Bermuda Bible Revision II

[vinceisvince]

I've been following the bible plus been adding soil amenities according to the soil forum. I noticed some of my grass turning blue!!! I've been watering it an inch with soaking but I guess some areas are terrible. It's like spotty where some parts must of not gotten water I guess? Other parts of the grass is yellowing and yet other parts look fantastic! It's crazy hard. I think i'm going to break down and get a sprinkler system installed because we see houses with it and with out and it's night and day! I have a tiny yard. Just my two cents.

[HoosierLawnGnome]

Vince - you doing anything to soften the soil up? That might help you get more even watering too as it won't run off the top and pool up in places....

[vinceisvince]

Vince - you doing anything to soften the soil up? That might help you get more even watering too as it won't run off the top and pool up in places....

Yes started soil testing this year with logan labs so should slowly get better. At the rate my soil is right now though I have to water every 3 days or so. It's too much to keep up with. My grass is slowly wilting away in the sun.

Most people around here have centipede which does amazing. Texas Weed said my PH level is going to be an issue in SC. So hopefully I can raise it up from 5.6 for bermuda to be happy.

[HoosierLawnGnome]

With as much sand as you have, watering that often makes a lot of sense.

Can you rig up a watering system with a few hoses and rotating sprinklers on a timer?

OM should help your water retention too.

[Sixohh]

great info sir

[blakecase00]

I've been using Ammonium Sulfate at 0.5 lbs per 1,000 sft every 15 days with good results. Is there a reason why Ammonium Sulfate doesn't seem to be recommended here? Would it make any sense to alternate between urea and Ammonium Sulfate? I like that Ammonium Sulfate reduces soil PH but I'm wondering if using it exclusively may cause excessive sulfur buildup.

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[blakecase00]

Just to clarify, I meant 0.5 of nitrogen (2.5 of Ammonium Sulfate).

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[blindlawn]

I've been using Ammonium Sulfate at 0.5 lbs per 1,000 sft every 15 days with good results. Is there a reason why Ammonium Sulfate doesn't seem to be recommended here? Would it make any sense to alternate between urea and Ammonium Sulfate? I like that Ammonium Sulfate reduces soil PH but I'm wondering if using it exclusively may cause excessive sulfur buildup.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

I'm interested in this as well. My soil pH in the CA's Central Valley is 8.1.

[HoosierLawnGnome]

There are people on here with far more understanding than I in terms of lowering pH, but the general thought seems to be that urea and Ammonium Sulfate (AS) generally can't be applied in enough quantity to lower pH effectively. I.E. By the time you applied enough to alter the pH of your lawn you would kill it.

And, AS is used quite a bit actually here along with Ferrous Sulfate for spray iron applications. Spray nitrogen though is much more difficult to apply safely than urea, and I think urea is generally less expensive. YMMV, and there are plenty that DO use it.

That's probably a whole discussion in and of itself - the merits of AS and what not.

In my case, I used as much urea as I could last fall, along with several applications of Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate. My pH remained the same.

[HoosierLawnGnome]

Oh - and blindlawn - my pH is 7.8/7.9. I was concerned when I got my test back last year. However, it hasn't really been much of a factor in getting my lawn where I want it, other than slowing down some soil amendments so as not to push it, and to limit some options on getting Iron into the grass. It's quite workable, and I've learned that in the last year. Some things you just work with.

[Will P.C.]

This is a great technique. My neighbor is doing it this year and I 'sorta' did it last year. There is an old school feed and seed store out in the country that has giant bulk bins of 46-0-0 for cheap. You tell him how many pounds you want and he bags it for you. He puts out a light coating whenever we are about to get some rain. This is the best I have seen his yard look. Slow release is hard to find locally and expensive. I bought some UMAXX this year or I would be doing the same thing.