Is Your Bermuda Grass Turning Yellow?

Bermuda Grass is one of the most popular grasses used in the south. It tolerates hot dry conditions (if watered weekly), can withstand traffic and, with good lawn care practices, makes a great lawn. There are some varieties that will turn yellow as the weather starts to cool. This is normal since the grass is preparing to go dormant through winter.

If a yellow lawn is a problem then you have a number of options. You can apply a fertilizer that has a high nitrogen component. However, while it may freshen your lawn a little, it could also tire your lawn, leaving it stressed and susceptible to disease and/or insect attack.

A second alternative is to over sow with a winter Rye Grass. This will add color and body to your lawn through winter then die back in the summer. It is a popular solution for those that live in areas where the climate changes from year to year. Most years, the weather doesn’t get cool enough to cause any problems. Winter Rye Grass is then used in those years when it is a bit cooler.

The third option, particularly for those living in areas where cooler weather is common, is to over sow with a cool weather variety of Bermuda Grass. This maintains the integrity of your lawn, since it is still all Bermuda Grass, while adding color in winter.

If you use the winter Rye Grass or cool weather Bermuda Grass options, you will need to acquire a lawn seeding tool. This tool enables gardeners to over sow across the top of their lawn. The lawn seeding tool perforates through the grass and the thatch to the soil below. Lawn seed can then be sown directly to the dirt below, the perfect place for germination. After sowing, follow the lawn seed directions for watering and mowing.

Bermuda grass seeding is made especially easy with a lawn seeding tool and will add a lot of color and life to your wintering lawn.