If you’re like most people, you want your lawn to be healthy and green all year round. It’s a source of relaxation and enjoyment, and you want to make sure it looks its best at all times. If you’re a homeowner with a lawn made up of Bermuda grass, then you know that keeping it healthy and looking good can be a lot of work.
One way to make sure your Bermuda grass stays happy and healthy is by using the right fertilizer. But with so many different types of fertilizer on the market, it can be tough to know which one is right for your lawn.
Bermuda grass is one of the most popular types of grass for homeowners to invest in. It’s known for its durability and ability to withstand a lot of wear and tear, making it perfect for high-traffic areas. However, like all types of grass, Bermuda needs proper care and maintenance, including regular fertilization.
In this blog post, we’ll outline the 10 best fertilizers for Bermuda grass, based on reviews from homeowners like you. We’ll also provide a buying guide to help you choose the right fertilizer for your needs. So, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, read on for tips on how to get the most from your Bermuda grass!
What is Bermuda Grass?
Bermuda Grass is a type of grass that is very popular for people who want to have a lawn. What makes Bermuda Grass different from other types of grass is that it needs a lot more sunlight and heat to grow. This means that many people who live in cooler climates will not be able to plant Bermuda Grass because the conditions aren’t right for it to survive over the colder months.
While it can survive in some pretty harsh conditions, Bermuda Grass needs some care and attention to make sure it stays healthy throughout the year. If you are planning on planting Bermuda Grass, you will need to fertilize your lawn on a regular basis.
How to Know If You Have It
So, how do you know if you have Bermuda Grass in your backyard? What does it look like?
Bermuda Grass, also called Cynodon dactylon, Devil’s Grass, and Scutch Grass, is a grass that grows primarily in warm climates that get a decent amount of rainfall. In the United States, it is found mostly in the southern half of the country. It won’t grow below 60 degrees F, and it prefers temperatures between 75 and 99 degrees.
Bermuda Grass is a grey-green grass that is short, approximately between 2 and 15 centimeters, or 1 to 6 inches long, with rough edges. The stems can grow up to 30 centimeters, or 12 inches, and are flattened and tinged purple at the root. It grows a lot faster in the sun and more slowly in the shade. In the winter, it becomes dormant and turns brown.
What is Fertilizer?
Fertilizers are any materials, whether natural or man-made, that you add to the soil or plant tissue in order for them to give nutrients to the plants. The best fertilizers will nourish your grass and garden with important minerals in order to produce healthy plants. There are a variety of types of fertilizer available, and they are utilized in a range of applications.
Fertilizers have traditionally been composed of mostly organic components such as animal and human manure, compost, mined minerals, and crop rotations. Synthetic fertilizers have become widespread in the last few centuries, and especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers.
How Does It Work?
Fertilizers work by encouraging plant growth. This can be done via two ways. The first way is by providing necessary nutrients and minerals that vegetation and plants can grow with. The three main nutrients that fertilizers contain are nitrogen, which promotes leaf development, phosphorus, which generates roots, flowers, seeds, and fruit, and potassium, which promotes stem growth.
There are three additional macronutrients: calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as well as numerous micronutrients including copper, iron, manganese, zinc, and boron. Organic fertilizer also provides vital microorganisms and organic material that helps the soil retain moisture and gives it better structure.
Some fertilizers may have a second purpose, which is to enhance soil’s capacity to retain moisture and support aeration. However, this is not very prevalent, and its significance in comparison to nutrient addition fertilizers is minor.
The Different Types of Fertilizer
There are several sorts of garden fertilizers available. Granule fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, and fertilizer spikes are the three most common types. Several of the best fertilizers for your home landscape may be in one or more of these three types. It’s crucial to understand that each choice comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, so selecting the best type might assist you in maintaining your garden’s health.
If you’re considering granules, liquids, or spikes as a possible option for fertilizing your yard this season, you might want to know what each one does differently. Each type can be either organic or inorganic.
Granular fertilizers are made of little granules that must be mixed manually into the dirt, but they can last a lot longer than liquid fertilizers that need to be reapplied every 1 or 2 weeks. You can get quick-release or slow-release granular fertilizer.
Liquid fertilizers are either powdered granule fertilizers that need to be combined with water or a concentrate that needs to be diluted. This solution is then sprayed on the plants.
Fertilizer spikes are large spikes that you can dig into the soil right next to a plant that then gives off fertilizer over the course of a few weeks.
When To Use Fertilizer
To create the best conditions for your lawn to thrive, you need to be spot on with timings when it comes to fertilizing the Bermuda Grass. But, how do you know when to use fertilizer? What time of day, how often do you use it, what time of year; these are all valid questions.
