Thinking About Planting Bermudagrass?
Growing bermudagrass is about as hard as ignoring your dirt for a week. Here in Arizona, we have the perfect conditions for this high heat, full sun, and hard to kill the grass. If we didn’t love having thick comfortable green lawns, this would be an insidious plague on our landscape! Bermudagrass is hard to kill, it spreads as vines and seeds and is quite pervasive with little encouragement. Fortunately, we’re growing it on purpose and that means that we decide where and how it will grow.
If you’re wanting to plant grass in your yard, the most important question for you decide is: seeds or plugs? Bermudagrass comes in a variety of breeds, some of which spread seeds, others don’t. The reason for this is that many people in Arizona are allergic to bermudagrass seeds. Needless to say, the last thing you need is a negative reaction to your own lawn. If that’s the case, you can buy pre-grown sprouts and plant (or hire someone to plant) these plugs into your yard. You could, instead, buy pre-grown sections of sod and roll them out on your yard. Both of these processes are a little labor-intensive, but in the end, you’ll be able to breath easier than you would with seeds and pollen in the air.
If you’re not allergic to them, then seeds are the cheapest and easiest way to grow your lawn. Get a bag of seeds, a spreader, fertilizer and a free afternoon and you’re set. Spread the seeds based on the specifications on the back of the seed bag, then the fertilizer based on its bag and apply water. You should see growth within the first two weeks after seeding.
You will need to give your new lawn about 2 inches of water per week. That means having the sprinklers on for about 30 minutes every other day. I recommend that you water in the cooler hours to avoid rapid evaporation and save a little money. During germination time, and in lawn establishment, you will need to water during the hot time of the day as well to prevent seed dry-out.
Remember, growing bermudagrass is easy, and if you forget to water it, your lawn will go dormant, it won’t die, As soon as you start watering it, it will return to the beautiful green grass you love so much.
And if you need help keeping it green call the Green Keeper; we’re passionate about keeping your landscape investment healthy for years to come.
