Common Bermuda

Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bahia, Paspalum, etc
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mattbarber87
Posts: 1
Joined: September 13th, 2018, 11:18 am
Location: Virginia
Grass Type: Common Bermuda
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Common Bermuda

Post by mattbarber87 » September 13th, 2018, 3:04 pm

I moved into a house with common bermuda. It was pretty overrun with weeds and other varieties of random grasses, but since I've done proper care by mowing it at 2 inches and spraying for weeds all summer, it's looking fairly decent.

My questions is whether or not you think I could pull off cutting Common Bermuda shorter than 2inches next summer? I would love to scalp the lawn in spring and get it as short as possible, but I'm not sure if that's possible with Common bermuda!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

gardenpants
Posts: 140
Joined: September 15th, 2016, 5:16 pm
Location: Dallas, TX
Grass Type: Southern mix
Lawn Size: Not Specified
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Re: Common Bermuda

Post by gardenpants » September 13th, 2018, 9:26 pm

Common bermuda can be scalped in the spring. It can be maintained at a height of cut as low as 1", but it may require multiple mowings in a week to maintain the 1/3 cutting rule. Otherwise, you will see quite a bit of brown every time you mow. The recommended mowing height for common is between 1 and 2 inches.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3339
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: Common Bermuda

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » March 12th, 2019, 1:24 pm

The most likely limit to how low you can mow will be the bumpiness of the soil. If the mower falls into holes and scalps the lawn, you won't like that look. Lawns, especially bermuda, can be leveled without destroying the lawn. Try lowering the deck a little at a time and pay attention to bumps and holes when you mow. The more even the surface, the lower you can mow.

damadm
Posts: 1
Joined: April 2nd, 2019, 6:59 am
Location: Atlanta
Grass Type: Bermuda
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Common Bermuda

Post by damadm » April 23rd, 2019, 2:29 pm

I too have common bermuda and this will be the first year that I use a reel (real!) mower. I switched from a rotary, which I usually mulched, to a C27 TruCut last August. I hope to keep HOC at about an 1 inch. My question is: should I routinely collect clippings? I know that that a reel mower is not considered a mulching mower. It would seem that the frequency of mowing would have a lot to do with catching or "releasing" the clippings. I worry about a collection of clippings since my lawn is flat and clippings tend to collect in waves after a heavy rain.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3339
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: Common Bermuda

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » May 1st, 2019, 6:06 pm

Mulch mowing returns valuable organic matter to the soil, so it is always recommended. If you are mowing 3-inch grass down to 1 inch, then you have a clipping problem. With a rotary mower it will usually remulch it as you go. A reel type is not as good at doing that. You could try dragging a hose over the lawn in an attempt to redistribute the clippings down into the turf.

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