When To Fertilize In Each Season
Bermuda grass begins to grow and become more green in the middle of springtime – typically from March to April. This condition occurs when the temperature rises to and stays around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit or above. It’s time to apply fertilizer around this time, as the risk of frost has passed and the grass is halfway green.
You also want to fertilize again in the middle of summer. This would be around two or three months after the initial springtime fertilization – roughly around late June and early July.
For early fecundation in the fall, you should apply fertilizer again between August and September. You should ensure that it’s a slow-release fertilizer that contains more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium in its NPK ratio.
It is important to remember that Bermuda grass does not require fertilizer in the winter and should not be fertilized. It will encourage the grass to grow, which may cause it to die.
Weather Conditions
Your choice of fertilizer and how and when to use it are often dependent on the weather. In general, you should avoid fertilizing during or before a heavy downpour because the fertilizer will be washed away before it can be absorbed into the soil, resulting in wasted cash and work. The runoff from excessive amounts of water on a freshly fertilized lawn can also be harmful to the environment, so that’s something to be aware of.
If rain is not an issue, it’s best to fertilize when the soil temperature is between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will encourage additional nutrient absorption, although it is not hot enough to induce nitrogen overgrowth or burn the Bermuda Grass.
Do not fertilize drought-stressed Bermuda grass.
How Frequently
So how frequently should you fertilize? Can you fertilize your Bermuda Grass too much? Yes, you certainly can. Although nitrogen is helpful to your seedlings and young grass, excessive application can cause your lawn to suffer. However, many fast-acting fertilizers lose their effectiveness quickly and may be used as frequently as weekly. If you apply a large dose of fertilizer to your Bermuda grass, you’re more likely to harm it than if you fertilize it more often. Follow the label’s directions for dilution of a concentrate, and fertilize as frequently as advised.
NPK Ratio
All fertilizer bags have a NPK percentage listed on them. What this stands for is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the three most important nutrients that help grass grow. If a bag of fertilizer lists 20-5-10 as an NPK ratio, that means it contains 20 percent nitrogen by weight, 5 percent phosphorus, and 10 percent potassium.
On average, a Bermuda grass lawn needs to be fertilized with a ratio of 3-1-2 in the spring to encourage for growth. In the summer, a ration of 4-1-1 can be used. This means, for example, that a fertilizer with a 12-4-8 NPK ratio is great for spring, as that is made of multiples of 3-1-2. And in summer, an example 20-5-5 ratio would be perfect as well.
Again, nitrogen is used mainly to promote leaf development, phosphorus generates the roots, flowers, seeds, and fruit, and potassium promotes stem growth. You want a higher ratio of nitrogen in Bermuda Grass fertilizers than if you were fertilizing other grass, because an excess of nitrogen is how it gets its luscious and dark green shine.
However, if the lawn has just been seeded, a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus to nitrogen ratio (the middle number) would be preferable. When too much nitrogen is applied to a newly seeded lawn, new growth will be at risk of burning out.
How To Fertilize Bermuda Grass
How to use a fertilizer will depend on each specific brand and model of fertilizer, and it will have detailed instructions as to how to use it. You may need to take into account the size of your yard or garden, the types of grasses present, and any other plants you are fertilizing.
If you have a granular fertilizer, a broadcast spreader would be your best option to use. Simply dump the fertilizer in and walk the spreader around your lawn. After about 30 minutes, then water the ground after for a short amount of time – not too much, or you will wash all of the fertilizer away. If you are using a liquid fertilizer, you can either mix it into your garden hose or use a sprayer to apply the solution.
If you’re wondering how much lawn your bag or bottle of fertilizer can be useful for, here’s a helpful trick to calculate it. First, take the nitrogen number in the NPK ratio (the first number) and multiply it by the weight of the bag. So a 12-4-8 fertilizer that weighs 5 pounds gets you to 60.
Then multiply this number by 20 and divide it by 3 (or multiply by 6.66…) and you get the square footage that bag will cover. So that 5 pound bag of 12-4-8 fertilizer will cover 60*6.66 = 400 square feet.
Calculate how large your lawn is to see how many bags of fertilizer you need.
Why Fertilizer is Important
Choosing the best fertilizer for your lawn is an important task. It will affect the health, appearance, and fullness of your lawn, as well as its ability to fight off weeds and infections.
Appearance
Bermuda grass has the ability to be the most attractive form of lawn turf when fed with appropriate nutrients. It has a lush, dark green hue, which is always desired and difficult to achieve in other grasses without an extra dose of nitrogen. Following a good fertilization schedule will result in a lawn that is fuller, more uniform, and free of bald areas or yellow patches.
