OK I see this question coming up a lot now, and now is the time to get ready to over seed your COMMON SEEDED Bermuda grass lawns.

For those of you that have hybrid (sodded) Bermuda grass lawns; this DOES NOT APPLY to you because you have HYBRID and do not want the milk man jumping over the fence and soiling the bloodline. Hybrid repair is another subject and not within scope of this thread.

For seed selection, the varieties are endless and mind boggling from low to high end. They come in pasture grades like Coastal and Arizona common, up to improved varieties like Yukon, Riviera, and Princess (P-77). Your choice will depend on the quality in appearance, the amount of work (money) you want to put into it, and your climate (cold tolerance). So put some thought into what you want, and how much work, time and money you have. Your choice is from your average OK looking lawn, to golf course fairway look. FWIW a blend of varieties (2 or more, 3 or mere is better) is the best option as one will have a better chance of dominating.

Get Ready:

Ok you have got a Bermuda lawn, its thin, a common type, it looks like Hell, and you have decided to make the leap of faith on the green side of the fence. So here is what you can do.

Let it warm up. The soil temp needs to be at 70 to 80. This means waiting until late May or early June in most cases, your time will vary depending on location. Just make sure what you have is already greened up and growing and you have actually mowed real Bermuda grass a couple of times very short. Now get the mower out again and mow 1-more time extremely short and scalp it down making dust clouds. When you are done scalping it will look like crap, dont worry it is suppose to look that way.

Get two rakes; yard rake (long flexible splines like a broom), and a garden rake (short strong splines to dig in and move dirt). Rake up all the debris from scalping, bag and dispose of it like in a compost pile. Take the garden rake and loosen up the soil to about ¼-inch. Better yet rent a power rake if you can afford it. Get it clean and loose.

Just before you seed, now is a good time for some starter fertilizer. If you use it, apply to label directions. DO NOT OVER APPLY.

Seed It:

OK time to seed, you now have the surface soil fluffy or powdered up and loose. Mix your grass seed up with corn grits, corn meal, or play sand in equal volumes. Bermuda grass is very fine and it helps to mix it with a medium to make it easier to control spread rates. Plus the corn products act as a mild fungicide and mild fertilizer to prevent mold problems (higher watering during germination period) and a light food source (nitrogen) for the grass and soil.

Once you have broadcast the seed it is time to set it. Best method is to roll it down with a water roller like Fred Flintstone. You can rent them from a Box Store. Again Bermuda seed is very fine like sand grains; you do not have to bury it. However if you want to go an extra step spread a light dusting of an 1/16 or 1/8 inch coating of top dressing down like compost, top soil, or sand then roll. It will improve germination but not necessary. How much work are you willing to put into it?

Watering:

Ok this is important and will likely take more than you think it will. All seed beds need to stay moist, not muddy. Since Bermuda seed is very fine and planted very near the surface, it will require a few waterings per day (minimum once per day in the morning, nothing less) until it is germinated (fuzzy green). That will take 7 to 10 days at least. A folk if you do anything this is the most IMPORTANT STEP. Ideally water at least 2 times a day up to 4 times but stop at least 3 to 4 hours before sunset to allow the surface areas of existing grass blades to dry to minimize mold and mildew problems. Corn products aid in this process. You only want a light watering with no run off or mud pies. Just enough to moisten the surface and not make mud pies or puddles.

Mowing and After Care

When the grass is high enough (1 to 2 inches) mow it. Otherwise STAY OFF it other than watering. Once germinated and mowed once, back off watering to every other day for a couple of days then follow water as needed practice.

Remember new seeded lawns will be weedy the first season because you stirred up the soil and opened it up. You are aiming for the next season. It is a recovery process so be patient and follow the Bermuda Bible after you have mowed 2 times.

You can ask questions and follow up advice HERE