# Set your Bermuda grass on fiya!!!



## Suaverc118 (Jul 28, 2017)

I just came across this on YouTube! Has anyone seen this and or tired it?

https://youtu.be/O7EVQJiJn2s


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Ok, I couldn't help but to laugh, "I haven't done this before." I felt that way with a lot of things that I have done, and will do, in my lifetime. There are many roads to Dublin, but setting my lawn on fire isn't one of the ways I plan on getting there.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I have SERIOUSLY considered doing this in place of sclaping as it is A LOT less labor intensive and still gets the job done. My only fear is someone in the neighborhood freaking out about it or seeing all the smoke, I'm also wondering if you could be fined for illegal burning just like burning leaves in the street. I may give this a go at sometime in the future though.

I think it would be great because you burn all that excess material and then the lawn is black so it absorbs more sunlight which in turn will heat the soil and get your lawn greening up faster.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

My wife pokes fun at me and the way I take care of the lawn. The first time I set it on fire to get it to grow better is when I think she'd call the people in the white coats to take me away.


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## raldridge2315 (Jul 1, 2017)

So, back in the day (fifties, sixties, and seventies) burning the lawn in place of scalping was standard practice. It is necessary to be prepared with the water hose at the property lines as dry dormant bermuda will burn like a wild fire. Calm winds are appropriate. Then the EPA and homeowner groups got into the picture and this practice is no longer acceptable. I will tell you that the first mowing after the burn is sporty. You will need a mask and a shower just as if you were working in a coal mine. My recollection is that it seems as though the green-up occurred much earlier after a burn than with a scalp. I don't know why, but it's an interesting thought. I would love to go back to those days --- and not just to burn the lawn!


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I tried this but mine did not burn anywhere near as nice as that.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> ...I'm also wondering if you could be fined for illegal burning just like burning leaves in the street...


Yeah, I would definitely recommend checking local ordinances before proceeding with something like this. I live in a small town (~5k) and even we have an ordinance that prohibits open burning within something like 150' of any neighboring structures.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

raldridge2315 said:


> ..... My recollection is that it seems as though the green-up occurred much earlier after a burn than with a scalp. I don't know why, but it's an interesting thought.


I've always heard a quicker green up after burning also. The reasoning I got was because the ground is now black, the black ash absorbs light a lot better than tan dormant Bermuda and the ground temps will be elevated compared to areas that weren't burned.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

It's not prohibited in my town but I'm too chicken to do it. I'm afraid I'll either burn a structure down or the fire will get away from me. You'd be amazed by how fast a grass fire will travel with even a slight breeze


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

J_nick said:


> ...I'm too chicken to do it. I'm afraid I'll either burn a structure down or the fire will get away from me. You'd be amazed by how fast a grass fire will travel with even a slight breeze.


+100


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## raldridge2315 (Jul 1, 2017)

This afternoon I was on my way to my church for a meeting when I pasted a yard where the grass had been burnt. They must have just done it as it was not that way this morning. The property lines must have been wet down as the burn edge was fairly straight. I noticed three shrubs that were no longer evergreen. Looks like this was a case of let's get it done before the fire marshal gets here. Then we can just play dumb -- Oh, mister man. We didn't know we weren't supposed to do that.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

I looked into doing this but it's against city code. Also I don't thunk my HOA would be too happy.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

My lawn is bordered on the south side by woods that are full of dry dead wood and leaves. I'm not risking that


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

J_nick said:


> raldridge2315 said:
> 
> 
> > ..... My recollection is that it seems as though the green-up occurred much earlier after a burn than with a scalp. I don't know why, but it's an interesting thought.
> ...


Which is more than likely the case, as I was playing golf at TPC Sugarloaf the other week, I noticed the black sand they used on the fairways they overseeded.

Reasoning?

The black sand heats up more and promoted quicker germination for the PRG and helped the Bermuda recover faster.


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2018)

It's probably against most city/county ordinances but I've seen a lot of folks do it and be fine. In the city I work some of the historically larger fires here spread extremely quick in Bermuda grass on a windy day. I can think of two in the last decade. 
Make sure you have your garden hose ready and do it on a dead wind day. &#129325;


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## dsbuckle (Mar 6, 2018)

Not my yard, but a buddy of mines. He does it every year. This yard pictured is 4 years old. Still a work in progress.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Do you have to worry about pre emergents in the fall if you do this to them in the spring?


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Tellycoleman said:


> Do you have to worry about pre emergents in the fall if you do this to them in the spring?


Why would it matter to the pre-m in the fall??