If you notice that your Bermuda grass is pale, distressed, or showing symptoms of need, make sure you’re using the right fertilizer for your lawn and, just as importantly, pay close attention to instructions and time it correctly. During dormant periods, fertilizing may be harmful and will simply nourish any weeds, allowing them to get a head start on the lawn. It’s important to remember that both low winter temperatures, as well as drought in high summer, can induce dormancy.
Health and Thickness
Fertilizing your Bermuda grass lawn with the correct nutrient not only improves the appearance and color of the grass, but it also keeps the soil and roots healthy, resulting in a thicker carpet of lawn that is more pleasant and attractive. A strong root system is essential for a robust, healthy lawn.
The more robust and thick the grass grows, the less space there is for undesirable visitors. Crabgrass, for example, thrives in a lawn when the grass is thinning and weak. In fact, because there is no place for them to plant roots in a thick lawn, weeds are less inclined to infest one. You are feeding the soil organisms that assist your grass roots in absorbing water, breaking down soil, and spreading by fertilizing it with lawn food high in nutrients.
Bermuda grass spreads two ways: via stolons, above-ground stems that grow horizontally, and rhizomes, which spread underneath the soil. Therefore, fertilization will encourage and stimulate growth from all angles, preventing weeds and unwanted grass from growing. Bermuda grass is sometimes picked specifically for this purpose. In general, Bermuda grass grows rapidly and needs to be mowed and irrigated on a regular basis.
Lawn Care
Contrary to what you might think, providing extra nutrients to Bermuda grass will help you keep growth under control and save time and effort. When you fertilize in order to stimulate root development, you’ll need to water less frequently since the grass will be able to absorb more moisture when it rains (or is watered). This is a significant advantage to people who live in southern climates, or areas with droughts or extreme heat.
On the other side, after fertilization, your Bermuda grass may require more frequent mowing. Although it is true that grass will grow more quickly and higher after being fertilized, at least the lawn will be a more consistent length with no short or long sections.
Safety
Although organic fertilizers are more environmentally friendly, they still include chemical mixtures at hazardous quantities for us and our pets when ingested. Use caution at all times and always read the label before using anything, so you know what to do in the event of an accident.
Make sure you do not create additional runoff by watering excessively after applying your fertilizer, and double-check that the substances are legal in your area. Sweep any extra fertilizer pellets that may have fallen onto the roadways or sidewalks into the lawn.
Reviews For The Top 8 Bermuda Grass Fertilizers
#1. Simple Lawn Solutions Advanced 16-4-8 Liquid Fertilizer
- Complete NPK Lawn Food: 16-4-8 is the perfect blend of key macronutrients. This lawn liquid food turf fertilizer also contains Seaweed & Fish.
- Contains High Quality Feed Grade Ingredients: Nourish your lawn with pure liquid Nutrients in a ready to use sprayer
- Easy To Use: Designed to be easily applied. This complete Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash formula gives your grass greening & growth while providing nutrients for lush lawns
- All Grass types: Including Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Buffalo, Centipede, Florida Palmetto, Bahia, Fescue, Ryegrass & Kentucky Bluegrass
- Produced In The United States: 16-4-8 is manufactured in the United States of America, by a family owned business with 25 years of former experience in the commercial professional turf industry.
The Simple Lawn Solutions Advanced 16-4-8 Liquid Fertilizer is a great fertilizer for Bermuda Grass. The high amount of Nitrogen in the NPK ratio – 4 times the amount of phosphorus and 2 times the amount of potassium – means the Bermuda grass will grow lush and verdantly green in no time. It also contains added rich organic matter in the form of seaweed and fish emulsion, which gives the soil a better nutrient uptake. This fertilizer will enhance the nutrient content of your soil and all types of grass, including Bermuda Grass.
It has a very simple design to be easily connected to a hose and sprayed on your lawn. It treats up to 3,200 square feet with its ready to use sprayer. This is a great fertilizer for maintaining an already grown lawn, as well as for enhancing the green of your lawn and for boosting both vertical and lateral growth of the plant and grass life in your yard.
