Bermudagrass lawn maintenance calendar

Bermudagrass Lawn Maintenance Calendar Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and] une 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. The following management practices will help you care for your lawn throughout the year. Location , terrain, soil type and condition, age of the lawn, previous lawn care, and other factors affect turf perfor¬ mance, so adjust these management prac¬ tices and dates to suit your particular lawn. March through May Mowing Mow when the lawn first turns green using a reel mower set at % to 1 inch or a rotary mower set as low as possible without scalping. Be sure to mow before the bermudagrass gets taller than 2 inches. Leave grass clippings on the lawn; they decompose quickly and can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn’s fertilizer. If grass clippings are too plentiful, collect and use them as mulch. Fertilization Apply Vi to 1 pound of nitrogen pier 1,000 square feet several weeks after the lawn fully turns green (normally early April or May). You need to apply /2 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, but how much fertilizer do you need to buy? Divide 50 by the first number on the fertilizer Ixtg. {The first number always stands for nitrogen.) For example, if you've got a 5-5-15 fertilizer, you divide 50 by 5 and you get 10. That means you need to buy 10 pounds of fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Watering When bermudagrass is growing, supplement rainfall as needed so that the lawn gets 1 inch of water each week. A bluish-gray appear¬ ance or wilted, folded, or curled leaves may indicate that it is time to water. Water until the soil is wet to a depth or 4 to 6 inches (check by probing the soil with a screw driver or similar tool). It takes 3 to 5 hours to properly apply 1 inch of water. If you have sandy soils, you may need to water /2 inch of water every third day. Proper watering helps prevent or reduce problems later in the summer. STATE UNIVERSITY Л&Т STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Helping People Put Knowledge to Work Weed Control Apply preemergence herbicides from late February to mid-March. Apply postemergence herbicides in May as needed to control summer annual and perennial broadleaf weeds like as white clover, knotweed, spurge, and lespedeza. Products containing two or three different broadleaf weed herbicides usually control weeds more effectively. Be sure that both types of herbicides are labeled for use on bermudagrass. Insect Control Check for and control any white grubs. (See White Grub Control in Turf, AG-366). Disease Control As bermudagrass breaks dor¬ mancy, Spring Dead Spot may appear as circular patches of tan or brown sunken turf. Patches may be 2 inches to 3 feet in diameter and normally appear on 3- to 5-year-old turf. Apply nitrogen monthly from mid-May to mid-August, and map affected areas for possible fungicide treatment in the fall. Removal of excessive thatch may help avoid future problems with Spring Dead Spot. Thatch Removal If thatch (a layer of undecomposed grass) is thicker than /2 inch, power rake (vertical mow) in late May. Make sure to vertical mow only after the lawn has completely greened up, or recovery will be very slow. Renovation In late May, start replanting bare or worn areas using sod or sprigs (3 to 5 bushels per 1,000 square feet). Bermudagrasses can be planted using unhulled bermudagrass seed at 1 to 2 pounds per 1 ,000 square feet. Keep the seedbed continually moist with light, frequent irrigation several times a day. You nitty continue to renovate the lawn throughout the summer months (see Carolina Lawns, AG-69). June through August Mowing Follow March through May guidelines. Fertilization Apply 1 pound of nitrogen per 1 .000 square feet every 4 to 6 weeks using the March to May fertilization guidelines. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences • NC State University School of Agriculture and Allied Sciences and Environmental Sciences • NC A&T State University