How to Care for Your Bermuda Lawn in Raleigh
Bermuda grass is a popular choice for homeowners in Raleigh, North Carolina, thanks to its durability and beautiful green color. This warm-season grass thrives in full sun and is known for its excellent drought tolerance. Let’s go through some essential lawn care tips to help you maintain a healthy and lush Bermuda grass lawn.
Key Features of Bermuda Grass
Bermuda grass is often used on golf courses and athletic fields because it can withstand heavy foot traffic. Its strong root system consists of stolons and rhizomes, which allows it to spread quickly and fill in bare spots. When choosing Bermuda grass for your lawn, consider the local climate and soil type. It prefers full-sun lawns and is fairly heat tolerant. Bermuda is a great type of grass for homeowners in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
Watering and Mowing
Watering is a crucial part of good lawn care. A Bermuda lawn needs about an inch of water weekly, especially during the growing season. It’s better to water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Regular, frequent mowing is important to keep your Bermuda grass looking neat. Set your lawn mower to a height of about 1 to 2 inches, and mow often enough that you’re not removing more than one-third of the grass blades at a time. Leave the clippings on the lawn as they can help return nutrients to the soil.
Growth Regulators
Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) are a great addition to your lawn care routine. They were initially used on sports fields to maintain lush, healthy turfgrass that could withstand heavy foot traffic and other stressors. PGRs modify the growth habit of your grass to produce a thicker lawn by encouraging horizontal growth and slowing vertical growth. Eastern Turf Maintenance offers a growth regulator program for homeowners looking to take their lawns to the next level. Contact us for a quote!
The Benefits of PGRs for Bermuda Grass Lawns
- Less Frequent Mowing: Slowed growth of the grass blades may reduce mowing frequency
- Healthier Grass: Slower growth allows the grass to develop a stronger root system. This leads to thicker, healthier turf that can better withstand foot traffic and resist pests like grubs.
- Better Drought Tolerance: Improves ability to retain water, making the grass more drought-tolerant. More efficient watering limits runoff and water waste.
- Weed Control: A dense, healthy lawn can crowd out weeds, reducing the need for herbicides.
- Improved Stress Tolerance: To better handle stress from heat, foot traffic, drought, and other conditions
- Soil Absorption: Lawn fertilizers and other key nutrients are absorbed and used more efficiently
*Our PGRs are currently available for Bermuda grass lawns only.
Fertilization and Weed Control
Applying lawn fertilizer in early spring and again in early summer will provide the nutrients your Bermuda grass needs to stay healthy. Use a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring to prevent crabgrass and other weeds from germinating. For existing weeds, a post-emergent herbicide will be effective. Regularly inspect your lawn for pests like grubs and treat them promptly to avoid damage.
Bermuda Lawn Aeration
Aeration helps to loosen compacted soil, allowing water, nutrients, and air to reach the root system. The best time to aerate your Bermuda lawn is in late spring or early summer. Core aeration pulls plugs of soil from the lawn, creating space for roots to expand and allowing the lawn the breathe. The soil plugs are left on the lawn to degrade and break down thatch build-up naturally. A thick thatch layer can prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots, so keeping it under control is essential.
Dealing with Shade and Cold Weather
Bermuda grass isn’t known for its shade tolerance so be mindful of dense trees or shrubs in the lawn. If the lawn is struggling, you may need to consider trimming trees to get more sunlight exposure. While it is suited for the transition zone’s mixed climate, Bermuda grass will go into dormancy during the winter in Raleigh. But the lawn will green up again when spring returns!
Triangle Area Lawn Care for Bermuda, Zoysia, and Fescue
Regardless of grass type, all lawns need a little TLC. For homeowners looking for help maintaining a healthy lawn and landscape, Eastern Turf Maintenance is the team you can trust! We know what a lawn needs to thrive in the transition zone of the Carolinas and our services are tailored to your type of grass. We offer Raleigh lawn care services for Bermuda, Zoysia, and Fescue grasses, including weed control, fertilization, aeration, overseeding, and more. Contact us today for a free quote!