# Bermuda_Rooster's New Lawn, 2020 Journal



## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Hello all. We are moving to our new house very soon, and finally we have a yard-- sort of.

What we have is about 800 sq ft sodded with dormant 419 in the front, and 1700 sq ft seeded ( :lol: )with annual rye in the back. Pics of the lawn, such as it is, are below and will serve as a reference point going forward.

The 2020 plan is as follows:


January: Move in
February: Fill gaps in sod with sand for leveling/moisture retention purposes
February/March: Do a legit seeding of annual rye in the back as temporary Spring groundcover
May: Kill annual rye and any weeds; seed the back with La Prima XD Bermuda
Try to get as much root growth and seam fill-in as possible the rest of 2020 and wait til 2021 to think about leveling

Any thoughts, suggestions, or advice are more than welcome. I look forward to keeping up with this journal.


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

If it were me and that sod was laid dormant and shows no root growth I would attempt to flatten the area in which it was laid now. In my opinion it is easier to do before the sod has taken root than after through top dressing. I think your idea of getting the edges of each piece to be more level or seamless is also good. I would also look at correct any potential drainage issues - you could route the gutter under ground to the sidewalk or street. Best of luck with the move.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

SC Grass Loon said:


> If it were me and that sod was laid dormant and shows no root growth I would attempt to flatten the area in which it was laid now. In my opinion it is easier to do before the sod has taken root than after through top dressing. I think your idea of getting the edges of each piece to be more level or seamless is also good. I would also look at correct any potential drainage issues - you could route the gutter under ground to the sidewalk or street. Best of luck with the move.


Good point! It's been so warm it wouldn't surprise me if there is a little root growth going on now, but I will try to correct any major problems before it roots once we are moved in and it dries out a little from the torrential rains we have seen lately.

Thanks for the feedback and the well wishes. Fingers crossed we don't run into any major problems!


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## Dangerlawn (Sep 13, 2018)

Looking forward to seeing your results. I seeded La Prima XD in my backyard last spring, and it did pretty dang good. It spreads and grows really fast. If you have dogs, it should fill it pretty easily from any damage they do. My only suggestion would be to buy more seed than you expect to use because more than likely you'll want to throw down more seed.

For a lawn that size, you could totally get by with a push reel mower.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Dangerlawn said:


> Looking forward to seeing your results. I seeded La Prima XD in my backyard last spring, and it did pretty dang good. It spreads and grows really fast. If you have dogs, it should fill it pretty easily from any damage they do. My only suggestion would be to buy more seed than you expect to use because more than likely you'll want to throw down more seed.
> 
> For a lawn that size, you could totally get by with a push reel mower.


Thanks for the tip re: seed. Do you mind sharing where you got yours? I still have to buy it and the annual rye.

Also, I totally plan to use a push reel-- a 7-blade Earthwise, most likely. Most of the lawns around us will be even smaller than ours but I can almost guarantee I'll be the only one using a manual push reel.


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## Teej (Feb 27, 2019)

Just a heads up that the 7-blade Earthwise will start floating on your bermuda pretty quick. It's a great manual reel, but I found myself almost completely leaning on it to make sure I was getting proper cuts. Upgrading to a powered reel for this season.


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## Dangerlawn (Sep 13, 2018)

Bermuda_Rooster said:


> Dangerlawn said:
> 
> 
> > Looking forward to seeing your results. I seeded La Prima XD in my backyard last spring, and it did pretty dang good. It spreads and grows really fast. If you have dogs, it should fill it pretty easily from any damage they do. My only suggestion would be to buy more seed than you expect to use because more than likely you'll want to throw down more seed.
> ...


I got mine here:

https://hancockseed.com/products/laprima-xd-bermuda-grass-seed


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## Dangerlawn (Sep 13, 2018)

Teej said:


> Just a heads up that the 7-blade Earthwise will start floating on your bermuda pretty quick. It's a great manual reel, but I found myself almost completely leaning on it to make sure I was getting proper cuts. Upgrading to a powered reel for this season.


