping it watered enough for the local conditions. If it has been rather warm and windy will suk the moisture right out of the sod even though you have been watering lightly twice a day. Up the water as it is almost impossible to over water new Bermuda sod. You may have to water lightly 4 to 6 times a day. What I suggest is give it a good thorough soaking asap so as to make the ground a bit on the soggy side, then water enough each day to keep the sod good and moist without any standing water. Then when it greens up apply a good balanced fertilizer like 15-10-5 or even some ole fashion 10-20-10 to accelerate root development and start weening off the water. Just be patient and it will be nice thick and green in a couple short weeks. As long as the grass is tan or straw colored you still have live grass. Black or grey is dead....See Morebermuda mowing height
Comments (6)Well what you experienced is what is suppose to happen, you removed too much at one time. But no real harm done. What has happened is your Bermuda was trained by you to grow tall, rather than lay down. Now you have to train it to grow at a lower height. By doing this you will cause the Bermuda to grow much thicker and denser which will help choke out the weeds. But there is a catch. You can maintain your Bermuda down to a 1/2 inch if you wish and have a reel mower to cut that low. Bu there is the catch to go that low requires mowing just about every day or at most every other day. You cannot remove more than 1/3 of the height. Maintained at 1/2 inch requires mowing again at 3/4 inch. Bermuda can easily grow 1/4 inch per day. If you have a rotary mower, most likely the lowest you can go is about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches which is just fine for an improved common type you have. Just keep in mind it will require mowing twice a week at that height. So pick a target height, read the Bermuda Bible, and follow the instructions. Just be aware the height will determine mowing frequency. Don't worry about the cool season grass, it will be toast if you water, feed, and mow Bermuda properly. Fescue will roll over and dies when cur short, heavily fertilized in the heat of summer with with only 1 inch of water per week....See MoreNewish Bermuda Sod - New to lawn care
Comments (8)Here's what you can do to encourage bermuda. These are in order of importance. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. Mulch mow at the mower's lowest setting 2x per week. Relative to what reeljake said, I think the turf is mature enough to mow low now. Fertilize monthly through the growing season with a high N (low to zero P and K) fertilizer. If you want to get your soil microbes going, fertilize with an organic fertilizer in addition to the monthly chemical ferts. I like alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) and/or corn meal at 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If you want to get a soil test, skip the TAMU test and get the $25 test from Logan Labs. Post your results here for a good analysis showing what to apply, why, when, how often, where to get the stuff. You can soften your soil by applying any clear shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Try to stick a screwdriver into it and get a feel for how hard it is and how deep you can push. Do that when it is dry and when it is moist. Then 3 weeks after you sprayed the shampoo, do that screwdriver test again. If you're not happy, spray it again. Shampoo is the most effective way to soften the soil. Is your soil surface perfectly level with no humps, bumps, or holes? If not you might want to level it this summer. We can help with that....See Moreskoot_cat
15 years agordaystrom
15 years agobpgreen
15 years agordaystrom
15 years agotexas_weed
15 years agostjaxn
13 years ago
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stl_nwarkOriginal Author