# AUspicious' Bermuda Journal 2020



## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum and excited to take advantage of all the great information here. Anyway, a little background on me and my lawn. I'm in north Alabama and have lived in the house we're in for 2 and a half years. We had a pool installed when we moved in and resodded the back yard. I think the sod in the back is a slightly different variety from the bermuda in the front.

I scalped the lawn with my reel mower about a month ago. The grass started to come out of dormancy really early this year, I suppose due to the mild winter. Anyway, I scalped it down to about 1/2 inch...wishing I had gone a little lower...maybe next year. But I do plan to core aerate and topdress/level again very soon, like in the next two weeks. I did it last year and it really seemed to help.

The grass has started greening up okay for most of the lawn, but not as fast as I'd like. I think I just need to be patient. I have noticed a couple things that are new to the lawn this year. Some of the lawn is still thin and sparse and I've noticed some yellow grass tufts. I've also noticed some purple grass blades and black spots on others. Pics below.

Here's a picture of the majority of the front lawn. You can see there are still some bare spots waiting for the grass to come in. And I'll need to do some leveling. I have a few pits and dips from kids playing on it, and a couple really low spots from settling around the cleanout access, irrigation valve access, and water pressure regulator valve. 









Here's one of the yellow tufts from the front lawn. They are few and far between, but still don't like to see them. Any ideas on what is causing this and how to correct it? 









Here's a picture of some of the purple grass blades and spots. Any ideas on what is causing this and how to correct it? I've heard the purple indicates phosphorous-deficient soil. 









But, it's not all bad. Here's part of the front lawn that looks really healthy.









So here's the back yard. I took a couple panoramic pics to capture all the grass in one or two photos. 









And the other back yard panorama. 









Anyway, I know the lawn has potential. It really looked good last year. Here it is in June last year.









And here it is in August. This was after I broke the bed knife. I lost a couple inches from the right side, so it really screwed up the way the lawn looked when I mowed. Anyway, got that all fixed up now.









This was in September when I raised the cut height to prep for dormancy. 









And this was October 2018. Still green as all get out, and no overseeding...just the bermuda. 









So, I'd love to hear any thoughts on my plans for aerating, leveling, topdressing, etc. And any thoughts you may have on the discolored and spotted grass. I have other plans I'll share on this thread, such as renting a sod cutter to correct some really bad areas next to the driveway (where my green-eyed honky-tonk angel couldn't keep her land barge on the concrete) and the pool deck. I'll also be replacing some irrigation heads, so may be documenting that as well. Beyond that, I hope to be enjoying the fruits of my labor. Thanks, and looking forward to meeting folks!


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## Josh (Aug 8, 2018)

I'm experiencing almost the exact same thing in Arkansas. Very early green up with temps up into the 90s and then a very hard cold snap a week ago. Not sure if its frost/freeze damage for me or a phosphorus/potassium issue.


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Hey, Josh. In just the three days since my original post, I've seen a lot of improvement. The grass has bounced back and is really thriving now that the temps are back to normal. Just to be safe, I collected a soil sample and sent it to the Auburn soil lab. That should tell me whether my phosphorous hunch is correct or whether this was the result of the cold snap. Good luck!


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

It's slow to come out here in South Carolina. I think it's really due to not many days over 80 degrees for the high yet. We had two nights with a low in the 40's last week. We need heat to warm the ground up. I usually wait until Memorial Day weekend to aerate, dethatch or verticut, and top dress. I think it does better when you've had some time for the Bermuda to wake up and grow some before taking on those tasks.


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

As I mentioned above, I think the warmer temps (and a little rain) have helped boost the grass. I've also started my fence staining project. I expect to have that done in a couple weeks. I think at that point I'll order several yards of topdressing material (thinking sandy topsoil) and level out the front and back. I mowed today and realized it needs a lot of work...I didn't really feel in control of the mower.

Anyhow, here's the front. The top pic is from a few days ago and the bottom is from today. I can see a little improvement; about what I'd expect in just two or three days.
April 18 2020









April 21 2020









And here is the backyard. Two panoramic photos.
April 18 2020









April 21 2020









And the second panoramic comparison.
April 18 2020









April 21 2020









And lastly a photo to see how nasty my fence was before pressure washing.









