Novice greenskeeper :) When do I panic???

13 years ago

I live in the Houston area. All of my san augustine in my yard died with 5-7 days of a freeze this year and then the drought and my neglect, it was ALL dead. 2 passes of a rake took it down to soil. So I am a genius/moron and decided I wanted my yard to look like Augusta National. I planted bermuda grass with some kentucky bluegrass around some edges. This was 2 days ago. I took out all dead and 99% of the living san augustine, raked, cultivated, watered, cultivated some more, hand picked more grass and weeds, and Spread Scott's turfbuilder. Then I planted the mentioned seed, raked some more, watered, raked some more because I did not feel enough seed was covered(the doves were already checking me out), and then watered again. I have no sprouts to this point, which I did not expect, but it left me with a question. What have I done wrong if anything? And, when should I stop hoping for grass and realize something is wrong? How many days before I reevaluate? And retry?

Comments (11)

tiemco
13 years ago
Planting Kentucky bluegrass in Houston is not recommended. Planting it in mid April is pretty much a recipe for failure. The summer heat will probably destroy any KBG that germinates unless you water excessively. If you want to try a grass like KBG try a hybrid bluegrass (Texas bluegrass X Kentucky Bluegrass) which has much more heat and drought tolerance. In terms of the Bermuda you might be too early in your seeding. Bermuda needs soil temps at 65 or above to germinate. If soil temps are too low it won't germinate. Also you need to keep your seeds moist everyday till they germinate. Then you can cut back on the watering, but not altogether. I am not a warm season grass guy, but there are several on here who will probably be along shortly to help you out with your Bermuda. In the meantime do a search for the "Bermuda Bible" on here and read it.
texas_weed
13 years ago
You have done several things wrong.

1. Kentucky Blue Grass will not survive in Houston.

2. It sounds like you used one of the seed mixes from the box store. The Bermuda grass in it will be a low grade common type Bermuda more suited for pasture hay. Golf courses do not use seeded Bermuda grass, they use hybrid sod for which there is no seed for.

3. The seed bed needs to be kept moist at all times until you have germination. That takes several light watering a day.

4. If you raked the Bermuda seed in, you might have planted it too deeply. Typically all you need to do is loosen the top soil, broadcast the seed, and roll it with a water roller.

5. You might have pulled the trigger too early planting Bermuda. You might be OK in Houston though.
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dchall_san_antonio
13 years ago
People are not born with the natural instinct for growing grass. We get it by trial and error as well as reading. With the Internet it makes reading much easier.

Please don't do anything but water and read for the next few weeks. Search this forum for the word, bermuda, and read everything you can find. Then come back and ask your questions.
algaemaster
Original Author
13 years ago
I read a lot which told me April to May was a good time to plant. How long should I water and not see anything before giving up and buying bermuda sod or sprigs or zoysia sod or sprigs?
neilaz
13 years ago
In Phoenix the avg date the soil is 65 at 6inches deep at 8am is April 24. This relates more to when dormant Bermuda will start to grow. Not sure how Huston is compared to Phoenix but if you have not let your seed bed go dry then you may see some growth in a few weeks. Like said if you went cheap on the seed you will not have anything close to a golf course looking lawn. Riviera would be a better seed choice if you wanted to stay with a seeded type. I put in paspalum late summer last year. It is supposed to be the next big thing in Phoenix :) It held onto about 25% of its green color and started greening back up mid Feb
jtyrie
13 years ago
If you want your yard to look like a golf course, your are going to need to sod or sprig some hybrid bermuda. As others have said, the seeded variety is very low quality. I don't know what type of sod my builder used but I have some serious bermuda envy when I look at some of my neighbor's grass. Once I get some other problems resolved, I'm going to start plugging my yard with something much better than what I have now. I don't think you are going to be happy with your results and now, when your yard is bare, is a good time to put the plugs or sod down.
dchall_san_antonio
13 years ago
neilaz, would you mind finding my email link on my GW page and sending me a message. I'd like to chat about seashore paspallum.

algaemaster, would you please tell us what sources say to plant bermuda seed in April or May. I like to stay informed and this advice doesn't correspond to anything I've seen. Could be new research out there??? In any case, after reading this forum for nearly a decade, the consolidated opinions point to bermuda being best seeded in June through August. Late May will work in the desert areas west of the Rockies.
dchall_san_antonio
13 years ago
I might add that we can help you get your grass going. I'm not saying you have made a fatal error. I'm just saying you might need to take the next 30 days off and go fishing. If you start stressing about your bermuda seed not coming in, you might be tempted to do something that will waste your time and money.
algaemaster
Original Author
12 years ago
OK. Situation has changed. this stuff is coming in nicely I believe. My yard looks like a 14 year old boys face if he tried to grow a beard, but it has only been 9 days. What is amusing though is that I have 2 totally different grasses coming in. I was NEVER going for the "golf course" look. Would be nice, but even I realize that a putting surface look requires DAILY attention and special equipment.

Again, I appear to have bought 2 different bermuda. All was Pennington brand products except for the Kentucky Bluegrass which appears to not be coming in. The first bermuda to come out are long and bright green blades and are already 1"- 1.25" above the soil. NOW I am noticing a second grass beginning. It appears to my novice eye to be a dwarf bermuda, as it is a darker/duller green with blades that are about 0.5" above the surface of soil and are laying over as a golf course turf does? Can these two bermudas coexist peacefully?

Also, how long should I give the lawn to come in before seeding more bermuda in what will be the bare or sparse patches.
texas_weed
12 years ago
There is no such thing as a dwarf Bermuda Grass from seed. All Dwarf varieties of Bermuda grass are hybrid from sod, sprigs, and plugs only. My guess is the seed you bought has two Bermuda varieties, one being a pasture type like Arizona common, and the other some improved common Bermuda like Sahara or something.
dchall_san_antonio
12 years ago
There is also no such thing as sparse patches in bermuda. Oh I suppose you could generate some with a little extra negligence, but you're giving extra attention. There will be no sparse patches. You are probably thinking of sparse patches in fescue.

KBG takes weeks of continual moisture to sprout. WEEKS and CONTINUAL are the important words.

The two different varieties of grass you talk about: One is likely to be crabgrass and the other would be something other than bermuda. I really hate to sound like a Buzzkill but I still don't think Houston is warm enough yet to sprout bermuda. I'll admit if I'm wrong, but we have this exact conversation with someone EVERY spring.

Novice greenskeeper :) When do I panic???

Comments (11)

tiemco

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Novice greenskeeper :) When do I panic???

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