Yeah I had the same issue. It only mowed well if I was at an inch. Anything lower and it had a lot of washboarding and would sort of get stuck cutting grass.

I upgraded to powered reel this week and it's amazing! But I still plan to use the manual reel from time to time.. and in places where I don't want to cut super low.

Don't let any of this scare you off of buying one though. You can get a good cut from these. Just do it often.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Dangerlawn said:


> I got mine here:
> 
> https://hancockseed.com/products/laprima-xd-bermuda-grass-seed


Thanks! That's where I first inquired, so I'll stick with them.



Teej said:


> Just a heads up that the 7-blade Earthwise will start floating on your bermuda pretty quick. It's a great manual reel, but I found myself almost completely leaning on it to make sure I was getting proper cuts. Upgrading to a powered reel for this season.





Dangerlawn said:


> Yeah I had the same issue. It only mowed well if I was at an inch. Anything lower and it had a lot of washboarding and would sort of get stuck cutting grass.
> 
> I upgraded to powered reel this week and it's amazing! But I still plan to use the manual reel from time to time.. and in places where I don't want to cut super low.
> 
> Don't let any of this scare you off of buying one though. You can get a good cut from these. Just do it often.


Thanks for the info. I don't plan on going below 1" anyway. If I did want to occasionally go lower, is there another manual reel that would perform better at lower cuts? I don't have the desire to shell out for a powered reel. My lawn budget is pretty low.


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## Dangerlawn (Sep 13, 2018)

All my research pointed to the earthwise 7 blade being the best option for a manual reel on Bermuda grass. The fiskars is also really nice but the extra blades are supposed to really help on Bermuda. I've also seen some people use this same 7 blade mower to get down to a half inch with no problems, so your mileage may vary. I think it depends on the thickness of your lawn and variety of Bermuda. I don't know if any other push reel that performs better low. A lot of the different brands are actually made by the same company with different logos.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Dangerlawn said:


> All my research pointed to the earthwise 7 blade being the best option for a manual reel on Bermuda grass.


Cool. We'll see how it goes. The first test will likely be annual rye later this Spring, so I have no idea how it will work on that.


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## Teej (Feb 27, 2019)

Dangerlawn said:


> All my research pointed to the earthwise 7 blade being the best option for a manual reel on Bermuda grass. The fiskars is also really nice but the extra blades are supposed to really help on Bermuda. I've also seen some people use this same 7 blade mower to get down to a half inch with no problems, so your mileage may vary. I think it depends on the thickness of your lawn and variety of Bermuda. I don't know if any other push reel that performs better low. A lot of the different brands are actually made by the same company with different logos.


@Bermuda_Rooster, I took my lawn down to about .5" yesterday with no problems from my Earthwise. Mind you the grass is not growing. I don't know if this would have been possible during the growing season. As far as push reels go, I've read good things about the McLane push reels as well because they are heavier units.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

With the beautiful weather yesterday I couldn't stand not doing something in the yard. So I went out and bought a few bags of play sand to get started filling in the seams in the front yard sod. It was laid 2.5 weeks ago and has gotten even more bumpy in that time. I'm sure I'll need to wait til 2021 to do any kind of real leveling, but it's really bad. I'll need maybe another 100-150 lbs to finish the seams, and that's probably all I can really do in the front for awhile. I had two neighbors stop by and ask me what I was doing and whether they should do that, too.

I was going to follow @SC Grass Loon's suggestion and try to even out the worst areas underneath the sod, but it seems to have already rooted! We've had some mild weather in the last 7-10 days, and apparently it's been warm enough for root activity. I'll take this as a good sign and not complain about the bumpiness.

The mild weather has also triggered some germination from the annual rye that the builder tossed in the back, despite soil temps hovering in the mid 40s. I have a lot of construction debris to remove before I try to smooth things out back there and plant more rye.

