Bermuda Seed Heads

[KrisD]

I've got a customer who is unhappy with our service. He says that 4 days after we leave his lawn looks overgrown. I have noticed the yard is covered with bermuda grass seed heads when we get there. He requested we mow it shorter, there is not much room to go but we will. He said he has not applied fertilizer since last fall and I suggested that we do that. I understand that seed production is a normal part in the grass plant's life. Are there any tricks to help suppress them. The only thing I have read on the subject is that increasing nitrogen might help.
Thanks

[KirbysLawn]

Mowing it shorter may help. How tall are you mowing it now? Bermuda looks best when cut with reel mowers, I had 3 lawns that were in an exclusive area that I went to bid on, all were bermuda on uneven lawns so I did not bid.

Is this a bermuda only lawn or is it mixed with fescue also? That would cause a problem when mowing it shorter. Know your equipment and know it's limits, my mowers would have butchered that lawn :eek:, maybe if your mowers will mow 1.5" this week then go up to 2" the next week, it may look rough the first week. Next spring scalp the lawn and mow short!

Ray

[George777]

the lawns that are Bermuda in my area are showing seed heads in 3 days. We also have been getting 1" to 2" of growth a week. If I was to try to cut my customers turf shorter than 2 1/2" you would see skalp marks. I won't do it. The reason is not many people have there turf level. All the dips mean trouble and so I simply cut higher. I maintain my own Bermuda lawn at 2 1/2" to 3" and it looks awesome.

Most people who cut Bermuda seem to scalp it every time and it looks burned. I want my customers lawns to be a lushish green.

You might want to explain to your customer that this is the peak growth season for turf and that you might need to cut his turf on a 3-4 day schudeule.

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by George777
Most people who cut Bermuda seem to scalp it every time and it looks burned. I want my customers lawns to be a lushish green.

Most people don't mow it correctly and therefore it looks scapled. If it is scalped (on purpose) in the spring when it is getting started all the brown from the fall will be mowed off. After that everything that grows will be green, therefore no matter how short it is mowed the remaining grass will be green and no brown will be showing. It will also grow OUT instead of UP and the lawn will be fuller and healther!

Bermuda is not a grass that is meant to be at 3 1/2", should be at 1 1/2 at the most, that's why the grass looks like it always needs mowing. I do not mow Bermuda lawns due to the fact that I simply do not have the equipment to do it right and the demand is not high enough to justify buying the correct mowers.

If you are finding that most of your customers have this grass consider buying the correct mowers and doing it right, it could be a niche! :) Even rough lawns with bermuda look good if mowed right.

Ray

[powerreel]

It has been awhile since I lived in the sunbelt, BUT for Bermuda you need one of these, your rotary can't go low enough without tearing @ the grass. Get this:



http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1472735&a=12746407&p=47830869



Bermuda grass cranks up my allergies so I am glad to be away from it!

[KirbysLawn]

Powerreel si 100% correct, that is one fine mower!

If you feel lazy..

http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/00000000/dieseljohn/National1.jpg

[HOMER]

The only way to maintain Bermuda at 1.5" would be to (1) Have an extremely level lawn, fat chance and (2) mow it at least every 3 days. There is no way you could keep it that short unless you had the flat yard and put them on a 3 day schedule. I can go back after 6 days when the fertilizer has been put on it and would fry the crap out of it if I tried to keep it at the level it was then. Some of my yards are mowed with the deck on my 72 as high as it will go. The best you can do is "top it" if your on a weekly schedule so keep from geting into the brown stuff. Not too many customers around here gonna let me mow it every 3-4 days-----------and pay me for it! I'd say 60% of the lawns I have are Bermuda. I cut one today that looked great but I had to get a rake and collect the clippings I blew on the driveway. When the heat gets on this stuff and the rain hits it you just can't keep it looking like a golf course.

[scottt]

95% of the lawns around my area are bermuda. I agree with George777 that if I cut below 2.5" it would look terrible. Not because it was scalped, but because in some spots I would actually be cutting into the dirt. Very few lawns in my area are flat. The lowest I have ever been able to cut is 2" and that is on a lawn that has just been sodded and I still have problems with scalping. And no one around here uses a reel mower. Do you suggest I try to sell topdressing?

[George777]

Homer, same thing here. People do not want to pay to have it cut every 3 days. tonight I had a customer tell me they now want to get on a weekly service instead of bi-weekly. a few of my bi-weekly's get to about 6" high. I got no choice but to bag it if I want it to look pretty good. you taught me to just take off the tops.

powerreel, how does your machine work on lawns that have a bunch of dips? To me nothing is worse than seeing lawns with indintations from the blade. I mean you can see the whole circle from where the blade hit the ground. I have seen several around here.

