# My bermuda is lumpy and soft



## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

So last year my yard was beautiful, thick and green...best one on the block. This year it started ok but started going fro. Bad to worse.

I have bermuda 419 which I water twice a week for 8 minutes a station and cut weekly at 3". One side of my yard started looking lumpy at the end of last season but now the entire front yard is. The only thing I did differently is that I increased watering times and added a day during a heatwave and drought this summer. I also raised the mower to increase the canopy. I have since reduced the watering and lowered my mower but it us not getting better. When I mow. The wheels leave tracks and I leave footprints in the lawn. The grass does not pop back up. Has anyone had any experience with this or have any ideas to fix it?


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## William (Oct 2, 2017)

My guess is you are cutting it to high and have thatch buildup.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

I'm gonna guess two things:
1. You aren't watering deeply enough. 8 minutes per station is just wetting the top of the soil. Have you done any testing to see how much water is going down in8 minutes?
2. Your height of cut is too high. From what I've read on here tif 419 likes a low cut. I assume you have a rotary mower. It looks like you need to take a good inch at least off the HOC. I don't know about Abilene weather enough to know if you have enough time for a scalping. I'm sure some other Texas folks can chime in on whether that is advisable. If it is then take it down at least 2 notches on the mower then raise it back up one for the next cut. Maybe even 3 and then 2. Then give it some nitrogen and water deep and infrequently.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@Alvarma1 as stated, bermuda should be kept lower and cut at least twice a week - if not using a plant growth regulator which might get you to every 4-5 days. As bermuda grows, the green stems will turn brown under the canopy. What you are seeing is that you are cutting off all of the green. The green will regrow, but the next cut will just cut it off again. This constant scalping isn't healthy for the plant.

Ideally, you should take it down to about 1", fertilize with a full 5 lbs of ammonium sulfate per 1000 sf, water deeply, raise the mower a notch and cut at least twice a week until dormancy. This should be done like tomorrow. I wouldn't normally recommend a full scalp this late in the year for Abilene, but since you are already scalping about 1/2 the yard, it appears to be the best solution.

Over the winter, you will be able to read here and learn more about how to properly maintain your 419, and next year you will again have the best lawn in the neighborhood. :thumbup:


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll do that since that's what it looks like I'm doing every week anyway.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

First frost is projected Nov 22...


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Wait... I think Spammage meant .5 pounds per thousand.
Never mind, I thought he meant 5 pounds of N.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Alvarma1 said:


> Thanks for the advice. I think I'll do that since that's what it looks like I'm doing every week anyway.


Do also check your irrigation amount. Most spray heads put down about 2" per hour in a square pattern, so ideally you should run them about 30 minutes once per week. Some rotors should be run nearly two hours per zone to get one inch. In our brutal Texas Summers, 1.5" per week may be needed, and could be split into two .75" waterings if needed. You can use a tuna can or similar straight sided container to measure the water you are putting down in a given time frame and then adjust accordingly.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

TN Hawkeye said:


> Wait... I think Spammage meant .5 pounds per thousand.
> Never mind, I thought he meant 5 pounds of N.


Just to clarify, 5 lbs of 21-0-0 per 1000 sf of lawn.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Spammage said:


> TN Hawkeye said:
> 
> 
> > Wait... I think Spammage meant .5 pounds per thousand.
> ...


Sorry about that. I immediately converted it to N and freaked out. 5 pounds of N per thousand is something I would do and then post on here "Why is my Lawn brown and dead". :mrgreen:


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

What do you think would be causing the grass to not perk back up?

August 4th


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Alvarma1 said:


> What do you think would be causing the grass to not perk back up?
> 
> August 4th


When you raise your height of cut with bermuda you have to lower it below what you want to maintain it at. So when you lowered your HOC and kept mowing at that you stress the grass every time you cut. Instead of cutting off the excess green you are cutting off almost all the green. This freaks out the grass. Did you see a lot of seed heads lately?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Alvarma1 said:


> What do you think would be causing the grass to not perk back up?
> 
> August 4th


Likely just to much empty space under the canopy. If you pull apart the thick, green areas, you will see that there isn't much underneath. As you raise the cut height throughout the season, the thick area raises off the soil level and it gets thin and stemmy underneath.


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Makes sense about the HOC. I didn't go below. That explains the yellowing after each cut. Bermuda 419 does not seed. I think its referred to as sterile?

It looks thick under the canopy. The shots are laying down on the green areas.


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

I noticed that the low spots are where the grass is laying down but green. Why would the shoots be laying down?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@Alvarma1 good, I feel even better about you scalping it. Make sure you bag and dispose of the clippings to free up that canopy.

419 does produce seed heads, but they are sterile. This is typical of all hybrid bermuda cultivars.

You can also apply another 2.5 lbs of ammonium sulfate per 1000 two weeks after the first app. Make sure it stays well watered, either through irrigation or rain. Get 'er done!

Also, while you are freaking out looking at your brown lawn, you can search here for some recent threads about late season scalps to see other's results.


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## N LA Hacker (Aug 17, 2018)

Yeah, that's way too high. Its spongy because the grass has gotten stringy instead of making a matt.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Cut too high. The higher you cut it the longer and lanky it will get. My next door neighbor does the same. They have a commercial company that cuts it at like 4" or so.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

1) You are cuttting to high
2) If the grass is laying down in one direction that is called "grain" This is usually caused by mowing the same direction every time you mow
3) You need to figure out how much water you are putting out in an hour. 8 minutes is definatlty not enough. Being able to leave a footprint without bouncing back is a sign of under watering.
4) As far as a bumpy lawn- Did you happen to till your soil or use a rotor tiller on your yard prior to the sod being installed?
Or did they incorporate alot of compost into your lawn prior to instillation? These are the usual causes of your lawn overtime getting more and more uneven and bumpy over time


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## wiredawg (Apr 6, 2018)

@A@Alvarma1 Hello Al, I just happen to come across your topic while searching "ammonium sulfate". Anywho, I was just curious how your lawn doing now?


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

So at the end of last season I scalped my yard. Immediately after doing so, the cold came in and yards went dormant. My yard looked thin, low and extra brown. Wife was not happy with me. I also dethatched it since it was already rough. Once the yards started to green, mine looked great. Nice and green. Cutting at #2. My problem now is dead spots in the lawn. I had them at the beginning of last season but they filled in. Hoping they do again this year.


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Is that the lowest your mower goes?


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

It goes one notch lower but my yard is uneven and the mower hits at that level


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## robertmehrer (Feb 28, 2019)

Alvarma1 said:


> It goes one notch lower but my yard is uneven and the mower hits at that level


Time to level ...


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## Alvarma1 (Sep 18, 2018)

Yes for sure. Im just waiting for ther spots to fill in then I'm sanding it


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## unspokenzero (Aug 27, 2018)

don't wait for them to fill, your lawn will be spotty anyway with the low spots. Just sand and drop some fert, Bermuda will do it's job.


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