Your personalized May lawn care guide. Pick your grass type below and every recommendation updates — mowing, fertilizing, weed control, and timing — all tailored to your lawn.
Bermuda is in peak growth and demanding to be fed. May is the heart of the season — frequent mowing, real nitrogen, and grub prevention all matter this month.
Mow Height
1 – 1.5 inches
Mow Frequency
Every 4 – 7 days
Water / Week
1 – 1.25 in / week
Keep your bermuda at 1 to 1.5 inches with a rotary mower, or 0.5 to 1 inch if you use a reel mower. Mow every 4 to 7 days. Frequent, low mowing builds lateral density and crowds out weeds — bermuda rewards anyone willing to mow more often.
Bermuda is a heavy nitrogen feeder. May is the right time for your second feeding of the season to fuel dense, green growth heading into summer.
Apply when the lawn is actively growing and dry. Water in lightly after.
Late May is the start of the grub-egg-laying window. A preventive application now protects your bermuda all summer. Water it in within 24 hours so the active ingredient reaches the root zone.
Imidacloprid is an alternative if chlorantraniliprole is unavailable. Water in immediately after application.
Any clover, dandelions, doveweed, or crabgrass that escaped pre-emergent should be spot-treated now while bermuda is actively growing and can fill in. Avoid blanket-spraying when air temps will exceed 85 °F.
Quinclorac handles crabgrass; Celsius/Certainty cover hard-to-kill broadleaves. 2,4-D is fine on bermuda but skip it on St. Augustine and centipede.
May through June is the prime aeration window for bermuda — the grass is actively growing and recovers within 1 to 2 weeks. Pull plugs 2 to 3 inches deep and leave the cores on the surface to break down.
Pro tip for Bermuda owners
If you only do one thing in May, mow more often. A bermuda lawn cut every 4 to 5 days at 1 inch will outperform one mowed every 10 days at any height. The fertilizer matters, but the mower is the secret weapon.