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Bahiagrass Mowing
There are recommendations on mowing Bahiagrass that
range from the low end (2.5”) to the higher end (4”).
Anywhere in between these two should work well for your
Bahiagrass lawn. I don’t recommend mowing too low as Bahiagrass looses
it’s tolerance to heat and drought if mowed to short. A 3” cut should
produce the best results. Since you should never cut more then
30% of a lawn’s height at any given type this means you can
let your Bahaiagrass lawn grow to roughly
4˝” and then mow it down to 3”
Bahiagrass Aeration
For bahiagrass lawns aerate once a year
with a core or plug type aerator. If like most Bahiagrass
owners your soild is sandy it is less likely to
compact so you can get away with not aerating as frequently
as with other soil types. Refer to my
Lawn Care section on
Aerating for more
information.
Bahiagrass Thatch
For Bahiagrass dethatching, follow the general recommendation for dethatching -
If there is more then 1/2” of thatch present (Thatch is the
presence of dead leaves and stems that build up on the
surface of the soil, many times still attached
to the root bundle. As a rule Thatch is really not contributed
to by grass clippings but by live growth that has undergone it's growth cycle
and has died off).I generally dislike
dethatching for the simple reason that it has a tendency to
damage turf, this is especially true for grasses that spread
via rhizomes. My preference is to aerate as aerating breaks up
the thatch and helps it along in the decomposition process.
This is especially true for Bahiagrass. However, if your thatch
has built up enough simple aeration
is unlikely to provide short term relief. Try to dethatch in
the Spring, prior to the heaviest growth season so that
the bahiagrass has a chance to repair itself quickly. The use
of a power rake is highly reccomended when dethatching
Bahiagrass.
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