Help for a new Bermuda lawn! Fertilizer?

7 years ago

I'm a newbie here and a newbie to Bermuda. We are from the Midwest, and we now live in Upstate South Carolina. We moved into a new subdivision, and my son starting mowing a lawn for neighbors that moved in about 4 months ago. So their Bermuda grass in the front is nice and green and lush, but their backyard grass is looking terrible! When they first asked us to mow it, they had just moved in and the backyard grass was 6 inches high. The highest our mower goes to is 4.1. We mowed at this height, and the grass was doing fine. Well, we tried lowering the mower to 3.8 because the grass is very spindly, and we thought this would help the Bermuda grow horizontally not just vertically. It looked like we may have scalped it at some areas, but the homeowner is very gracious. Well, we went today and mowed it and parts of the backyard look like they are dying. I know part of the problem is that they were watering every day, and now they are watering a couple times of week. A second problem is that I don't know how much SUN the backyard gets because of a big tree in the backyard. I told them about the Bermuda Bible, and I am going to bring it over to them. They have never fertilized so what fertilizer should I get? The BB says a 39-0-0 or 34-0-0 with slow release urea. Can someone tell me a brand name for this fertilizer and where to buy it? And another advice for this lawn would be so appreciated! Thank you so much!

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Comments (7)

reeljake
7 years ago
It's not going to be happy at that height & it'll scalp very easily, as you found out. The shade issue also needs to be investigated, but with Bermuda the brown stems should stay at ground level & the green top growth blades have a Max height of about 2.5", so anything higher than that allows too much vertical stem. When you hit the stems, it removes all the leaf material & reduces photosynthesis.

We generally scalp the bermuda turf every spring to remove the dead stuff & stems, then let the height come up gradually thru the growing season. If shady, your goal should be keeping it between 1.25 & 2.5" but even then don't expect greatness. Sunny areas are kept around 1". If it goes too long between mowings, you'll scalp the next time, so it's a balancing act
hawksster .
7 years ago
"What he said."

Any brand of fertilizer will work. Just make sure you are getting at least 1 lb of N every 4-6 weeks. Personally I use Vigoro Super Green (35-0-5) from Home Depot, as well as a beefy organic regimen. Vigoro SG requires 2.8 lbs of material to get the 1lb of N per 1k sq ft of lawn.
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Here's what you can do to encourage bermuda. These are in order of importance. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. Mulch mow at the mower's lowest setting 2x per week. Relative to what reeljake said, I think the turf is mature enough to mow low now. Fertilize monthly through the growing season with a high N (low to zero P and K) fertilizer. If you want to get your soil microbes going, fertilize with an organic fertilizer in addition to the monthly chemical ferts. I like alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) and/or corn meal at 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If you want to get a soil test, skip the TAMU test and get the $25 test from Logan Labs. Post your results here for a good analysis showing what to apply, why, when, how often, where to get the stuff. You can soften your soil by applying any clear shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Try to stick a screwdriver into it and get a feel for how hard it is and how deep you can push. Do that when it is dry and when it is moist. Then 3 weeks after you sprayed the shampoo, do that screwdriver test again. If you're not happy, spray it again. Shampoo is the most effective way to soften the soil. Is your soil surface perfectly level with no humps, bumps, or holes? If not you might want to level it this summer. We can help with that.
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I should be more detailed about the cut height progression... If you try to work down to 1 inch this year, you're a bit late & you'll have to use the 2 steps back, 1 step forward method, which is not as easy as it sounds, especially while in a weed fight. It'll be easier next year & you won't have to live with cheetah print lawn. To do so next spring, you'll want to do a proper scalping as soon as temps are done freezing for the year to remove this year's lawn. That's your mowers lowest setting, probably about an inch for most rotary machines. You'll be at that setting for 1 week, and you should be able to see dirt below without trying during this time. This forces the stolons to start making green leaves at dirt level. Fertilize after scalping, then bump up to the second notch for the next mowing to get back your "green top" & keep it there until the cheetah print look starts to show (3 or 4 weeks). When the stems begin to show through & the cheetah effect starts, iron will help to delay this by a week or so if you have a special occasion. One more notch will always produce more green on top, but it's a balancing act to avoid 3 inch "leggy" Bermuda--If you let it get too high too early, you'll be stuck there for the season. You're already stuck for this season in my opinion, taking off too much green right now will reduce photosynthesis, which won't help your cause. Scalping can be done anytime in the growing season once healthy, to reset the height, but it's a big job so I only do it once at the beginning of the season. Basically the Bermuda grows like miniature trees. There's the roots, then a crown area of rhizomes & stolons at dirt level, then the brown stem which is the area you control via cut height, then a green top on each stem. Get it right & all your little trees are the same height at the same time & you get a nice consistent green lawn. Now my fingers hurt!
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sherm1082
7 years ago
When you say the front yard is nice and lush but the back yard isn't, I would also be curious if the back yard really is bermuda. Reason being it's not uncommon for new subdivisions to sod bermuda in the front but seed fescue in the back. I would make sure the back yard really is bermuda.
flwrsforme
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you all for your help. I think it is the shade that is harming the neighbor's Bermuda backyard. (It is Bermuda...the builder puts down Bermuda sod) I told them this morning that they need to have a landscaper/lawn service come and evaluate their backyard and see what they can do about it.

And thanks about what type of fertilizer. I am going to start my yard with it!
dchall_san_antonio
7 years ago
If there are weeds in the back yard it's because the grass was allowed to get higher than 3 inches. Bermuda thins out drastically above 2 inches and opens up the canopy to let weeds get started. Mowing it down to the mower's lowest setting is the best for bermuda. Mowing 2x per week will get rid of some of the weeds. Spray with Weed-b-Gon or Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer will get more weeds.

Water it no more than once a week in the summer. Water deeply when you water.

Fertilize monthly.

Bermuda care is easy to talk about. It just takes a lot of work with the frequent mowing and fertilizing.
hawksster .
7 years ago
One small correction, Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis, contains Triclopyr. It will kill bermuda. Regular WGB is fine though.
User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Anther small correction: triclopyr won't kill bermuda, only injure it. But it will brown out for a while, don't use it. It's a tough little bastard.

Help for a new Bermuda lawn! Fertilizer?

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Help for a new Bermuda lawn! Fertilizer?

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