# New Bermuda sod, I think I'm losing it. Need help!



## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

So installed 5 weeks ago. Rooted really well. But now it is turning brown and thinning out. The middle of the yard gets the most sun and it looks the worst. I think I am watering enough. Is this stuff slowly dying??


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

What have you put on your lawn besides water? Did you put anything down before sod? A weed feed ?
How much water are you putting down? Don't tell me you water for ( blank minutes ) that tells me nothing. Have you done a tuna can test? Put down empty tuna cans around your lawn. Water for 15 min . Measure how much water in the can- multiply that by 4 and that's how much water you put down in an hour 
It's hard to immediately diagnose your problem without more information. When did the decline start?
How much and what kind of fertilizer did you use?
At 5 weeks your law. Should be well established. 
CAn you show me a close up picture of your leaf blades?
To much water can lead to fungus and left untreated can cause widespread distruction.
Do you see worms? Sod worms can cause rapid destruction.
However your trees and shade will always make growing Bermuda a challenge in your lawn. It will make repair slow as well. You say that the area getting the most sun looks the worse. How much sun? Honestly set out stakes and go out every hour and see which steaks have direct sunlight ( not filtered threw the trees) . If it is 5 hours or less then its bad to say but bermuda will not thrive and you have waisted your money on sod. 
It's hard pill to swallow and you might be able to prove me wrong and I hope you do. 
You need to be aggressive because you want your lawn to be healthier before winter so that it will survive the winter. 
Welcome to the lawn forum. Now you got work to do before winter
Game plan
Is there any possible way you can thin out your canopy? Cut out tree limbs or a few trees to allow more light. 
Close up pictures of effected area to determine if fungus is an issue? Pictures of leaf blades. 
Either look for worms or just treat for sod worms to cover your bases. 
Fertilize if you haven't. Forget milorganite. You need fast acting stuff like amoinium sulfate. 
Determine how much water and sunlight your actually getting.


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## Gregau33 (Apr 15, 2018)

On the Bermuda lawns I serviced, any kind of shade (even if it was minimal) never thrived or quite frankly looked good. A thick Bermuda turf is the best looking lawn out of all the warm season grasses... A thin Bermuda lawn is absolutely the worst looking. It looks like you have a bunch of big trees surrounding your property. I know it will be very expensive, but is there any way possible to cut some trees down to allow for a lot more light? @Tellycoleman really made some great points above. I'd recommend doing what he mentioned. If for some reason you have to start over (and I hope you don't) I would only recommend St. Augustine for your particular property. But with st. Augustine comes along another set of issues... But it will handle the indirect sun much better.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

My question is who laid down the sod? Who sold you on Bermuda? Any professional sod lnstaller should have informed you that Bermuda was a bad choice. I would have so I wouldn't get phone calls from unhappy customers and negative reviews. Or I would have made you sign your life away before I installed it.
If you were uninformed then you have a case for malpractice. Malpractice is not just medicine. You have to prove that the company did something that other companies normally wouldn't do.


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## Smokindog (Jun 20, 2018)

Do what all these other folks have suggested but in the mean time, start watering. This one statement you made tells me it's not getting enough water and hopefully you're just seeing drought dormancy in the grass. If that's the case it will bounce back, especially with the fertilizer and other things you've been told to apply 

Get that sprinkler going!!!


Ballgame38 said:


> The middle of the yard gets the most sun and it looks the worst.


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Telleycoleman thanks for your immense feedback and I have implemented your expertise. An updated pick but I think things continue to digress and lack of sun will ultimately kill me. Anyone see any improvement?


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Something isn't right. Bermuda usually doesn't decline that fast even if shaded some.

Something chewing on it?

Shaded clearly.... someone should have mentioned Zoysia (zeon, Geo, emerald, Zorro...). Drive down habersham or paces ferry in Buckhead, it either Zoysia or fescue.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

In order for us to help you need to answer the questions we asked?
Close up pictures?
Pour really soapy water on the grass and see if worms try to crawl away?
Have you treated for insects?
Your grass will not survive the winter if you dont act now

Yes In your last picture and your first picture I do see continued decline.
What I DONT see in those pictures.
DIRECT SUNLIGHT
Can you take a picture showing any direct sunlight in that area. (and how much)
Have you left anything out from your account of what happened? Usually Bermuda decline from sunlight isnt that fast as @jayhawk stated. Dont be ashamed to tell us any and everything. Heck I still jack up stuff on my lawn. Have you read any of my post?? Other people learn from my mistakes.

Can you pull up pieces of sod? It looks like the sod never attached to the ground i still see the sod install lines. Did you use a weed and feed for fertilizer prior to or right after instillation? Or pre-emergent
I see above ground sprinklers? Did you wait to late to start watering? Rapid decline from not watering enouph and not enouph sunlight to recover??