[NateinAtl]

Top dressing and reel mowing is a niche that you guys need to consider-very seriously. If I enjoyed mowing lawns, that is what I would do. But I don't. I do mow 2 days a week--all bermuda. All at 1.5 inches. And yes, we are seeing the seed heads here too. It must be the amount of rain we've had. If you are mowing sodded, hybrid bermuda you really should be mowing no higher than 1.5 inches. If you aren't doing it now, well it's too late this year. Try scalping next year, and you will be plesantly surprized. Topdressing/sanding is another service that will help the lawns and help your bottom line. If there aren't any companies offering topdressing in your area, I would highley recomend it.

Powerreel is correct. The reel mowers are the way to go. Tru cut is what most guys around here use. I would guess that about 35 % of LCO's use reel mowers here. And you can charge almost twice as much as someone using a rotary mower.

If these services aren't currently offered in your area,Next year scalp a lawn, top dress it , and maintain it with a reel mower. I bet you will get plenty of work from neighbors

[HOMER]

I blame a lot of this excessive growth on the fert companies around here. They go in and load it up then leave, we're left to handle the growth..........I was a little more than P.O'd today after cutting the one I had to clean up all the clippings from. It's sitting at 4+ inches right now and looks flawless.

Kirby,

What do you mean you don't have the equipment to mow Bermuda??????? You have what everybody else does that mow's it on a daily basis. If you could find the right clientel I suppose the "reel mower" thing would work for some. The problem is (I think )you would be stuck with a piece of equipment that never got used unless you did your own lawn with it. As I understand it they are very useless on overgrown turf.

[KirbysLawn]

Homer, I do not have the equipment to mow bermuda the way it should be mowed. Yes, I can mow it, but in my opinion it looks like crap. Mowing bermuda high is setting the lawn up for disease and treatment will be $$ if they are willing to pay. Just as George said, he leaves circles in the grass, a sign that the wrong equipment is being used.

Ray

[George777]

KirbysLawn, I said I've seen circles in some lawns. I know better then to cut it @ 1 1/2"

[David Gretzmier]

bermudas tend to produce seedheads when the nitrogen level is low. Sorry homer, I know you hate the extra clippings, but note that alot of the lawns fertilized have far fewer seedheads. put out some fast release ammonia nitrate or urea, and the seedheads will go. I think it is the plants way of reproducing itself because it thinks it is dying. water the lawns so ya don't burn them! after a few weeks put out 50% SCU slow release. DaVE G

[KirbysLawn]

Originally posted by George777
KirbysLawn, I said I've seen circles in some lawns. I know better then to cut it @ 1 1/2"

I'm sorry, my mistake, you had seen "others do this". Corrected. :)

George, Homer, and Scott: I think you are missing my point, you guys say the lawns look scalped, have circles, and the blades dig into the dirt when mowed short, my point is you are not using the correct equipment! If you had a reel mower the blades rotate behind a steel bar, keeping the blades at the same height, no scapling, circles, or digging in dirt!

My second point is about fertilizer and having too much, they probably are not geting enough! Bermuda is a high maintenance grass when neglected it will grow UP causing the grass to be thin. When mowed short, the runners grow OUT interlacing within it's self. This results with a thicker, greener, weed free lawns.

I'm considering a 35" reel mover for 2 area neighborhoods, both have sodded bermuda on the front and fescue in the back. Maybe a new money producer!

Here is a good link and article: http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/pubs/ag431.html

Bermuda grass is a warm-season perennial turf grass that spreads by stolons, deep rhizomes and seed. You may have noticed how easily the stolons root at the nodes. The leaf blades are more narrow than those of St. Augustine, another turf grass commonly used in our area.

Bermuda grass needs a lot of sunlight. Don't expect good growth in shade. In fact, Bermuda grass will thin in moderate shade.

Bermuda grass prefers a fair amount of rainfall or irrigation. However, extended dry conditions can trigger semidormancy, and often the grass will survive a drought. But this is a grass that's at its best with moisture and good drainage.

How much you should water depends, of course, on temperature, sunlight, rainfall and soil type. A clay soil holds moisture, while water quickly runs through sand. Deep, infrequent watering is better than light, frequent watering. Supposedly, Bermuda grass can survive on 20 inches of water a year, is green with 30 inches, and is green and growing with 40 inches.

While Bermuda grass tolerates acidic or alkaline and clay or sandy soils, it must have a good supply of nitrogen to look its best.

