The way i thickened mine up was scalp at the end of winter and keep it cut around .75″ all spring through mid summer. Once temps hit the 90s and things start to get dry, I slowly creep it up to around 2.5-2.75.
I’d do a light fert app or 2 in the spring as well.
CStoEE
This may sound counter intuitive but you need to cut it shorter. You could do that now, but expect it to take a few weeks to grow back and be green again. Cut it low, and cut it often. Fertilize regularly. It doesn’t hurt to throw down some liquid iron or you can use a fertilizer like Feature. Read the Bermuda bible.
TBaggins_
Cut it low and often. Lots of sun, water and fertilizer. It will thicken up. Once it thickens, you can bring the height up to where you prefer it.
kevreh
Also, there’s a concept in lawn care where you feed it more often at smaller rates through the summer (since it’s warm season grass) vs one or two larger (in Nitrogen) feedings. This will help it grow and keep it green, assuming it gets enough water.
Practical_Claim4006
Looks a little too tall for Bermuda. That height makes it kinda spindle-y.
For a fairly low maintenance routine, I would cut at 2″ when the grass reaches about 3″ tall.
Applying some plant growth regulator (PGR) will also help to thicken.
Grand-Part-6044
U need to dethatch it so your grass and soil can actually get water and nutrients. Dethatch it, overseed it, nitrogen, water.
Reasonable_Yogurt_61
First thing you do it get a soil test.
tazzy66
Cut it short .75-1.5″ 2x a week and fertilize it. bermuda really only thickens up when its cut really short
shepilepsy53
DG basket appreciation!!
ItsbeenBroughton
Fertilize every 2 months, pound it with water. Cut it twice a week 1-1.5”. Cannot stress the pounding it with water party.
Last_Celebration9310
You have to bang less practice putts in the disc golf basket. Just kidding please don’t stop the grind
Automatic_Chip_946
It’s hot af in 7a, i water my bermuda twice a day for this very reason
HurryInternational46
I would suggest de thatching to get up the useless nesting to provide contact to the grow for new seed to grow this being said i would de thatching it seed heavily and water twice daily for about 15 mins with proper sprinkler system . The steps would be dethatch, soil topper to enrich soil, seed heavily add, more soil topper talking barely enough to cover maybe 1/4 inch and just water like crazy in 2 weeks you will see growth in a month a beautiful little forest about 3-4 in tall and then mow every week
AirWysp
Omg are you me? I am in NY, Long Island. Same thing. I have a local “sun and shade” which was amazing about a month ago and now looks like this. What do I do?
Thnx!
Weekly_Mycologist523
Fertilize with nitrogen. Do it every other week or so in the fall. Mow frequently – at least twice per week while it’s actively growing. Don’t take off too much height when you mow (follow the 1/3 rule)
CashAlarming3118
A few things: 1) mow it low; 2) fertilize; 3) aerate and topdress; 4) plant growth regulator. There are others suggestions but those would be my starting areas. I would also check out [TheBermudaBible.com](http://TheBermudaBible.com) for tips and product recommendations.
As others have stated, mowing it lower will help it grow denser. Try to keep it lower from the get go (green up in the spring) and only raise it during times of heat stress or if you’re going to take off more than 1/3 during a cut (e.g., return from vacation, height of cut adjustment, etc.). To give you an idea of a mowing schedule, I mow every 3-5 days with a rotary mower on the lowest setting which is about 1.25 inches. You should also try to mulch when you mow. Another way to check if you’re mowing often enough is 1) if the leaf stays green when cut and 2) you’re not leaving big piles of mulch clippings. I can barely see any clipping when I mow my yard. Also, don’t be afraid of some scalping, especially if you don’t have a level lawn. Lawn leveling is another beast in itself and it’s nearly impossible to mow low without scalping especially with an uneven lawn. If you plan to start mowing low for the rest of the season, don’t go in and chop it all off in one mow. Spread mowing out by about 3 days and slowly lower it to your desired height so you don’t add extra stress to your grass.