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Thank you for response and I wil type more when I get to my desktop. The area was originally sloped severely with ten trees. The landscaper took down trees and removed 8 truckloads of dirt to lessen slope. I might not have watered enough out of gate. We got some decent rain but the first two weeks the ground felt so saturated if you walked on it you would leave 2-3 inch footprints. I didn't water with sprinkler as much because of how saturated it felt. I'll take pic of full sun when I get chance. A couple of pics of before and close up.


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Direct sunlight. Will be here 6-7 hours daily. I do notice a fair amount of birds flying in and out of grass.


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

It's rooted well. I can't rip it off surface.


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## crzipilot (Jul 4, 2018)

Worms.

Get the gallon of water and a couple table spoons of dish soap. Mix it good. Pour on grass. And wait 5 minutes. See what pops up. Do it in 3-4 places if nothing comes up the first times.

I had birds. The little starlings eating morning and night. More birds than I had ever seen around the house.


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Ripped up a piece and these are under there. Anyone know what they are?


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Another piece another worm.


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## crzipilot (Jul 4, 2018)

Google Army worms and sod web worms. Pretty sure the pictures will be close to those.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

I knew it 
I knew it
Kill them 
Kill them allllllll

Use the link above to goto do my own .com
I think crown is a good choice to kill them
Let someone else chime in before you buy it but buy something ASAP today!! Don't play around. 
Do you have a sprayer ?
I don't know what's in the big box stores for insecticide.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

jayhawk said:


> Something isn't right. Bermuda usually doesn't decline that fast even if shaded some.
> 
> Something chewing on it?


That was my thought. I had a shaded area between my house and fence. It slowly thinned out. its didnt just die.

I check for insects or lack of water or something.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Damn there doing some damage. I have and recommend you purchase.

Bifen it
ImIdaCloprid

Use the domyown link at the top. This will take care of that problem.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Ballgame... i have some carabyl (sp) pellets .. sevrin, which I think is now reformulated. 
Not sure granular is appropriate here? @viva_oldtrafford


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## Cjames1603 (Jul 25, 2018)

Let me ask you guys a question for my knowledge and maybe the original poster. I know they need to be killed and fast, but if worms are detected this close to possible dormancy will the treatment hurt the grass or should it recover quick enough to be fine through winter. Especially in new sod? Again I want the knowledge as much as I think it will be of importance to him. Thanks!


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## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

Army worms for sure. Nuke em. Any pyrethroid labeled for turf will work (most commonly used is Bifen). Do you have a lawn service treating your yard? If so call them stat and have them come spray. If not, go to domyown and order something. They are here in ATL so you should have early this week if you order. One thing I can't stress enough is that time is critical. Those things eat and eat fast.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

jayhawk said:


> Ballgame... i have some carabyl (sp) pellets .. sevrin, which I think is now reformulated.
> Not sure granular is appropriate here? @viva_oldtrafford


Not sure I'd rely on granular for a curative fix. Prevent? Sure. If it's the only option and you're looking at a big infestation, put it down and see how it works - order liquid after the granuales are down.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Acelepryn is a new science, and a very good one too. Fantastic product, but very pricey. Sevin is my go to simply because it's cheap and kills quick.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Cjames1603 said:


> Let me ask you guys a question for my knowledge and maybe the original poster. I know they need to be killed and fast, but if worms are detected this close to possible dormancy will the treatment hurt the grass or should it recover quick enough to be fine through winter. Especially in new sod? Again I want the knowledge as much as I think it will be of importance to him. Thanks!


Left untreated, you may not have to worry about dormancy, they'll eat everything they can get their little mouthparts on. Spray them now. It will not have any impact on the grass.


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## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> Left untreated, you may not have to worry about dormancy, they'll eat everything they can get their little mouthparts on. Spray them now. It will not have any impact on the grass.


This right here. 👆👆


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

I should have just done zoysia in the back. It would have been $400 more. Landscaper laid this the same day as Bermuda. This gets absolutely no sun and I have not watered it once. Only rainwater. It's thick. I am an idiot.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Ballgame38 I know that regret. I've been trying to turn my newly installed fescue into bermuda. If we would have known then what we know now...


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> @Ballgame38 I know that regret. I've been trying to turn my newly installed fescue into bermuda. If we would have known then what we know now...


Any updates?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Check out my lawn journal. I replaced half of it already and plugged the rest. It''s growing in. I need to post some more pictures but morning sickness is kicking my butt and I've had a hard time getting out into my yard and keeping it cut. I'm having my gardener cut the section with the plugs in it lower each week but I don't know if it's low enough to encourage the Bermuda to grow horizontally. It's amazing how it came up being completely buried by the sand. It's been about 5 weeks. If you read my lawn journal, you'll see I ended up with about half of it sodded. The sod looks great. I don't regret changing it to Bermuda at all. I'm glad I didn't wait a season to start the process. I figure if the plugs aren't spreading enough by next spring, I'll go ahead and sod the rest. My growing season is until November so I still have a fair amount of growing time.


