How to Care for Pensacola Bahia Grass
Since its discovery in Florida in 1935, Pensacola variety Bahia grass has become the most popular Bahia grass planted today. It is most frequently used in pastures and along roadsides rather than in lawns due to its high volume of seedheads. Pensacola Bahia grass has a good tolerance for drought because of an expanding root system. It can also be planted farther north than some Bahia grasses since it can handle a small degree of colder weather and colder soil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Do a soil test annually to determine the pH levels in your soil. This will affect how much and what kinds of fertilizer you would use to maintain your Pensacola Bahia grass. Florida soils, for example, tend to be high in phosphorus, so a low-phosphorus fertilizer combination is helpful.
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Reseed the lawn or pasture area in the spring. Pensacola Bahia grass can thin out over time and does best in full sun areas. Particularly in shaded areas, annual reseeding is important to maintain a full turf.
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Apply fertilizer within two to three weeks after the spring growth starts. Use nitrogen fertilizer at a concentration of half a pound up to one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet, with half of that applied at a slow release rate. Hancock Seed Company recommends application of five to 10 pounds of 16-04-08 slow release fertilizer at four times for the first two years on a lawn -- late spring, midsummer, late summer and early fall. After this initial season, apply only five pounds of fertilizer twice per year at mid and late summer.
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Irrigate the lawn or pasture regularly, being careful to avoid overwatering. Pensacola Bahia grass doesn't need an abundance of water, but in particularly dry seasons, extra irrigation will be helpful to maintain the rich green of your Pensacola lawn. In periods of drought, the grass may brown but rain or irrigation will produce a relatively quick re-greening.
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Mow the Pensacola Bahia grass lawn as often as every five to seven days during the main growth season. Keeping the lawn mowed at two to three inches will produce the best looking and healthiest lawn of the Bahia grass.
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Tips & Warnings
For the best mowing of Pensacola Bahia grass, use a rotary mower with a clean, sharp blade since this grass is tough and can be damaged if the blade is dull.
Mole crickets are the most damaging pests to Pensacola Bahia grass. Diseases are minor and can be avoided by proper fertilization techniques.
