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Warm-season · transition & south

Bermudagrass care calendar

Aggressive warm-season turf that greens up when soil holds 65°F. Loves heat, sun, and short mowing. Goes dormant (brown) with the first frost.

Mowing height
0.5"–1.5" (reel) · 1.5"–2.5" (rotary)
N per season
3–5 lb / 1,000 sq ft
Green-up
Soil ~65°F sustained
Dormancy
First hard frost
Jan
winter
Dormant — plan, don't spray.
  • Soil test
    Cheap in winter; sets the whole season.
  • Sharpen mower blade
    Ragged tips brown out fast in summer.
Feb
winter
Late winter — pre-emergent prep.
  • Order pre-emergent
    Prodiamine or dithiopyr. Ready before soil hits 55°F.
  • Skip fertilizer
    Feeding dormant bermuda feeds weeds instead.
Mar
spring
Pre-emergent window.
  • Apply pre-emergent
    Once soil 2" hits 55°F sustained 3+ days. Split app: half now, half in ~8 weeks.
  • Scalp (optional)
    Drop mower 1 notch below normal to remove dead top growth once green-up starts.
Apr
spring
Green-up.
  • First mow at target height
    Cut regularly — bermuda thickens with mowing.
  • Post-emergent for winter weeds
    Poa, henbit, chickweed — hit before they seed.
  • Wait on nitrogen
    Feed only after 100% green-up (no straw patches).
May
spring
Kick off feeding.
  • First N application
    0.75–1 lb N / 1,000 sq ft. Balanced or slow-release.
  • Second pre-emergent split
    Keeps crabgrass suppressed into midsummer.
  • Watch for spring dead spot
    Circular dead rings — note them, plan a fall fungicide.
Jun
summer
Prime growth.
  • Feed monthly
    0.5–1 lb N / 1,000 sq ft. Iron for color without extra push.
  • Mow tight and often
    Every 4–5 days. Never remove >1/3 blade in one cut.
  • Deep, infrequent water
    1" total per week including rain, in 1–2 sessions.
Jul
summer
Push hard.
  • Continue N
    Slow-release preferred in heat.
  • Spot-spray sedge & goosegrass
    Sedgehammer for nutsedge; MSMA/quinclorac for goosegrass on warm turf only.
  • PGR (optional)
    Primo Maxx to reduce clippings + tighten canopy in high-input lawns.
Aug
summer
Hold the line.
  • Feed
    Half rate if lawn is stressed from drought.
  • Watch for army worms
    Suddenly thin patches with chewed blades — Bifenthrin next mow.
Sep
fall
Last real push.
  • Final N
    Cut back — ~0.5 lb N. Too much late feed = winterkill risk.
  • Fall pre-emergent
    Prodiamine before soil drops to 70°F to block poa annua and winter weeds.
  • Aerate + topdress
    Only while bermuda is still growing hard — recovers in 2 weeks.
Oct
fall
Winter-weed prevention.
  • Post-emergent if pre missed
    Kill emerged poa/henbit while temps still allow bermuda recovery.
  • Potassium (K) boost
    0.5–1 lb K / 1,000 sq ft strengthens winter hardiness.
  • Stop N
    No nitrogen from here on.
Nov
fall
Wind down.
  • Raise mowing height 1 notch
    Last mow before dormancy.
  • Rake leaves
    Smothered dormant bermuda struggles to green up.
Dec
winter
Dormant.
  • Nothing
    Don't fertilize. Don't spray. Rest.

Southern bermuda (zones 8b+) may green up 2–4 weeks earlier — trust soil temp, not the calendar.

Time this to your actual weather

This calendar is a great baseline. Patch shifts every task to your real soil temp, GDD, and forecast.

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