The Secret to Keeping Your Bermudagrass Green This Fall

As the fall season settles in, cooler mornings and holiday excitement begin to fill the air. While Florida doesn’t experience dramatic temperature drops like other regions, subtle shifts in the weather call for some adjustments in your lawn care routine. Bermudagrass is a warm-season grass widely used in the southern US that requires special attention to maintain its vivid green color through the cooler months. With a few strategic changes to your maintenance practices, you can keep your lawn healthy and thriving as the seasons change.

In Florida’s mild climate, keeping bermudagrass looking its best through fall and winter isn’t as challenging as in other regions, but it does require a well-planned approach. By adjusting your watering, mowing, fertilization, and other practices, you can help your bermudagrass lawn stay strong and resilient, ready to bounce back with full vigor when the warmer weather returns.

What is Bermudagrass?

Bermudagrass is a durable and versatile grass. Its fast and dense growth habit makes it ideal for lawns, sports fields, and golf courses, particularly in regions with warm and humid climates like Florida. This warm-season grass thrives in heat, tolerates drought, and withstands heavy foot traffic.

During the fall, as temperatures cool, bermudagrass tends to go dormant when the temperature drops below 50°F. While in dormancy, the grass turns brown, appearing lifeless and temporarily inactive. However, with Florida's relatively mild fall and winter, bermudagrass doesn't always go fully dormant, but its growth may considerably slow down.

Improved varieties, such as Bimini Bermudagrass, are found to retain their green color longer into the fall and green up earlier in the spring than other Bermuda varieties, making them an excellent solution for anyone looking to maintain a lush lawn year-round. Regardless of the variety, proper fall maintenance is essential to ensure your bermudagrass returns healthy and green in spring.

How to Keep Bermudagrass Green in the Fall

As the fall season progresses, it's necessary to adapt your lawn care routine to account for milder temperatures and potentially slower grass growth. Although bermudagrass is known for its durability and heat tolerance, maintaining its rich green color throughout the fall can be challenging. By following a few key maintenance practices, you can keep your bermudagrass looking its best and prepare it for the winter.

1. Watering

Bermudagrass typically requires about 1-1.5 inches of water per week during its active growing season, distributed over 1-2 watering sessions. However, as temperatures cool in the fall and growth begins to slow, it’s essential to adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Milder temperatures mean reduced evaporation rates, and with slower growth, the grass doesn’t need as much water as it does during the peak of summer. Excessive watering during this period can lead to shallow root development, making the lawn more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Avoid these issues by monitoring soil moisture levels and water only when necessary. A good rule of thumb is gradually reducing watering frequency as soil temperatures drop, providing enough moisture to keep the grass hydrated without encouraging fungal growth or weak, shallow roots. Maintaining this balance is key to ensuring your bermudagrass stays healthy as it transitions into dormancy.

2. Mowing

Bermudagrass performs best when maintained at 0.5-2 inches in height, depending on the specific variety. Its aggressive growth habit during the active season often requires mowing as often as 1-2 times a week. However, as growth naturally slows in the fall, you can reduce mowing frequency to every 1-2 weeks.

It's essential to keep the grass at the proper height. Cutting it too short can stress the roots and make the lawn more prone to disease and weed growth. Meanwhile, allowing it to grow too long can lead to thatch buildup, which creates an ideal environment for pests. Make sure to use a sharp mower blade, as dull blades can tear the grass blades, causing a ragged appearance and making the grass more susceptible to disease.

3. Fertilizing

During its active growing season, bermudagrass requires higher nitrogen levels to maintain its lush green color and vigorous growth. Nitrogen supports chlorophyll production, which is essential for photosynthesis and gives the grass its vivid green hue.

Consider applying your last fertilizer application early in the fall to avoid disrupting the grass's potential dormancy. Fertilizing beyond this point, or when the grass already shows signs of dormancy, can force it out of its natural cycle, leading to unwanted growth spurts that stress the turf. This makes bermudagrass more prone to thatch buildup and diseases and hinders its ability to recover in the spring. Instead, allow the grass to become dormant and apply just enough nutrients in early fall to maintain lawn health. This prepares it for a healthy return when the weather becomes favorable again.

4. Aerating and Dethatching

Aerating and dethatching are essential maintenance practices that improve soil health and encourage strong root growth. Aeration involves removing small plugs of soil to relieve soil compaction and increase oxygen, water, and nutrient availability to the roots. Compacted soil can hinder root growth, making it difficult for your lawn to absorb essential nutrients.

On the other hand, dethatching helps remove the layer of dead grass and other organic matter that builds up directly on the soil surface. If this layer becomes too thick, it can block water and nutrients from reaching the roots, leading to an unhealthy lawn. Aerating and dethatching in early fall allows your bermudagrass to recover before the cooler months, setting the stage for healthy growth in the spring.

5. Repairing with Sod

Fall is a great time to repair any damage to your lawn using sod grass. The milder temperatures and increased soil moisture create the perfect conditions for the new grass to be established quickly. By addressing problem areas in the fall, you can afford your new lawn time to root deeply before winter dormancy, leading to a fuller and healthier lawn in the spring.

When using sod, make sure to prepare your soil by removing weeds and loosening the top few inches to ensure good root contact. Lightly water the new sod consistently until the roots are established, a process which can take anywhere from 10 to 14 days. This approach will help fill bare areas, strengthen your lawn, and provide a dense, uniform look. Check out our complete guide on how to lay sod.

6. Additional Tips

In addition to the routine maintenance outlined above, a few final tips can keep your bermudagrass healthy throughout the fall:

Rake and remove fallen leaves and debris to prevent mold and diseases from developing beneath the surface. Clearing the lawn also minimizes the risk of pests. Additionally, be proactive with weed and pest control, as cooler temperatures can encourage the growth of broadleaf weeds that compete with your bermudagrass for water, sunlight, and nutrients. Consider using pre-emergent herbicides in early fall to prevent weed germination and post-emergent herbicides to manage existing weeds.

Final Thoughts

Bermudagrass is a durable, warm-season grass that performs exceptionally well in Florida’s climate. Understanding its specific needs during the fall and following these maintenance practices helps keep your lawn healthy and green, even as the seasons change. Improved Bermudagrass varieties like Bimini are particularly well-suited for Florida lawns, retaining their vibrant color longer and providing a strong, dense turf.

If you're looking to establish or repair your bermudagrass lawn, Bethel Farms offers high-quality bermudagrass sod grown in a controlled environment to ensure consistent color, density, and overall health. Our sod grass for sale is carefully cultivated to thrive in Florida’s unique climate, making it an ideal choice for creating a lush, resilient lawn or filling in bare patches effectively and efficiently.

Shop for a wide range of warm-season grass sod on our website today.