Brown Bermuda Lawn

Q: Why is my bermuda lawn brown? The tips of the grass grow green, but the grass near the soil is brown. When I mow the grass each week it is brown for a few days until the tips of the grass grow back.

A: You’re not mowing often enough or you’re mowing off too much at one time. All grasses have a brown stem, which varies by species in its length. Atop the stem is the green blade. Your aim should be to cut off only a third of the height of the grass. This removes most, but not all, of the green leaf. Research has shown that bermudagrass looks best when mowed at 1.5 to 2.0 inches high. You should mow whenever it grows to 2.5 to 3.0 inches. If you consistently see brown stems after mowing, you probably aren’t mowing often enough. Try mowing every five days and see what happens.