#2. Andersons PGF Balanced 10-10-10 Fertilizer with Micronutrients
- PGF Balanced 10-10-10 is a professional grade fertilizer with extremely fine particle size ensuring every square inch of your lawn/garden receives the same amount of nutrients
- Can be used any time during the growing season but is ideal for spring and fall applications on lawns, gardens and flower beds
- Contains all quick-release nitrogen to provide the plant with immediate nutrition
- Includes micronutrients and 2% iron for extra-deep greening - Blow off sidewalks and driveways after application to avoid staining
- Each bag provides up to 5,000 square feet of coverage
The Andersons PGF Balanced 10-10-10 Fertilizer with Micronutrients is another high quality fertilizer to use on a Bermuda Grass lawn. With its 10-10-10 NPK ratio, it has a high amount of phosphorus as well as potassium than many other comparable fertilizers, while still maintaining a high level of the macronutrient nitrogen. The nitrogen is also a quick-release formula to better provide the plants with immediate nutrients. In addition to these three necessary nutrients, the Andersons PGF contains micronutrients such as sulfur, manganese, copper, and zinc, and a 2% solution of iron. All of these provide additional benefits to the lawn, including an extra deep greening.
This granular fertilizer is made with extremely fine particles, which ensures every square inch of your lawn or garden is equally fed with nutrients. It can be used any time in the growing process and seasons, but is especially beneficial to lawns, gardens, and flower beds in the spring and/or fall. Each bag can fertilize up to 5,000 square feet of grass.
#3. Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Lawn Food
- Instantly feeds all grass types
- Encourages a soft green carpet of grass that will be the pride of the neighborhood
- Feeds up to 7,200 sq. ft.
- The fast way to a thick, green lawn
- For use with the Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder
The next fertilizer on our list of the best fertilizers for Bermuda Grass is the Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Lawn Food. This is an effective fertilizer for all lawn types, and one pack can fertilizer up to 7,200 square feet, meaning it will go further and can be used more often than other comparable products. Dubbed the ‘fast way to a thick, green lawn’, it is a fast acting fertilizer but also can last long, so that you only have to reapply it to your lawn once every 4 to 6 weeks.
This Miracle-Gro product is high in nitrogen and iron, which promotes a green and lush lawn. In fact, its NPK ratio is 30-0-6, meaning it is abundant in nitrogen. If your lawn is missing phosphorus nutrients, then another fertilizer or supplement will have to be added with this one, but you cannot get a better nitrogen content. It is also very easy to use, you simply have to stock the Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder with this Lawn Food and you’re off and running.
#4. Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed
- Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed3 weed killer and lawn fertilizer controls listed weeds and feeds grass in the fall for a better lawn next spring
- Fall weed and feed kills over 50 listed lawn weeds, including clover, dandelion, plantain, morningglory, chicory, evening primrose, and purslane
- Apply weed control plus grass fertilizer to a wet lawn when weeds are actively growing and temperatures are consistently between 60°F and 90°F
- Do not apply this lawn care product to St. Augustinegrass, Floratam, Dichondra, Lippia, Carpetgrass, or Bentgrass
- One 14.29 lb. bag of Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed3 covers 5,000 sq. ft.
The Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed is a great choice if you need a winter fertilizer to better prepare and strengthen your Bermuda Grass for the spring and summer seasons. It also has an herbicide in it, with Scotts patented Weed Grip technology that eliminates both the weeds you see as well as the ones you don’t. Additionally, it has 2X the amount of dandelion and clover control as comparable products, so it will clear out your clover and dandelion population over the winter season, so your lawn is beautiful and spotless come spring.
Follow the Scotts Quick Start Guide on the back of the fertilizer bag for easy step directions. It has 2,4-D as its active weed killing ingredient, which is a highly effective broadleaf weed herbicide, and an NPK ratio of 28-0-6, so it is filled with enough nitrogen to boost the green color of your lawn and keep it healthy and full throughout the year.
#5. Milorganite 0636 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer
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The Milorganite 0636 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer is the top organic fertilizer on this list, and for good reason. Milorganite has been a trusted, top-level brand for almost 100 years, and this classic fertilizer has been used by golf courses and other commercial properties that rely on the health of their lawn all over the world. It is a fertilizer derived from organic materials, meaning it has no synthetic compounds in it, and it is is more effective at feeding the entire soil and lawn rather than just the grass and plants growing within it.
It is a slow-release fertilizer, and due to its organic nature it breaks down at the exact rate that the grass surrounding it needs the nutrients within it. So, the plants get a balanced diet each and every day this fertilizer is active, including vital minerals and micronutrients such as iron. The 6-4-0 NPK ratio promotes green and thick Bermuda grass, and Milorganite fertilizer reduces the need for watering and cuts down your mowing time and effort.
#6. Urban Farm Fertilizers Liquid Lawn Fertilizer
- Hand-crafted, Micro-brewed liquid lawn fertilizer for all lawn and pasture. With mycorrhizae, humic acid, enzymes, and more.
