Spring Bermuda Grass Care in Memphis: What Your Lawn Needs Right Now

Roper Lawn Care • April 2026 • Memphis, TN

Short Answer: Bermuda grass in the Memphis area typically breaks dormancy in late March and is fully active by mid-April. Your spring care priorities should include confirming that pre-emergent herbicide was applied (or acting quickly if it was not), waiting until at least 50 percent green-up before fertilizing, starting consistent mowing at 1 to 2 inches, holding off on irrigation until the lawn is fully active and temperatures are consistently hot, and scheduling aeration for late spring. Here is the full guide with timing specific to Memphis and the Mid-South.

If you are looking at your Memphis lawn right now and wondering where to start this spring, you are asking the right question at the right time. Bermuda grass is one of the best warm-season grasses for the Mid-South climate, but it rewards the homeowner who follows the right steps in the right order during spring. Skip a step or get the timing wrong, and you spend the rest of the season trying to catch up.

Here is what we recommend based on years of caring for Bermuda lawns across Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, and the surrounding area.

Pre-Emergent: Your First Line of Defense

If pre-emergent herbicide was applied in late February or early March, your lawn has a protective barrier in place against crabgrass, goosegrass, and other summer annual weeds. In the Memphis area, soil temperatures reach the 55-degree germination threshold earlier than many people realize, often by mid-March in a warm year.

If you missed that window, there is still a narrow opportunity. Some products containing dithiopyr can provide early post-emergent control if crabgrass seedlings have not yet produced tillers. Beyond that, your strategy shifts to monitoring for weeds as they emerge and treating them individually with post-emergent products throughout the season.

The important thing to understand is that pre-emergent is a one-shot opportunity with outsized impact. Getting it right in spring prevents more weed problems than all the summer treatments combined.

Fertilization: Timing Is Everything

The most common spring mistake we see in Memphis is fertilizing Bermuda too early. Those warm late-February and March days make it tempting to get something on the lawn, but applying fertilizer before the grass is actively growing wastes product and feeds the weeds that are already up while your Bermuda is still waking up.

Wait until your lawn is at least 50 percent green before the first fertilizer application. In the Memphis area, that typically happens in late March to mid-April for most lawns, though heavily shaded areas may take longer. Once the grass is actively growing, a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer at roughly 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet provides the fuel Bermuda needs for strong spring growth without pushing it too hard too fast.

Plan on additional fertilizer applications every 6 to 8 weeks through the growing season. The last application should go down by mid-September to give the grass time to prepare for winter dormancy.

Mowing: Get the Height Right From the Start

Bermuda grass in the Memphis area performs best when maintained at 1 to 2 inches. This height promotes dense, lateral growth that helps Bermuda fill in and naturally crowd out weeds. Mowing higher than 2 inches can produce a thin, leggy look, while mowing below 1 inch requires much more frequent cutting and increases stress during summer heat.

For the very first mow of the season, you can drop the cutting height by about half an inch below your normal maintenance height. This removes dead winter material and exposes the green growth underneath to sunlight, which speeds up green-up. After that initial cleanup cut, raise back to your regular height and stay consistent.

During peak summer growth in Memphis, Bermuda often needs mowing every 5 to 7 days. Getting behind even one week during June and July can mean you have to scalp the lawn to get back to the right height, which stresses the grass and creates brown patches that take weeks to recover.

Watering: Less Is More in Spring

Memphis typically gets enough spring rainfall to support Bermuda through green-up without supplemental irrigation. Running your sprinklers too early encourages shallow root development and creates the damp conditions that fungal diseases love, and the Memphis humidity already gives us plenty of disease pressure without adding to it.

Wait to begin regular irrigation until the lawn is fully green and daytime temperatures are consistently above 85 degrees. When you do start watering, the approach should be deep and infrequent: about 1 inch per week applied in one or two longer sessions rather than daily light watering. This trains the roots to grow deep, which is critical for sustaining the lawn through July and August when Memphis heat is at its most intense.

Aeration: Open Up That Memphis Clay

If you have lived in Memphis for any length of time, you know our soil. The heavy clay that is common across the Memphis area compacts easily, which restricts root growth and reduces how well water and nutrients reach the root zone. Core aeration punches small plugs out of the soil, creating channels for air, water, and nutrients to penetrate.

For Bermuda in Memphis, late spring through early summer (May through June) is the ideal time to aerate. The grass is growing aggressively at that point and fills in the aeration holes quickly. Aerating during dormancy or early green-up slows recovery and can invite weed establishment in the open holes.

What to Do Next

If your Memphis Bermuda lawn needs spring attention and you want professional help getting it dialed in, Roper Lawn Care is here for you. We provide fertilization and weed control, lawn mowing, overseeding, and seasonal care for residential properties throughout Memphis and the surrounding communities.

Call us at (901) 290-8165 or visit roperlawncarememphis.com to get a quote. Our satisfaction guarantee means you will be happy with our work or we will make it right. If we cannot do that, we will return double the cost of your service. Life is too short for a lousy lawn.