It's February 3rd, and I'm already in full lawn mode.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

We had 4.79" of rain the first 9 days of February, and the average historic total for the month is 4.84. We have another 4-6" projected to fall in the next two days, so we're looking at a doubling of the normal total, all in the first 11 days of the month. We had some serious puddling and water flow (away from the house, thankfully) after the first round, and it's probably going to be worse the next two days. If we get through this with no water intrusion and only minor washout of soil in the back, I will call that a win.

The annual rye that was thrown out in the back by the builder started to germinate in the last week or so, and from the pattern you can see where the seed was protected and where it was washed out. After the soil dries out enough to walk on (next weekend, maybe later) I will seed a little more annual rye in the bare spots and hope that we don't get any more torrential rains before it germinates. If I can fill in some of the low spots before that, all the better . . . but emphasis has to be on erosion control for now.

The worst of the joints in the front have been sanded, and we only lost a little sand from all the rain. So I think we've got a good start on smoothing out the 419 sod, though it's still pretty rough. When I was working on finishing the sanding last night, it was like walking on a wet sponge. :?

Next update I will post some pictures, but I wanted to get this rain update down to remind myself what a challenge the first few weeks of this "lawn" have been.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Yesterday I did some work trying to smooth out low spots in an area that drains to a ditch in the back of the yard, and now I've seeded annual rye, topdressed, and started watering. I also added wood pellets and cracked corn to get a jump start on improving soil conditions, though that of course will be a very long project.

The pics below give a decent idea of where things are starting. The builder threw down annual rye in mid January, and with mild weather and rain some of it has germinated . . . but much of it washed away. So I'm starting, a little at a time, to fix what has washed out and try to get more or less full coverage in the yard sometime in March.

Pics 1 and 2: you can see the sporadic splotches of green where the builder's seed didn't wash away and started coming up.
Pic 3: Some perspective on the soil I'm starting with. This is everywhere.
Pic 4: These are just a few of the objects I've removed from the yard. Not pictured: metal straps, plastic straps, nails, screws, plastic bags, insulation, drywall. And there's still more out there.


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

In north Ga and we deal with a lot of bermuda sod laid dormant. You've got the right idea. Builders/lanscapers do a terrible job prepping and laying sod nowadays. The seems will fill in pretty quickly once it starts growing in late spring. Stay on top of watering, fertilizing, and keeping the weeds down in the first year. Worry about leveling later on. Curious to see how the bremuda seed comes out. I've never seen much success with seeding bermuda in clay. We always recommend sodding. Congrats on the new home!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

McDiddles said:


> In north Ga and we deal with a lot of bermuda sod laid dormant. You've got the right idea. Builders/lanscapers do a terrible job prepping and laying sod nowadays. The seems will fill in pretty quickly once it starts growing in late spring. Stay on top of watering, fertilizing, and keeping the weeds down in the first year. Worry about leveling later on. Curious to see how the bremuda seed comes out. I've never seen much success with seeding bermuda in clay. We always recommend sodding. Congrats on the new home!


Thanks! When do you typically see bermuda greening up in Gwinnett County?

I'm crossing my fingers that my experience seeding cool-season grass is helpful with seeding bermuda. I have a method that worked very well for me before but bermuda seed may be a whole other ballgame.


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

Bermuda_Rooster said:


> McDiddles said:
> 
> 
> > In north Ga and we deal with a lot of bermuda sod laid dormant. You've got the right idea. Builders/lanscapers do a terrible job prepping and laying sod nowadays. The seems will fill in pretty quickly once it starts growing in late spring. Stay on top of watering, fertilizing, and keeping the weeds down in the first year. Worry about leveling later on. Curious to see how the bremuda seed comes out. I've never seen much success with seeding bermuda in clay. We always recommend sodding. Congrats on the new home!
> ...


Green up depends on soil and air temperatures, and daylight hours. We usually start to see some green by late March, early April. Full transition doesn't finish until Mayish. Depending on the weather of course. I'd guess you're probably a week or two behind us.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

McDiddles said:


> Green up depends on soil and air temperatures, and daylight hours. We usually start to see some green by late March, early April. Full transition doesn't finish until Mayish. Depending on the weather of course. I'd guess you're probably a week or two behind us.