- 100% nutrition: Macros & Micros, with Iron and balanced N-P-K.
- Perfect for tow behind tank and hose-end spraying! Instant Green.
- 1 gallon treats a 5,000 sq ft lawn a minimum 8 times with a hose-end sprayer.
Next on our list of the top 8 fertilizers for Bermuda Grass is Urban Farm Fertilizers Liquid Lawn Fertilizer. This hand-crafted and micro-brewed fertilizer has an amazing 13-1-2 NPK ratio, providing all three essential macronutrients but specifically adding a lot of nitrogen to your Bermuda Grass for that nice, verdant sheen. It also comes fortified with added iron and many other minerals and micronutrients, as it also contains bat guano, worm cast, mycorrhizae, kelp, and humic acid, in addition to their patented Vitazyme enzymes. This promotes root zone activation of the fertilizer and more precise lawn feeding.
One gallon of this Liquid Lawn Fertilizer can dilute into 256 gallons of usable fertilizing spray that can then cover up to 40,000 square feet of grass, or 8 entire applications on a 5,000 square foot lawn. The solution is instantly-soluble as well, so you will be able to see results and a markedly different lawn within days.
#7. Doc’s Super Juice All in One Soluble Supplement Lawn Fertilizer
- New Improved Formula with 4% Iron !
- Super Juice Lawn Fertilizer is the first ALL-IN-ONE, complete, balanced, lawn fertilizer that comes in a dry mix. Simply add to water and use a hose-end sprayer apply to your lawn.
- Super Juice can be applied in a 14-2-4 ratio for a full acre of lawn, or most use it at half strength in a 7-1-2 ratio, and it treats two full acres. NO waste products or bio waste.
- One bag of Super Juice will treat ONE ACRE* or 43,560 sq ft of lawn at the full concentration rate
- Not sold in California
Doc’s Super Juice All in One Soluble Supplement Lawn Fertilizer is a great all-in-one formula for any type of lawn and fertilizer needs, and is especially beneficial to Bermuda Grass lawns. It has an NPK ratio of 14-2-4, well above the preferred ratio of 3-1-2, and it also comes with a whole host of additional minerals and micronutrients, such as sulfur, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, and a 4% concentration of iron.
At this full concentration, one bag of the Super Juice will be able to treat one whole acre of land, which is about 40,000 square feet. Or, you can dilute it halfway for a 7-1-2 ratio and 80,000 square feet of treatment. Simply add this dry mix to water and start spraying, it really is that simple!
#8. Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food
- Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food feeds and strengthens grass to help protect against future problems
- Fertilizer builds strong, deep roots and improves the lawn's ability to absorb water and nutrients (vs. unfed lawn)
- Apply lawn care product to a wet or dry lawn
- Grass fertilizer works on any grass type
- One 12.5 lb. bag of Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food covers 5,000 sq. ft.
The Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food is another top-of-the-line product from Scotts, a tried and trusted brand and go-to for many lawn owners and gardeners for decades. One 12.5 bag can cover approximately 5,000 square feet of Bermuda Grass with Scotts exclusive all-in-one particle technology that ensures even feeding and fertilizing across every patch of grass. It boasts an incredibly high NPK ratio of 32-0-4, so it will have all the nitrogen your grass will ever need and then some, helping to show off a vibrant green, thick, and healthy lawn that is also strengthened against future disease and weed infestations.
The Turf Builder helps your grass build strong and deep roots, and also improves your lawn’s ability to absorb and retain water and nutrients, meaning you don’t need to water as much as an unfed lawn. It also comes with a guarantee that, even though it has a nigh nitrogen ration, this fertilizer will not burn your lawn. Read the back of the bag for easy to follow application directions.
Conclusion
Your lawn’s appearance matters to you. A healthy green lawn that is well-groomed will reflect well on you as a homeowner. The good news is that it’s easy enough to have an attractive yard full of Bermuda Grass with only a little effort – all it takes are some basic tips for fertilizing.
To this end, we’ve reviewed some of the most popular fertilizers on the market and provided a buying guide to help make your decision easier. We hope this has helped. This list of reviews also includes information about each fertilizer, such as how it works, when is the best time to use it, what type of soil conditioner it is good for and more. If you want to know which fertilizer will work the best on your bermuda grass and get all of your questions answered in one place then this blog post has got you covered! If you would simply like our most recommended fertilizer for Bermuda Grass, it is the Simple Lawn Solutions Advanced 16-4-8 Liquid Fertilizer.
Read through our reviews of these top ten fertilizers today and let us know if we can be any assistance with selecting or applying them. We hope you find something that meets your needs, and that you can get right to fertilizing today!
