# Thin Bermuda. Critters?



## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I have a couple of spots of thin bermuda. It's super thick on the edges by the concrete but thin in a lot of other places. I noticed someone else posted something similar recently and they were given the advice to spray some soap and see what happens. I sprayed some soap and there were some worms that came out and what I think are tiny dancing worms at the end of the blades. However, not all the spots I sprayed had the worms. Not all the thin spots are in the shade part of the day (some are but still get at least 6 hours of sun).

Should I be concerned about the worms?


Is the little guy also a worm or is it something else? It's at the end of the blade in the center of the photo.



Here are some photos of their little mounds with my pinky toe for scale.





Here is some photos of the thin grass around the yard. It was easier to see once I put the soap on it. None of the soap pictures I took are where the worms came from because I didn't know there would be worms initially and didn't take pictures of it prior.













Last Monday I started putting down .5 lbs of nitrogen weekly to try and help the grass to fill in. I mowed yesterday (Friday). I'm cutting at I think about 3/4" to 1". I was cutting at 1/2" but it's a little uneven in places so I was scalping every time. I'm watering 3x week for about 25 minutes per station. Could I be overwatering? What can I do to help it fill in?


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Looks like a nematode! @Greendoc, can you confirm?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Earthworms and the kind of Nematodes @Colonel K0rn is thinking about are much smaller than the ones on the blades of grass. Bermuda is thin because it is still adjusting to the lower height of cut. What I would do is scalp down to dirt and let it all grow back. I see a lot of debris from letting it be tall. That gets in the way of the new growth and once it is brown it does not green back up. I also see Bermuda that is nutritionally deficient. Like we discussed before, there is more to growing grass in than just Nitrogen. I literally want a comprehensive soil test done to find out about deficiencies and excesses. Soil pH also determines response to nutrients applied. I expect the grass to be a lot greener if it is getting that much Nitrogen.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> Earthworms and the kind of Nematodes @Colonel K0rn is thinking about are much smaller than the ones on the blades of grass. Bermuda is thin because it is still adjusting to the lower height of cut. What I would do is scalp down to dirt and let it all grow back. I see a lot of debris from letting it be tall. That gets in the way of the new growth and once it is brown it does not green back up. I also see Bermuda that is nutritionally deficient. Like we discussed before, there is more to growing grass in than just Nitrogen. I literally want a comprehensive soil test done to find out about deficiencies and excesses. Soil pH also determines response to nutrients applied. I expect the grass to be a lot greener if it is getting that much Nitrogen.


Thanks@Colonel K0rn and greendoc. I did scalp it this morning. Hopefully it starts to come in better but I agree something is off for it to be growing the way it is. When the sod was put down, the landscapers put down three different chemicals (lime maybe? Calcium? I don't remember) and had brought in new dirt as well as taking out all the roots from the tree. I would have hoped that gave it a good foundation but it looks like it isn't enough. I'll look into the soil thread and see how to get a soil sample done. It was doing really well earlier this summer and never seemed to recover after the sanding.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Greendoc when I do a soil sample, should I just sample in the areas of my lawn that are having the issue or should I do the whole yard including the good spots? Should I stop putting nitrogen down for a while before I do it? I read that you shouldn't put anything down 30 days before sampling but I have a slow release nitrogen that I put down about 3 weeks ago that lasts for 2 months.

Edit: Pictures of scalping. I think that because it's so uneven part of the grass in this area is growing way higher than other parts.


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