I've been thinking mid May, so it sounds like that's reasonable. I'll probably seed the back at around the same time.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Following!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

In the front yard (419) I am finally starting to see green here and there-- not enough to see from any distance, but the occasional green shoot. The hell strip, which gets the most sun in the front, is a little ahead of the rest. Spring is finally beginning!

Also I've been seeding the back yard with annual rye, in patches, because that's all I've had time for. It's coming in nicely where I've worked on it the last 2-3 weeks.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I seeded some spots in the back with more annual rye, but this time I didn't topdress with compost. I just stomped the seeds into the clay. And like clockwork, we had a deluge this morning and it continues to drizzle. So it's hard to say if that will be a total loss or not.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

It's a rainy day here, but it has been warming up in the last couple of weeks and we have some serious greenup happening. This is the first chance I've had to see my 419, since it was dormant when it came in.

In the pics below you can see some of the weeds that have encroached in early Spring, as well as the leveling chore that I have in front of me. I filled in many of the seams with sand, and the grass is peeking through many of them-- though clearly there's still more to do there. But the landscapers did a horrible job of getting the soil tight and leveling, so I have a lot of work to do beyond just the seams.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

When you borrow your dad's spreader to fertilize your baby annual ryegrass and it's clearly bad at its job:


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Bermuda_Rooster said:


> When you borrow your dad's spreader to fertilize your baby annual ryegrass and it's clearly bad at its job:


Well at least we know you walk in straight lines 😂🤣😂🤣😂


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Two9tene said:


> Well at least we know you walk in straight lines 😂🤣😂🤣😂


Passed that sobriety test! And celebrated with a nice cold beer. :thumbup:


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Bermuda_Rooster said:


> Two9tene said:
> 
> 
> > Well at least we know you walk in straight lines 😂🤣😂🤣😂
> ...


Heck yeah!!! Coming along great though! 🤩


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Two9tene said:


> Heck yeah!!! Coming along great though! 🤩


Thanks! This temporary lawn is giving me a sneak preview of how tough this soil is going to be. But 3 months of annual rye should make it at least a little better than what I started with.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

The annual rye is not doing so bad . . . I added a bit of quick release N to try to even out the plaid effect, and the pic below is after a double cut with the Earthwise.

My little man is 16 months tomorrow, and got his first good chance to toddle around in the yard this weekend. Rocks and all, I'm now confident that once I've got bermuda spreading back there he's going to have a nice yard to play in. I'm still at least 5 weeks out from that seeding project and chomping at the bit.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Also, I just learned that there's a Site One about 30 minutes away. Before this forum I'd never even heard of it, but it's probably going to be my go-to for some supplies if the price is right. First order of business is acquiring some Urea. I plan to start spoon feeding the 419 in the front using a hose end sprayer in the next few weeks.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I'm starting to give some more thought to renting a power rake for the back yard seeding project. The soil is full of rocks, not even close to level, and the power rake would help prepare the seedbed a little as well. It would cost about 60 bucks to rent the power rake and a roller for 4 hours, but I'd also have to rent a truck to get it home. I'm on a pretty strict budget so I'm still not sure I want or need this for only ~1900 sq ft, so I'm going to see how things go with the manual dethatching rake first, but I wanted to get that thought out there to simmer. Either way I will rent the roller, but I believe can get that in my car and save a lot of money.

I'm still at least 4 weeks out from the project so I have some time to consider options.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Yesterday was Phase I of seeding. I used a mix of local soil (largely red clay), bagged topsoil (largely organic matter), and sand to regrade the soil off of the back patio. Before this there was a 2-3" dropoff on both sides, which was a tripping hazard for our toddler and made mowing harder. After pic is below.

I had planned to wait a few more days to seed but the soil temps in that area were nearly 70 even after the cold snap we had a few days ago-- so I went ahead and dropped 1/10 lb of my Royal TXD in 1/3 lb cornmeal carrier and topdressed with a thin layer of peat moss. For the next two days I will hand water this area.

