Caring for the Grass

• The best way to get a good yield of bahia grass seed is to ensure that the plant has all of the conditions and nutrients it needs to grow optimally. First, bahia grass does best in full sunlight. It will tolerate some shade, but yields from the seeds will be lower. Bahia grass needs little irrigation, and over-watering can destroy it. If you live in a relatively humid area, it will not need to be irrigated at all, except perhaps a small amount while spraying on fertilizer. The grass responds extremely well to fertilization. If the plant starts to go brown, it is most likely going dormant either due to lack of water or because it is winter and the growing season is over. This doesn't mean that the plant is dead, and some water will bring it back to life. However, watering during the winter, when the plant is naturally dormant, will increase the number of weeds in your field, and won't do much good for the bahia grass. If you've established a patch of grass and are fertilizing it properly, using a low-nitrogen fertilizer with some added iron, your grass will grow rapidly, and produce seed-heads every week during the hottest summer months (June through August).
  
  

Collecting the Seeds

• Bahia grass seed is often harvested industrially, but one way to harvest on a smaller scale is to wait until the seed heads have sprouted, mow the field and place clippings in plastic or cloth bags, shake the bags to release the seeds, then just remove the clippings and collect the seeds on the bottom of the bag.