Use and grass variety determines the amount of fertilizer needed. Golf-course Bermuda grass gets daily care and demands a lot of water, fertilizer and mowing. Your lawn needs less nitrogen but enough to keep it vigorous and green. Fertilize in the spring when the grass has greened. Fertilize again in fall. Potassium is important for good root development. Some gardeners add a summer application. Keep in mind that frequent fertilization and irrigation, as with St. Augustine, seem to up the insect- and disease-risk factor, so don't overdo it.

Proper mowing is also important. Since Bermuda grass tolerates a great deal of traffic, it's used on sports fields and golf courses as well as home lawns. Mowing depends on use and variety. Hybrid Bermudas on athletic fields and golf courses are clipped to an inch or less. Hybrids on lawns are kept at an inch, and common Bermuda is kept at 1-1 1/2 inches. Mow frequently during vigorous growth periods so you don't remove too much top growth at one time. When more than 30 percent of the leaf blade is removed during mowing, the root system temporarily slows, since loss of top growth hinders the plant's ability to make food.

Bermuda grass grows best when we have extended periods of heat, mild winters and moderate to high rainfall. While Bermuda is green year-round in frost-free areas, growth slows with cooler night temperatures. Low day and night temperatures trigger discoloration; below-freezing temperatures kill the leaf blades. The turf grass remains dormant until there is an extended period of warmer day temperatures.

Various fungal diseases attack Bermuda -- dollar spot, leaf spot, even brown patch. Always consult a certified nurseryman before purchasing and applying a fungicide.

Weeds can be pests in a Bermuda lawn, too, and healthy grass encouraged by proper fertilization, adequate water and sunlight, aeration and dethatching is your first line of defense. Broad-leaved weeds such as chickweed and dandelion and grassy weeds such as crabgrass will invade a thin, stressed area. There are various pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides that can be used, but I would first strive for a healthy lawn through good culture.

[powerreel]

Hey Kirby! Where do you get a picture of my first "Big Wheel"?
If you are looking @ reels go front throw as it will mulch better.You are right on about the swooshes in lawns cut short with rotarys, they just can't do it. They are good for mowing ditches though

[scottt]

I hope to someday have as much knowledge of turf as KirbysLawn.

[ThreeWide]

Thought it would be a good idea to revive this thread on Bermuda seedheads.

Hybrid Bermuda produces excessive seedheads when it is under stress, meaning that a major nutrient deficiency is going on. I've done soil tests on several lawns producing excessive seedheads, and found they all had one thing in common. Lack of Phosphorous. And these lawns had plenty of N already.

After boosting the Phosphorus, the lawns are now producing very few seedheads and look much better. That might be a good tidbit of info for some of you.

[ed2hess]

Thought it would be a good idea to revive this thread on Bermuda seedheads.

Hybrid Bermuda produces excessive seedheads when it is under stress, meaning that a major nutrient deficiency is going on. I've done soil tests on several lawns producing excessive seedheads, and found they all had one thing in common. Lack of Phosphorous. And these lawns had plenty of N already.

After boosting the Phosphorus, the lawns are now producing very few seedheads and look much better. That might be a good tidbit of info for some of you.
Now I think this is the correct answer, we do a lot of up scale commericial and we fertilize heavy, and water a lot and mow low but still see seed heads in the non (Tifsp?) bermuda grass after 4 days. I will try your idea, is there any way to get straight Phosphorous?

[quiet]

That's got me thinking, too, Mr. Hess. But I'm still very reluctant to add P to our already high P soils.

But we've had an awful lot of stress on turf this season as April was cool and very dry and June has been very hot and bone dry.

I'm gonna try a fert with a "maintenance dose" of P on some lawns; a 25-5-15 analysis. I was using 19-0-19.

[ThreeWide]

The only products I have used to correct Phosphorous problems are MAP 10-49-0 or DAP 18-46-0. If the deficiency is not huge, sometimes a starter fertilizer such as 18-25-12 might do the trick.

Superphosphate might also be an option, but the product you use is largely based on your soil type and pH.

[Envy Lawn Service]

For the seedhead issue, see post #14 and #18.

Bermuda is a "SURVIVOR"
Therfore any stress will result in prolific seedhead development.
Any stress, rather it be lack of nutrients, water, or harsh weather.

Burmuda will SURVIVE.

[brucec32]

Most people don't mow it correctly and therefore it looks scapled. If it is scalped (on purpose) in the spring when it is getting started all the brown from the fall will be mowed off. After that everything that grows will be green, therefore no matter how short it is mowed the remaining grass will be green and no brown will be showing. It will also grow OUT instead of UP and the lawn will be fuller and healther!

Bermuda is not a grass that is meant to be at 3 1/2", should be at 1 1/2 at the most, that's why the grass looks like it always needs mowing. I do not mow Bermuda lawns due to the fact that I simply do not have the equipment to do it right and the demand is not high enough to justify buying the correct mowers.