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Check out my lawn journal. I replaced half of it already and plugged the rest. It''s growing in. I need to post some more pictures but morning sickness is kicking my butt and I've had a hard time getting out into my yard and keeping it cut. I'm having my gardener cut the section with the plugs in it lower each week but I don't know if it's low enough to encourage the Bermuda to grow horizontally. It's amazing how it came up being completely buried by the sand. It's been about 5 weeks. If you read my lawn journal, you'll see I ended up with about half of it sodded. The sod looks great. I don't regret changing it to Bermuda at all. I'm glad I didn't wait a season to start the process. I figure if the plugs aren't spreading enough by next spring, I'll go ahead and sod the rest. My growing season is until November so I still have a fair amount of growing time.


Morning sickness, are you pregnant? If so congrats!


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

erdons said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> > Check out my lawn journal. I replaced half of it already and plugged the rest. It''s growing in. I need to post some more pictures but morning sickness is kicking my butt and I've had a hard time getting out into my yard and keeping it cut. I'm having my gardener cut the section with the plugs in it lower each week but I don't know if it's low enough to encourage the Bermuda to grow horizontally. It's amazing how it came up being completely buried by the sand. It's been about 5 weeks. If you read my lawn journal, you'll see I ended up with about half of it sodded. The sod looks great. I don't regret changing it to Bermuda at all. I'm glad I didn't wait a season to start the process. I figure if the plugs aren't spreading enough by next spring, I'll go ahead and sod the rest. My growing season is until November so I still have a fair amount of growing time.
> ...


Thank you! It's baby #2 for us. It's made my lawn project take a back burner which is unfortunate but so it goes. My husband won't let me touch any of the chemicals or fertilizers so I'm reliant on him and his schedule to move the project along. He's been so sweet since I know he doesn't care much about it and yet still goes out there and does it. This weekend he mowed the new sod for me with the push mower when it was 95 outside. I'll post some pictures tomorrow in my lawn journal if I feel well enough to go outside. It didn't happen this weekend as I just laid on the couch. :-/


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> erdons said:
> 
> 
> > Bermuda_Newbie said:
> ...


We have an 8 month old and are talking about the 2nd however my wife is dreading the morning sickness thats why no 2nd baby quite yet. Tell your husband men are supposed to take pride in their lawn lol.


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Got the product and sprayed yard. Still dying a slow death. I screwed this up royally. I have shamed this forum and embarrassed the members of this community. I am sorry.


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## Smokindog (Jun 20, 2018)

That looks better than the last photo I remember... Unless I've got the wrong image in my head you're getting recovery.



Ballgame38 said:


> Got the product and sprayed yard. Still dying a slow death. I screwed this up royally. I have shamed this forum and embarrassed the members of this community. I am sorry.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

Ballgame38 said:


> Got the product and sprayed yard. Still dying a slow death. I screwed this up royally. I have shamed this forum and embarrassed the members of this community. I am sorry.


no need to apologize.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> erdons said:
> 
> 
> > Bermuda_Newbie said:
> ...


Congratulations. It will be very rewarding letting the little one crawl around in that lush Bermuda next summer.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Dude you obviously havent seen all the screw ups i have done. No need to applogize.
Lets see
1) Overdose PGR
2)overdose pre emergent
3) Overdose MSMA
wait am i an addict. 
4) Mowed my lawn anyway because it only had a dripping gas leak
5)Put down seed without a proper kill
6)Bought a but load Fullsilade and qunclorac from ebay for my yukon bermuda grass when it was growing in.
7) Not apply sunscreen when I was outside for 2 days
8) Make and post an entire 2 page review of a product before someone pointed out to me that i put it together upside down.

Dude @Ballgame38 you got a while to catch up to me

Just mention "Backstreet Boys and most in this forum will laugh"

I view it as a way to help others not screw up like i did


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Thanks @TN Hawkeye hopefully the yard will be in good shape next year for just that


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## Ballgame38 (Aug 19, 2018)

Anyone think it's getting better? Before and after pic.


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

Ballgame38 said:


> Anyone think it's getting better? Before and after pic.


It looks better, yes. You can get on your hands and knees and look through the canopy for new growth.


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## crzipilot (Jul 4, 2018)

But don't get complacent, as if the worms were mature etc, there's a couple broods behind them. Think it took at least 2 apps maybe 3 to finally get them all, but I'm still checking to make sure.


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## LawnNeighborSam (Aug 14, 2018)

Great read


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Looks a lot better. What going to be your height of cut. Needs a cut. 
Also when was the last fertilizer application?
For most people I would NOT encourage them to push growth this late in the season . But I would in your case in order to get enough root establishment before winter. 
Use a balanced fertilizer 
Thrower Down and cut it a lot. The more you cut it the more lateral and root growth is encouraged.
Needs to be cut at least 2 times a week and heavy fertilizer. And water

And as @crzipilot states in another week or two apply another insect killer for new hatchlings. Very good time to invest in bifen. It's cheap and kills so much.


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