While your Bermuda grass lawn starts to get thin out in distinct areas, it times for overseeding. You know late spring is the perfect time to overseed Bermuda grass. It’s called the Bermuda grass calendar. This season is applicable because of the favorable soil temperature (60°) for the optimal growth of the seed. The 2nd reason to overseed Bermuda in spring is that seeding before or after this season window can decompress the germination rate.
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When And How To Overseed Bermuda Grass
Now you may think why overseed Bermuda grass? Well! If you want to keep your once-beautiful Bermuda law thick, lush green, and full-year after year, you have to overseed for replacing grass lost. Overseeding of Bermuda is very important for several reasons-
- Enhanced Bermuda levels: The new planting increases the density of mature turf seeds.
- Lower weed count: Overseed helps to lessen weeds in the summer season.
- Superior growth: Overseeding boosts soil temperature for the optimal growth of the seedlings. It also decreases ryegrasses.
- Boosted tolerance: New plants can tolerate more salt, insects, and drought conditions.
But how to overseed Bermuda grass? Is it a weary task? Are you thinking about that? I’m here to tell you the facts. I’m gotta say how to get Bermuda grass to spread with some easy steps. Let’s try.
If you want to plant new seeds in your existing Bermuda lawn, first organize the lawn area by coring. The perfect time to the core is before some weeks of overseeding. Then prep the lawn and spread the seeds in various directions with a rotary spreader. If you’re going to overseed your Bermuda lawn with a ryegrass variety, a uniform spread of the plants is important. Then, drag the seedlings to the soil by a rake. Some ways of how to overseed Bermuda grass-
Grass Mix:
Before overseeding it’s very important to know what grass seed to overseed with. If you prefer uniform plants, overseed your plant with similar Bermuda grass. In that fact, first, consider a grass mix to help fill out the shortcomings of grass variety. I’ve discussed some grass mix options for you-
Annual & Perennial Ryegrass:
We know Bermuda is a warm-season plant. So, we can use any cool-season grass variety for overseeding. You can use annual ryegrass and perennial ryegrass for this process. But when to overseed Bermuda with rye. What do they offer? Being a cool-season species, annual ryegrass is poor heat-resistant and dies out during mid-summer. But they are cheaper than perennial ryegrasses.
Although the perennial ryegrass is costly, it remains green all year round until the heat conditions become severe. Besides, it has a finer leaf structure than the other varieties. Regardless, if you prefer to overseed your Bermuda lawn with a variety that can grow fast, annual ryegrass is the best solution for you. You know what? Your lawn is gonna look great within a few weeks after overseeding with annual ryegrass. I do prefer the Turf Star ryegrass seed for doing so. Why? It gives my lawn a great green look and easy to use on golf courses.
One more tip. After the cold season, the ryegrass is no longer necessary. Extract it to prevent from striving for nutrients with your once-beautiful Bermuda plants. Do this during the summer months as it’s a favorable time for growing new Bermuda. For extracting ryegrass, you may use a herbicide. You may slow down the growth rate of ryegrass by applying a growth regulator to it. The spread of seedlings improves due to this growth regulator.
Before overseeding Bermuda, apply the growth regulator for a couple of weeks. After that, aerate the seedbed and spread the Bermuda seeds uniformly to the line. Open the soil surface with a seed slicer that helps to establish new seedlings.
In a 1000 Square feet area, you have to plant 1.5 to 2 pounds of turf Bermuda seed. The soil temperature should be 60-65 degrees for the new seeds to germinate. Frequent watering is crucial for the first few weeks to establish new seedlings.
Fescue:
Fescue, a cool-season species can also be used for overseeding Bermuda despite ryegrass. This plant keeps your lawn deep green all year round except summer. I’m telling you when to overseed Bermuda with fescue. Spring is the best time for it. To maintain a good result with green lawn fescue can be a great solution. I do use Highlander II Fescue seed for overseeding my Bermuda lawn.
Mowing & Lawn Care After Overseeding:
After overseeding your Bermuda lawn, it’s important to take care of your lawn. Experts suggest you should mow your Bermuda lawn after one month of overseeding. To prevent the growth rate you can mow the lawn after a fortnight. Keep mowing your lawn after every 3-4 days. Some of the expert tips for mowing-
- Keep the mowing height for the Bermuda lawn at about ½ inch.
- Increase the frequency of mowing after every week. Maintain and take care of your lawn by fertilizing and watering.
- Lessen the mowing height half for the overseeded ryegrass. It helps to slow down the growth rate of ryegrass and prevent the growth of new Bermuda seedlings.
Avoid fertilizing for the first 3 weeks post overseeding. Why? Because fertilizer can hasten the growth rate of Bermuda plants, allow them to grow tall and shade new plants. That’s why the newly planted seedlings can’t get enough sunlight that is important for root growth.
The perfect time for fertilization is when the new seedings become fully established approximately 3-4 weeks after overseeding.
Conclusion:
To maintain your lawn thick, lush, and evergreen, overseeding Bermuda grass is vital. Overseeding increases the Bermuda levels with increased density. It also lowers the weeds count and makes the new plant more tolerant to salt, insects, and drought conditions.
Here, in this article, I’ve discussed when and how to overseed Bermuda grass to keep your lawn evergreen and beautiful. I do follow the steps.