Today and tomorrow I will continue preparing the seedbed for the rest of the back yard-- which will still have annual rye, but stunted by herbicides and dethatched to expose the soil. I will mow it down to 0.5" before spreading seed, topdressing, and beginning irrigation tomorrow. More to come!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Today is officially Day 1 of Bermuda_Rooster's Bermuda Back Yard.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

WE HAVE GERMINATION. Or at least I'm pretty sure we do. I'm starting to see little heads poking out in the warmest parts of the soil, within a few inches of the concrete patio. So that's day 7 for the patio area. If all goes well, I should see that in the rest of the yard in 2-3 days. Fingers crossed.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Well we had a massive rain last night with some serious puddling and flowing in parts of the back yard. The question isn't _if _I lost seed, but how much. Only time will tell.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

It's been a very rainy three days with highs around 70 and lows in the upper 50s. So . . . despite scalping it twice, the annual rye is having the time of its life. Meanwhile the bermuda is going nowhere, and I have puddles that contain puddles.

The good news-- highs above 80 for the foreseeable future. The bad news-- rain in the forecast for the next 5 and 7 of the next 10 days.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

This is the area around the patio on Day 13. They're still little, but I'm finally starting to see some actual growth (@ktgrok, @SWB). I think it was largely about the weather . . . we're still getting rain but it is now back in the low 80s/high 60s, and I think these guys are getting happier. I won't know for a bit longer where I have good germination in the rest of the lawn, and I have to keep getting out there to cut down the rye. Hopefully there's some good action in the areas where I didn't have runoff.


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## SWB (Sep 22, 2018)

Looks great. No matter how many times you've planted seeds there's always a pucker factor until they starts to come in.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Now we're talkin' . . . it's slowly coming in all over the yard, and as you can see here it's actually starting to look like baby bermuda instead of little ambiguous sprouts. There are obvious bare spots and I've gone back and added some seed, but I also know I'll start to get some spreading before too long.

Maybe I'll have some semblance of a bermuda back yard by the 4th of July after all.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

At some point I'll get back to posting pics of the front, which is really coming along . . . but right now I'm obsessed with the back. With the morning dew you can really start to see the bluish green of the Royal TXD starting to come in throughout the more yellowish green of the annual rye. It's very obvious in the bare areas, but it's also in there hiding in the areas where the rye is still thriving. Also, the area around the patio is now high enough that I've trimmed it twice at 0.75".

A question for anyone reading-- I'm now 24 days post-seeding and have, I dunno, 50% germination. I've continued to water 3x a day just to keep the surface moist, but is it time to back off to twice a day a little deeper?


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Most of the annual rye has now succumbed to the heat. I'd estimate that up to half of the green you can see might still be rye, but the bermuda is slowly but surely making itself known. I've seeded some bare patches again but what you see in these pics is all from the first seeding 5 weeks ago. In the second pic you can still see the taller, upright clumps of rye that have been enjoying the frequent watering.

If I could do it again, I'd change two things: (1) I'd wait for hotter weather, and (2) I'd avoid herbicides before seeding. I think both had a negative effect on the results but I do think that I can get this to fill in reasonably well, and then plug or sprig the tougher areas later.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Here's another pic update, one week later. There's less rye but somewhat more green in most areas as the bermuda starts to grow and spread a little. I added some seed to some bare areas a little over a week ago and it is germinating well, so the next pic should be even better.

It's going to get there, but it may take this season and the next to fully fill in the back yard. There are washout-prone areas on both property lines that I may plug to aid fill-in because there was no way seed would last there, and I still have about a half pound of seed I can use elsewhere.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Thought I'd give a quick photo update on the front after I realized it was three months ago the last time I looked at a pic. My priorities are, in order:


Get the turf thick and healthy
Fill in the gaps
Spot level-- the contractor left enormous holes, dips, and hills

I'm pretty pleased with the progress so far but there's a long way to go on all three priorities.