For fertilizer, if you want fast results then consider fast-release nitrogen options such as straight ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) or urea (46-0-0) depending on the pH of your soil. Ammonium sulfate will help lower the pH while urea have little effect. Be careful with these options as they have a tendency to burn if you over fertilize. You can also treat bare spots by applying small amounts of these fertilizers directly to low growth areas, but make sure you water the product in to avoid nitrogen burns. You can also opt for a mix of slow- and fast-release nitrogen sources. These will give you a better balance overall but won’t give you the super charged growth like a fast-release only product. It really just depends on how quickly you want to see this happen.
Aerating and topdressing will also stimulate growth and create a healthier, denser lawn. This also depends heavily on your soil type, but generally compact clays or newer yards benefit from aeration the most. Then, once you’ve aerated, you can topdress to add nutrients to your soil. Contrary to some suggestions, there is no need to seed your bermuda grass as you can get it to spread and thicken up by maintaining low mow heights and feeding it nitrogen.
The last suggestion is plant growth regulator (PGR). Specifically, I use Quali-Pro T-NEX PGR. This not only reduces the need for multiple mows during the week to keep the grass low, but it creates a dense leaf and promotes horizontal growth (while inhibiting vertical growth) which are key for thickening a lawn. I didn’t really believe it until I did it myself for the first time this year. Reduced mowing alone sold me but I also noticed a drastic change to the composition of the grass. I can literally see the bermuda stolons creeping to bare spots and noticed a major change in the leaf composition becoming shorter and denser.
All of this to say, it can be a slow process and will probably take a couple of seasons to get the density you desire. Considering your zone and the time of year, it might already be too late for some of the options I mentioned since your maximum growth period has likely passed. You could try a few options like mowing lower and fertilizing, but you might be a little more cautious with something like PGR.
Best of luck!
kellydaisyhere
Looks like there’s too much thatch
Time to scarify
icanfeelmyinsides
Stop missing the basket and your lawn will grow better
P4lk718
Looks like a quite a bit of thatch. I’d wait until it gets a little cooler out and the sun isn’t as hot then dethatch, aerate with plugs then overseed. Will look worse before it gets better but typically within 3-4 weeks.
20 Comments
Is that grass (if so, what type) or Nimblewill?
The way i thickened mine up was scalp at the end of winter and keep it cut around .75″ all spring through mid summer. Once temps hit the 90s and things start to get dry, I slowly creep it up to around 2.5-2.75.
I’d do a light fert app or 2 in the spring as well.
This may sound counter intuitive but you need to cut it shorter. You could do that now, but expect it to take a few weeks to grow back and be green again. Cut it low, and cut it often. Fertilize regularly. It doesn’t hurt to throw down some liquid iron or you can use a fertilizer like Feature. Read the Bermuda bible.
Cut it low and often. Lots of sun, water and fertilizer. It will thicken up. Once it thickens, you can bring the height up to where you prefer it.
Also, there’s a concept in lawn care where you feed it more often at smaller rates through the summer (since it’s warm season grass) vs one or two larger (in Nitrogen) feedings. This will help it grow and keep it green, assuming it gets enough water.
Looks a little too tall for Bermuda. That height makes it kinda spindle-y.
For a fairly low maintenance routine, I would cut at 2″ when the grass reaches about 3″ tall.
Applying some plant growth regulator (PGR) will also help to thicken.
U need to dethatch it so your grass and soil can actually get water and nutrients. Dethatch it, overseed it, nitrogen, water.
First thing you do it get a soil test.
Cut it short .75-1.5″ 2x a week and fertilize it. bermuda really only thickens up when its cut really short
DG basket appreciation!!
Fertilize every 2 months, pound it with water. Cut it twice a week 1-1.5”. Cannot stress the pounding it with water party.