It would be near the end of its effective point in the spring in some cases and burning the yard is just removing the dead dormant grass. The soil holds the pre-m anyways, not the leaf tissue.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

i was thinking why worry about weeds when they are going to die by fire in the spring.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Nature has been using fire to thin out weeds for a long time. Ever notice how areas that get scorched by wildfires or volcanic eruptions always have bare earth, and then next spring, signs of life come back? I read somewhere a long time ago that the wildfires caused more weed seed germination afterwards. Since the large trees/shrubs are no longer there to compete for nutrients, weeds flourish. However, they play a role in keeping soil erosion minimized for a while, until larger trees/bushes and other foliage come to hold the earth into place.

If you ask me, that guy is asking for more weeds and mudslides  /S


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## RandyMan (May 17, 2018)

I am really considering burning my dormant bermuda next spring like this guy does in the video below.Like the majority here I have always scalped .Its alot of work to scalp, especially if you keep your bermuda HOC tall like I do..Not just hard work on me but the mower too.It will dull your blade fast.Plus its hard on my mower.I put my own pro and cons below.Would love to hear the lawn forums thoughts?

Pros : 
The black attracts heat so it makes the bermuda green up really fast
No mess like you get when you scalp with mower (I had mountains of clippings this past spring)
I had a alot of fungus/dollar spot issues this past season.I bet a burnoff would cure it??
Less wear and tear on your power equipment( i know a guy who pays a lawn company to scalp his bermuda every spring for this reason )
If your soil test shows low in potassium like mine did when I did one this past may.This will help with that
Burning off all the existing dead grass you can really see your low spots alot better so would help to fill/level low spots in your bermuda lawn

Cons: 
You would have a black lawn to look at for a week
You may make your neighbors mad, especially if you have a small lot
Irrigation/Sprinkler heads

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7EVQJiJn2s[/media]


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## RandyMan (May 17, 2018)

Forum Police " Hey lets move his thread he just started to a another one that was started way back in march "

Brillinant! (sarcasm on) :roll:


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

RandyMan said:


> Forum Police " Hey lets move his thread he just started to a another one that was started way back in march "
> 
> Brillinant! (sarcasm on) :roll:


Topics may be moved or merged at the discretion of site staff - please do not take it personally. If you have an issue with the way TLF is managed, please contact me via PM.


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## RandyMan (May 17, 2018)

Yeah but I spent a little time writing that and you went and took a crap on it, Appreciate that

If you gonna pull stuff like that just deactivate my account.


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## Smokindog (Jun 20, 2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Cn5S9TiDcBI


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Hey, come on RandyMan, that's probably not fair. We're just trying to keep things organized. You linked to the exact video that others had already linked to. Having two threads link to the same video makes things harder for others to keep up with. Organization helps the forum flow, if you will. If anything, keeping the two threads merged will actually increase the views on the thread and your post.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

RandyMan said:


> Yeah but I spent a little time writing that and you went and took a crap on it, Appreciate that
> 
> If you gonna pull stuff like that just deactivate my account.


Merging threads happens all the time; seen the weed ID thread?


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## jonthepain (May 5, 2018)

I have a customer whose hibachi set his bermuda on fire. Unfortunately the fire dept put it out before it burned the entire lawn (he was at his kid's play at the time.

The area that burned was the thickest and greenest turf on the property for 2 years.


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## rhollow1 (Jun 28, 2018)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Nature has been using fire to thin out weeds for a long time. Ever notice how areas that get scorched by wildfires or volcanic eruptions always have bare earth, and then next spring, signs of life come back? I read somewhere a long time ago that the wildfires caused more weed seed germination afterwards. Since the large trees/shrubs are no longer there to compete for nutrients, weeds flourish. However, they play a role in keeping soil erosion minimized for a while, until larger trees/bushes and other foliage come to hold the earth into place.
> 
> If you ask me, that guy is asking for more weeds and mudslides  /S


https://blog.suny.edu/2013/08/ask-an-expert-why-are-wildfires-good/

Time to burn my lawn! Just kidding, I'm in California, and I don't want to be responsible for a wild fire.


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## Stro3579 (Jun 30, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> I have SERIOUSLY considered doing this in place of sclaping as it is A LOT less labor intensive and still gets the job done. My only fear is someone in the neighborhood freaking out about it or seeing all the smoke, I'm also wondering if you could be fined for illegal burning just like burning leaves in the street. I may give this a go at sometime in the future though.
> 
> I think it would be great because you burn all that excess material and then the lawn is black so it absorbs more sunlight which in turn will heat the soil and get your lawn greening up faster.


Same here


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