Here was March 31:









And here's June 25th:










You can start to see the very beginnings of a domination line forming over on the right . . . the color is what has started to separate mine from all of the neighbors, and it's entirely (IMO) from spoon feeding urea.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

So this happened last week . . . we got the downspouts buried so that the yard wouldn't flood anymore. Now we have a lot of bare, chunky clay to deal with. I'm going to have to order more seed, but this will need to be smoothed out a bit. I took a mattock to it but it feels like hitting chunks of plywood. Any suggestions?


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I got the area that was dug up and the back, which has little bermuda, seeded on Saturday 7/11. I'm hoping to see germination in 5 days, and hoping to be mowing by August. We will see!

I'm starting to hit the rest of the back hard with nitrogen-- 0.5 lb/week like I do the front-- and it is filling in pretty quickly. I expect 80-90% coverage this season, which would be great progress considering my mistakes.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

First signs of germination this afternoon-- 4 days post-seeding. I expect to see a ton of action tomorrow. It's amazing what the hot temps do for bermuda germination.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

For the last several weeks I've been spoodfeeding the front with 0.5 lb/k N per week, and I've started doing the same for the more established portions of the back. The front is really tightening up almost everywhere and staying a nice deep green, while the back is showing serious signs of filling in. There's still a ways to go back there, but the new seeding is coming in and the rest is growing out to meet it. I may not get 100% by the end of this season, but it'll be pretty close I think.

Here's a update pic for the back:


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## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

How's the lawn filling in?


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Benwag said:


> How's the lawn filling in?


Getting there! The pic below is from this morning. There are still a LOT of spots that are thin and bare-- more than you can see from this angle-- and the new seeding on the far left still needs time to grow up. But I can see progress almost daily.


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

Massive improvement. These are my favorite journals to look at.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Sbcgenii said:


> Massive improvement. These are my favorite journals to look at.


Thanks! Bermuda's ability to spread and fill in really is amazing. I thought after the poor early results with seeding that it was going to stay really rough, but we're getting close to really having a yard. By labor day I think I'll be able to call it a success.


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## Benwag (May 28, 2020)

Nice! Looking good


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I've had to bump my HOC up a notch. It's set at ~1.5" now but due to the light weight of the mower, it floats a bit . . . I'm guessing the cut could be as high as 1.75". Regardless, you can see fill-in progress in the last 6 days . . . especially in the later-seeded area to the left. There are still a lot of holes and thin spots but there is still time to fill in this year.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Snapped a couple new pics of the front, too. It has gotten quite thick and I'm loving the color . . . but all the nitrogen has meant crazy growth. It's hard to keep it mowed. But, I'm taking advantage and trying to raise some low spots gradually, such as right in the middle of the yard, where you can see today's sand. Smoothing this yard out will take several seasons.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I'm starting to back off on the nitrogen since it's getting late in the season. Today I apply 0.25 lb N per k in the front and back, with some of that being in the form of 13-13-13.

Here's the back after a cut and watering in the morning spoonfeed. There are still plenty of bare and thin spots you can't see well here, but I'm very happy with the progress and the color of the Royal TXD.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Just some more update pics . . . I've started backing off on the nitrogen, but it's still growing at light speed. Every-other-day mowing is starting to result in scalping. Hopefully backing off now will calm the vertical growth down a bit, even though I hope it continues to thicken up a little before winter.

First pic is the right side, which I haven't captured in some of the pictures. Before I put in the fire pit, the area behind it was only about 30% covered. I transplanted some of the sod I dug up for the pit, and between that and spreading it's not far from filling in.

Second pic is the left side, which was just a dirt mess on the 4th of July (https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=294167#p294167). It still has a lot of thickening to do, but it's amazing what some new seed and 8 weeks of growth can do.


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## tcorbitt20 (Aug 31, 2018)

Outstanding job! I've heard a lot of Bermuda seeding horror stories, but you've got it looking good!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

tcorbitt20 said:


> Outstanding job! I've heard a lot of Bermuda seeding horror stories, but you've got it looking good!


Thanks! I've decided the key is patience. Given enough time, Bermuda will win the day. It's just a tough time of year to start a seeding project, so you really have to give it time to get there.