You have to bang less practice putts in the disc golf basket. Just kidding please don’t stop the grind
It’s hot af in 7a, i water my bermuda twice a day for this very reason
I would suggest de thatching to get up the useless nesting to provide contact to the grow for new seed to grow this being said i would de thatching it seed heavily and water twice daily for about 15 mins with proper sprinkler system . The steps would be dethatch, soil topper to enrich soil, seed heavily add, more soil topper talking barely enough to cover maybe 1/4 inch and just water like crazy in 2 weeks you will see growth in a month a beautiful little forest about 3-4 in tall and then mow every week
Omg are you me? I am in NY, Long Island. Same thing. I have a local “sun and shade” which was amazing about a month ago and now looks like this. What do I do?
Thnx!
Fertilize with nitrogen. Do it every other week or so in the fall. Mow frequently – at least twice per week while it’s actively growing. Don’t take off too much height when you mow (follow the 1/3 rule)
A few things: 1) mow it low; 2) fertilize; 3) aerate and topdress; 4) plant growth regulator. There are others suggestions but those would be my starting areas. I would also check out [TheBermudaBible.com](http://TheBermudaBible.com) for tips and product recommendations.
As others have stated, mowing it lower will help it grow denser. Try to keep it lower from the get go (green up in the spring) and only raise it during times of heat stress or if you’re going to take off more than 1/3 during a cut (e.g., return from vacation, height of cut adjustment, etc.). To give you an idea of a mowing schedule, I mow every 3-5 days with a rotary mower on the lowest setting which is about 1.25 inches. You should also try to mulch when you mow. Another way to check if you’re mowing often enough is 1) if the leaf stays green when cut and 2) you’re not leaving big piles of mulch clippings. I can barely see any clipping when I mow my yard. Also, don’t be afraid of some scalping, especially if you don’t have a level lawn. Lawn leveling is another beast in itself and it’s nearly impossible to mow low without scalping especially with an uneven lawn. If you plan to start mowing low for the rest of the season, don’t go in and chop it all off in one mow. Spread mowing out by about 3 days and slowly lower it to your desired height so you don’t add extra stress to your grass.
For fertilizer, if you want fast results then consider fast-release nitrogen options such as straight ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) or urea (46-0-0) depending on the pH of your soil. Ammonium sulfate will help lower the pH while urea have little effect. Be careful with these options as they have a tendency to burn if you over fertilize. You can also treat bare spots by applying small amounts of these fertilizers directly to low growth areas, but make sure you water the product in to avoid nitrogen burns. You can also opt for a mix of slow- and fast-release nitrogen sources. These will give you a better balance overall but won’t give you the super charged growth like a fast-release only product. It really just depends on how quickly you want to see this happen.
Aerating and topdressing will also stimulate growth and create a healthier, denser lawn. This also depends heavily on your soil type, but generally compact clays or newer yards benefit from aeration the most. Then, once you’ve aerated, you can topdress to add nutrients to your soil. Contrary to some suggestions, there is no need to seed your bermuda grass as you can get it to spread and thicken up by maintaining low mow heights and feeding it nitrogen.
The last suggestion is plant growth regulator (PGR). Specifically, I use Quali-Pro T-NEX PGR. This not only reduces the need for multiple mows during the week to keep the grass low, but it creates a dense leaf and promotes horizontal growth (while inhibiting vertical growth) which are key for thickening a lawn. I didn’t really believe it until I did it myself for the first time this year. Reduced mowing alone sold me but I also noticed a drastic change to the composition of the grass. I can literally see the bermuda stolons creeping to bare spots and noticed a major change in the leaf composition becoming shorter and denser.
All of this to say, it can be a slow process and will probably take a couple of seasons to get the density you desire. Considering your zone and the time of year, it might already be too late for some of the options I mentioned since your maximum growth period has likely passed. You could try a few options like mowing lower and fertilizing, but you might be a little more cautious with something like PGR.
Best of luck!
Looks like there’s too much thatch
Time to scarify
Stop missing the basket and your lawn will grow better
Looks like a quite a bit of thatch. I’d wait until it gets a little cooler out and the sun isn’t as hot then dethatch, aerate with plugs then overseed. Will look worse before it gets better but typically within 3-4 weeks.