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Mowing
Bermuda favors lower mowing heights then most
grasses. This is especially true for Hybrid Bermuda in which
the ideal mowing height is 1. Common
Bermuda has an
ideal mowing height which is a bit higher, 1 ½ being the
recommendation for it. As a general rule you may want to raise
your mowing height for shady areas to compensate for the
weaker growth there and also raise it during the end of the
growing season to reduce the risk of
winterkill.
Mowing
frequency is an area that can be debated endlessly. I have
seen every 5 days as a recommendation (try fitting that into
schedule). There is a good rule of thumb to follow though,
which is to mow 30% of the growth off when you mow. If you
follow that rule then when your hybrid Bermuda is 1.3 tall
its time to mow, when your common Bermuda is 1.95 tall, its
time to mow. I prefer using guidelines such as this rather
then a rigid mowing schedule.
Aeration
It is
recommended that the Bermuda lawn be core aerated at least
once a year,
Bermuda can be aerated anytime during
the growing season but the recommended times are in the spring
when the grass is growing rapidly. For very compact soils it
is ok to aerate again later in the season.
Thatch
General
Recommendation on de-thatching - 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). You should
power rake in the spring or fall.
Authors Note - I generally dislike
thatching 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.
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