Next year I will be trying to maintain it lower, but it's going to take a lot of sand and PGR to do that!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Here's a quick update on the back. I've had to up the HOC again due to scalping, and I'm not prepared to do a late season HOC reset on grass in its first growing season. It's set at 1.75" which I figure is about 2" counting the floating. Growth has finally slowed, as it's been almost 3 weeks since I spoon fed. I'm planning to do a 6-month rate of prodiamine next week, which puts me after the 60-day post-seeding window.

This pic was this morning, after a haircut and a shower.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Just wanted to post some "final" pics for the season to remember how much progress was made this year, and where things will be starting from next year.

First three pics are the front, which came along nicely but needs considerable leveling and got out of control with growth on me. I also had some serious washboarding the last several weeks mowing it at 1.75" with a 7-blade reel. I suspect it would look better if I could have kept it lower but I had to raise the HOC several times because I pushed the nitrogen so hard.

The last 5 are the back from various angles. Overall I'm very happy with the progress from June 1 to October 1, but I've also highlighted the areas that remain a work in progress-- mostly around the edges with thin spots, but also the bare area down one side that I never seeded because it is guaranteed to wash out in a rain. It started to creep across, especially in the back, but has a ways to go.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Here's another milestone for ol' Rooster: my first ever tiger striping. This is in the backyard Royal TXD-- the pattern in the front 419 is more spotty.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@Bermuda_Rooster Good to see the Royal TDX seeding was a success - this was a difficult year for renovations weather wise for us. How do you like it compared to the Tifway in the front?


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

@cglarsen, I'd say it's too soon to tell. It was pretty late in the season before I felt like it was really filled in and I was having to mow too high with all the nitrogen I was slamming. Next year I plan to stay at an inch or lower and cut way back on the feeding, so I think that'll be a better test. It's a tough judgement to make too because the soil is so bad. The front has buried gravel and the back had no topsoil. I expect the back to eventually be healthier, but that may be a few seasons from now.


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## McDiddles (Feb 24, 2020)

Just got caught up on your journal. Nice work! I am pleasantly surprised at the success with with the seeded bermuda. Continued success in year 2!!


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

@McDiddles, thanks! I think ultimately patience was the key. I started a little early; I tried to do too much with weeds right before I seeded; and I got too worried when things got off to a slow start. Being new to bermuda, I simply had no idea the explosion that was going to come in July and August. I had only seeded fescue before and with that, the yard looked practically mature after a month. Different animals.

The challenge for the back this year will simply be filling in the thin areas that remain, tightening up the rest, and leveling out some of the bumps and dips.


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## Morgan_TN (Apr 18, 2020)

@Bermuda_Rooster Nice work. I enjoyed checking out your journal. I came across a thread with some folks around Chattanooga, including yourself, and wandered onto your lawn journal. Doing some lawn creeping, if you will haha.

I'm in Harrison TN, with some type of bermuda (I think mostly 419 with a patch of common and other weeds in the back).


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

Morgan_TN said:


> @Bermuda_Rooster Nice work. I enjoyed checking out your journal. I came across a thread with some folks around Chattanooga, including yourself, and wandered onto your lawn journal. Doing some lawn creeping, if you will haha.
> 
> I'm in Harrison TN, with some type of bermuda (I think mostly 419 with a patch of common and other weeds in the back).


Hey man, thanks! I'll be doing future updates in the 2021 journal (link in my signature), FYI.

I've been to Harrison once or twice but don't know the area well. We are in an area that used to flood regularly and probably had pretty decent soil until they scraped several feet of it off to regrade for our development. So, now I'm growing things in subsoil! Hopefully your fortunes over there are better. Are you near the river?


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## Morgan_TN (Apr 18, 2020)

@Bermuda_Rooster You're welcome! Cool, I'll check out the new journal. I'm working with a 1997 construction lot, but despite the age the soil probably isn't anything to brag about. It's relatively new to me, and I'm learning still, but the lawn is moving in the right direction. There's a lot of clay in my soil.

Yes, I'm actually just a few minutes from water, near Harrison Bay.


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