Are you wondering when to overseed your bermuda grass lawn? This is a question that many homeowners ask, and as with many lawn care queries, the answer depends on where you live.
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Should You Overseed a Bermuda Grass Lawn?
What's Inside:
Before we answer your question, just a little sidebar:
Our goal here at The Backyard Master is to always bring you the absolute best information when it comes to lawn care and that means that our job is to educate you about all things lawn and grass.
We know you came to this post because you want to know when to overseed your bermuda grass lawn, but that may not be the correct thing to do.
You see, bermuda is a self-spreading grass. It grows by sending out stolons that extend along the surface of the grass. For this reason, it is often not necessary to overseed bermuda.
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Bermuda grass can almost always be repaired or restored through techniques that don’t include using seed. You typically just need to use a weed killer and a good fertilizer and it will spread and grow all on its own.
The other issue with overseeding bermuda, is that there are many different bermuda grass seed varieties and it will be difficult to match the exact variety that is growing in your yard. Overseeding may result in mis-matched patches that look worse than the brown spots you are trying to fix.
For this reason, we don’t recommend overseeding bermuda if you’re just trying to fix a few dead patches.
That being said if your lawn is practically dead, then you would want to consider overseeding with bermuda.
The beauty of bermuda’s ability to aggressively spread is that if there is bermuda it will grow. If your analysis of your lawn concludes that your overall coverage of desirable bermuda grass is less than 50%, your bermuda lawn is a good candidate for overseeding.
In that case:
When to Overseed Bermuda Grass
The best time to overseed Bermuda grass is early summer, but that really depends on where you live.
The best time to overseed bermuda grass is late spring to early summer when the soil temperatures are between 68 to 75 degrees.
The reason that’s the best time for overseeding is because Bermuda grass thrives in warm soils and high temperatures.
So, what month should you overseed? Well, much like planting any other type of seeds or plants, it all depends on where you live and what kind of Bermuda grass you have.
If you live in the cooler northern climates, the best time to overseed is in late July or early August.
If you live in warmer climates, you will be able to overseed much earlier in the year. May, June, and July are typically when you will see the soil temperatures required for bermudagrass seed germination in the southern states.
How Late Can You Seed Bermuda?
As a general rule of thumb, you should not overseed your Bermuda grass after mid-August.
Overseeding in mid-July is okay, but you will reduce chances of survival because the new seedlings won’t have enough time to establish themselves before the temperatures begin dropping significantly during the fall months.
You will want to make sure to do all your seeding at least 90 days before the first expected frost if you live in the Northern states and at least 60 days before the first anticipated frost if you live in the deep-south Southern locations.
This will guarantee your seedlings have enough time to germinate and establish themselves before frost has a chance to wipe them out.
When it comes right down to it, bermuda grass can be overseeded as late as mid-August and still survive…but you risking the chance that the frost could come early this fall and all your hard work could be destroyed.
How to Overseed Bermuda Grass
So, how should you overseed Bermuda grass for the best results?
First, make sure you wait until there’s no chance of frost and the soil is warm. This way, the grass seed will have access to all its food sources when it starts germinating.
If you have determined that overseeding is the best route for you to take, then the first step is to prepare the lawn.
You should prepare your lawn a few weeks before the overseeding process. If this is your first time going through this process you will want to learn how to properly overseed your lawn for the best results.
Pros and Cons of Overseeding Your Bermuda Lawn
As we mentioned above, the decision to overseed your bermudagrass lawn should be a last resort for many reasons:
- Bermuda grass varieties are numerous and it will be difficult to match what you already have.
- Since bermuda is a self-spreader, you probably don’t need to overseed.
- With a little fertilizer and weed killer you can most likely make your bermuda grass thicker, and fix any patchy or bare spots without using seed.
- If you overseed too early or when the weather is not right it can lead to a patchy lawn that may require additional time and money wasted on repairs.
- If you are going to overseed be sure to choose a high-quality bermuda grass seed that will look and feel great. Much of the common Bermuda that is sold is rough and has a wide blade that doesn’t look very good.
Final Thoughts
Overseeding your Bermuda grass lawn isn’t something that you will do every year as you may with other grasses like fescue or bluegrass.
The benefits of overseedng may only be seen when done properly, which is why we’re cautious to recommend that strategy.
- If you are planning to overseed, remember, bermuda comes in several different varieties. Be sure to overseed with the correct variety for your lawn!
- Don’t forget to prep your lawn before overseeding. Getting your soil ready for the new seeds will ensure they can grow to their full potential!
- Most importantly, do it at the right time to increase your grass’s chances of survival.
If you have any questions about when or whether to overseed your bermuda grass lawn, let us know! We love helping homeowners improve their yards with practical advice that works for them and they can actually afford.