I plan to post updates of the fence staining and the lawn leveling. I'll be seeking the forum's wise counsel on the leveling project.


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Been a while, but I've started a few of the projects on my to-do list. I plan to level the lawn tomorrow and Saturday. Grass is looking good, but I've noticed some pits and dips when I mow. Here's how the front lawn is looking.









I also update the panoramic views of the back. You'll notice I stained my fence. I went with the Ready Seal stain in Dark Walnut. I used my buddy's airless sprayer and it worked like a champ. 









and the second view...









A couple issues with the grass, which may be related. I've noticed way more stolons sticking up from the lawn than I've noticed in the past. Not sure if this is something that should concern me or if they'll disappear after a few more mows. It seems like they "die" after a while, so it may not be a big deal.









another view...









And finally, a recurring headache...I have bermuda grass stunt mites. These things make me absolutely sick. I can't figure out how to get rid of them. I wanted to set the lawn ablaze, but this winter was so wet, I really didn't have an opportunity. I may see how things go with a few chemical treatments this year and then in the winter make a decision about burning the grass or scalping all the way to the ground.









Anyway, once I level the lawn, that may just about do it for lawn projects. I still have to replace a few irrigation heads, but that won't be a big deal.


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

only cultivar I've seen do "the crawling on top of the lawn" is the Celebration Bermuda I had at my second house. I did some reading and found it just grows like crazy.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

My tifway419 occasionally has runners along the top. Seems to do it in dense areas where there's nowhere else to go. I just ignore or pull them and move on. What part of north Alabama are you in @AUspicious ?


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Brackin4au said:


> My tifway419 occasionally has runners along the top. Seems to do it in dense areas where there's nowhere else to go. I just ignore or pull them and move on. What part of north Alabama are you in @AUspicious ?


I live in Priceville.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

AUspicious said:


> Brackin4au said:
> 
> 
> > My tifway419 occasionally has runners along the top. Seems to do it in dense areas where there's nowhere else to go. I just ignore or pull them and move on. What part of north Alabama are you in @AUspicious ?
> ...


Nice! I'm between Madison and Athens.


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Quick update...I was out of town for five days. I mowed last Tuesday evening, went south for some fishing, and then came home Sunday. I mowed almost as soon as I got out of the truck! LOL! My grass was THICK! I was worried I'd have some scalping, but didn't happen. However, I did notice that the seed heads are getting worse. I mowed the front twice, which seemed to help.

So, based on some good feedback and info here, I ordered some PGR. It can't get here soon enough. I mowed two days ago and the lawn was needing another cut today in a bad way. And those darn seed heads look awful.

Here's a pic of the back yard after I mowed Monday. It's a panoramic from the same spot where I've taken the ones above. I think the grass appears to have a much better color and density. 









Here's a pic of the front lawn after today's cut. It has a brown hue, but those are the seed heads and stems. Underneath the grass is quite thick and green. I would have blown them off the lawn, but it started raining. 









I've only been "serious" about lawn maintenance the last three years. I've learned a lot over that time, but I realize there's a whole lot more to learn. I'd never heard of PGR until I stumbled upon this forum. I hope that stuff works as advertised.


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## AUspicious (Apr 16, 2020)

Another quick update...

My PGR arrived Friday, May 29. I applied it the next day, Saturday, May 30. I mowed that morning, several hours before the application. I mowed four days after that, on Wednesday, June 3. The clippings were minimal; like, barely noticeable. There were a few spots where I clearly failed to lay down the PGR consistent with other areas. Even this morning I could see two or three narrow strips in the front yard where the grass is much thicker than the rest of the lawn. Next time, I'll use the spray indicator I ordered. But all things considered, I got a pretty uniform distribution of the goodies and it seems to be working as advertised.

Here is the front lawn on June 3, four days after applying PGR. You can compare it to my last post, but I feel the difference is quite noticeable. Seed head production has been virtually eliminated, which was my big concern. I'm really not noticing the improvements with grass blade density yet, but I'm being patient. 









And the back









Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this stuff and plan to continue using it, maybe monthly? Now I plan to research what humic acid can do for my lawn.


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