If you are finding that most of your customers have this grass consider buying the correct mowers and doing it right, it could be a niche! :) Even rough lawns with bermuda look good if mowed right.

Ray

A) Unfortunately most potential customers will not be willing to pay what it costs to mow Bermuda at 1" or less with reel mowers. Fact of life. It's a niche' market. In some areas refusing to do them with rotary mowers could mean you don't have a business. Also, some customers are unwilling to pay the extra money it costs to scalp a lawn down to nearly the soil level early on. They see the "old way" as just fine.

B) Your theory is correct. However, you are assuming tabletop smooth lawns which just isn't the case everythere or even in a majority of lawns. There are voids, dips, and an uneven surface that means when cutting a a certain height you will have some grass at 2" (that which is growing in a hole), some at 1.5" (your deck setting) and other spots where your blades hit dirt when mowing really low. The "scalped" look we try to avoid happens when these high spots are crossed with a mower of good size that can't handle the variations in the turf. But even 21" will do it on some lawns. Mowing it higher can sometimes leave a tabletop smooth green surface, even though the soil itself is a moonscape. The downside is you have to keep raising the height to get this effect and it eventually gets puffy looking. Some customers seem to prefer it higher but greener. Others want it cut low and don't mind the shaved cat look. But with most new lawns I see being very rough and in need of topdressing and smoothing, I can't mow as low as I'd like w/o really leaving some severe mow lines in the turf. At least with efficient sized mowers.

C) Bermuda will usually "outgrow" weekly mowing in hot months. And most people will not be willing to pay for mowing every 3-4 days. This means that if you continue cutting it low after it's grown 2-3" since your last visit, you will be mowing off the green and leaving mostly stems. You have to adjust for the growth and try to find the lowest setting that still looks green. I start some at 1.75" , move to 2", then 2.25", 2.5", and some that get out of hand due to overfertilization may wind up at 3" by the end of summer. Some can stay at 1.75" all year if they grow slowly.

D) Deck size affects min cut height ability. The larger the deck generally, the higher you must cut to avoid the variations in cut that show on Bermuda, especially on very rolling and curving lawns. The idea is to "stay in the green" and not have a deck dip down into stems and leave brown spots in the green lawn.

I approach each lawn differently according to its attributes and the owner's tastes in cut. Some neighborhoods are "low mow" ones, where the neighbors all conform to a golf green look. Others are definitely "high mow" simple lawns where they equate lots of green with a job well done.

[ThreeWide]

Great post brucec32. That is the most accurate explanation of Bermuda mowing I've seen.

Adding to that, there are people who will pay for reel mowing in the 1" range. However to do this normally requires mowing every 3-4 days. Not only is each cut more expensive, you have to mow twice as much from June to September.

Last year, I did mow a couple of lawns in that fashion. This season I'm using Primo on those lawns to achieve a 7-day cutting interval and still maintain a 1" height. So far it is working well.

[DeSotoLawns.com]

Here in the Memphis TN area, we have mostly all bermuda due to the extreme heat. There is about a two week window early in the growing season where bermuda will develop seed heads and not be very attractive unless you cut every other day. The problem seems to be a defiency of nitrogen and a sign that the grass is stressed. Everyone will tell you that bermuda should be cut at 1.5 to 2.0 inches. I let my own lawn get to 4 inches in July and August due to heat and drought and it still looks great. There are folks that cut short and the bermuda looks great don't get me wrong, but when the heat of summer sets in unless your customers want to spend a ton of money on the water bill, you can cut at a much higher level and still have a very attractive cut. Attached is a pic of my own yard cut at 4 inches

[stevo22]

nice looking place desoto...although i agree that in some parts of the u.s. reel mowers might be used but there is no way in sam he!! that anyone around here uses reel mowers to make $$$...i cut at about 2-2 1/2 for the first month of the season or so and grad go up to about 3-3 1/4 depending on the lawn...i have yet to see a reel mower being used...98% of the lawns i cut are bermuda...mulch it and go...that's it...

[VWBOBD]

THAT YARD IS NICE!!:clapping:

[lawnartisan]

Wow!!!! that yard is huge. Man Im used to little tinker toy lawns here not to mention the Pad. I was gonna say that if a customer is willing to pay for your time and he wants his lawn a little shorter, you can saturate the burn spots with the hose until they are muddy and use a roller pushing the mud from high to low spots. In my own yard, the spots where i got burns i just saturated and stomped em out. But to do a lawn like in the above pic, forget it. Unless they want to pay by the hour just to have it short in the spring and fall. Maybe this could be a niche service if they want their lawns just a little lower. Cut it to desired height and just muddy up and rool out the exposed burn spots.