Planting Bermuda Grass Seed

denilou — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:05 +0000

A perennial that is often used for golf courses and the wide expanses of lawn you see in recreational parks, Bermuda Grass is a resilient grass that will withstand heavy use. This makes it a great lawn type for families with small children and dogs.

Long considered a grass for primarily the southern part of the country, planting Bermuda Grass seed in more northern climates is now possible. Among the varieties developed for these northern climates, you will see Yukon, Mohawk and Rivera as well as many others.

Because Bermuda Grass is a warm season grass that loves warm temperatures (grows best at 90-100 degrees!) be sure to plant it in the spring or early summer, not the fall, to ensure the best growth. If you are starting to have a day high in the 80s, that is the best time to begin planting Bermuda grass seed. Warm soil temperatures can be measured to help determine when the best time is to plant. The map below shows the areas where traditionally you can plant Bermuda grass seed for a successful lawn.

When planting Bermuda grass seed, it is important to have the soil and seed in as close contact as possible. This makes sense when you really think about it – you need the seed to be surrounded by warm moist soil so it will sprout and grow strong. The best way to do this is to plant in soil that has no other plants in it. You then need to rake out the top 1/8 to ¼ inch of soil, cast your seeds, and then re-cover them with the soil. It is important that you plant grass seed no deeper than this. Once you have completed planting Bermuda grass seed, lightly tampen the soil with a roller to press the seeds and soil in closer contact. Then lightly water and you are done!

If you are planting Bermuda grass seed in an already existing lawn, you will have to work a bit harder to get that critical soil and seed contact. One tool that really helps with this is an aeration tool that will help to create holes for the seeds to be planted in. You use this tool just before planting, and if you can I would suggest trying to actually place the seeds in the holes created by the aeration tools. Also, if you plan to broadcast seeds on top of an already existing lawn, since warm weather seeds like Bermuda don’t germinate easily unless they have really good soil contact, you might consider using a rake to also facilitate soil/seed contact when planting Bermuda grass seed directly on the lawn.

Another helpful tool when planting Bermuda grass seed on an already existing lawn is the use of erosion mats to prevent the seeds from being washed away once they have been planted. These are great in areas that see a lot of rain in the spring and summer months. Just remember that these do not replace soil to seed contact. You must remember to still aerate the soil before planting the seeds, cover them with some soil before adding the erosion mats.

Bermuda grass is a hardy grass that will be difficult to control once planted, so be sure that you control the area in which it grows. If you need to remove it from an area, the best way is to Black polyethylene plastic mulch the area where you want to remove the grass. To prepare for this, mow and water the lawn prior to covering. The area must remain covered for at least six to eight weeks during the summer months. Doing this action in the winter will not control it. Be sure there are no holes in the plastic cover for the entire time, or the grass will grow up through the holes.

With the proper preparation and care, beginning with planting Bermuda grass seed as stated above, you can have a beautiful lawn for many years to come.

Learning About Planting Grass Seed » planting bermuda grass

Planting Bermuda Grass Seed