Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bahia, Paspalum, etc
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robdog09
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Joined: May 23rd, 2017, 9:17 am
Location: Atlanta
Grass Type: bermuda
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Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by robdog09 » May 23rd, 2017, 10:06 am

Hi,

See attached photo. My bermuda struggles to grow about 4-5 ft on both sides of my driveway. Ive tried many different approaches to get it thicker, but it looks terrible this season. I isolate water these areas by themselves every other day. Ive also top dressed a section with top soil last year, hopefully to get some better footing for the grass. This year, im trying to top dress with sand to see if that helps. Curious if anyone has any advice.

The rest of the yard is doing pretty well.

Image

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ECUPirate
Posts: 353
Joined: April 1st, 2014, 10:58 am
Location: Eastern NC
Grass Type: Bermuda
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Experienced

Re: Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by ECUPirate » May 24th, 2017, 10:17 am

Have you tried aerating these areas? It may be compaction issues from where they compacted the subgrade for your driveway.

robdog09
Posts: 2
Joined: May 23rd, 2017, 9:17 am
Location: Atlanta
Grass Type: bermuda
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Re: Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by robdog09 » May 24th, 2017, 10:29 am

ECU Pirate? No way. Family lives out in Choco.

I have, to no luck. I think it got beat up last year in our drough, and just having a hard time coming back. But ive been watering, and am hoping the sand helps. Its just odd the rest of the yard doesnt look that way.

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gtnike
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Joined: September 21st, 2009, 6:02 pm
Location: Smyrna Tennessee
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Re: Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by gtnike » June 4th, 2017, 1:01 pm

So to clarify the grass had looked fine but had been bad since the drought? If then that eliminates an underlying cause. One thing I would make sure you aren't over watering. Something else, have you tried an organic fertilizer like milorganite? That might help the soil, I had similar issues on a sloping area after last falls drought and while they are looking better they are still not 100% yet.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
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Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
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Re: Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 13th, 2017, 2:16 pm

I think what happened is the combination of drought and heat has killed the beneficial microbes that would otherwise be living in your soil. Concrete retains heat all night so the soil near it dries out faster than soil farther away. The soil microbes need that moisture to survive. I'm going to guess that you have very poor water penetration in those dry spots. That is a sign that the beneficial fungi that normally soften the soil and open it up are not there.

Stop adding more soil and/or sand. That's not helping but it is raising the soil profile so that those areas dry out faster. Besides, bermuda needs no special footing. It grows everywhere.

Try this to improve the moisture penetration and revive the soil microbes. Spray the entire lawn with shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. You can double up on the problem areas. For the rest of the lawn, follow up the shampoo with 1/2 inch to 1 inch of irrigation to wash the shampoo down into the soil. For the areas next to the concrete, set up a soaker hose that forms an S curve back and forth down the length of the driveway. Turn the water on at the faucet to a rate of 1 cup per minute. That is a very s-l-o-w trickle. Leave that on 24 hours a day for several days up to a week. The extremely slow application will penetrate very deeply into the soil to provide a continuous moisture level several inches down.

To further increase the chances of getting your soil biology back in check, apply an organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow), corn meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, or whatever ground up nut, bean, or seed you can get for under $15 per bag at your local feed store. The normal application rate is 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. For your first application do it at 10 pounds per 1,000. Give that 3 weeks to go to town and then apply again at the normal rate. It takes 3 weeks for the microbes to decompose the fertilizer and turn it into plant food.

Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. Since you have a mass of concrete interrupting the yard, the areas adjacent to the driveway will need water more frequently or more deeply than the rest of the yard. Once the summer heat hits you might need to water it every 5 days by the driveway while the rest can go 7 or more days.


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Jayhawkmba
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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Re: Bermuda growth issues around driveway

Post by Jayhawkmba » July 4th, 2017, 11:40 pm

It may be drying out faster as I'd bet there are no shortage of rock/gravel near the driveway. Most builds include an oversupply of rock as a temp driveway, and concrete work uses them. ...don't expect cleanup. I'd treasure hunt, Take a shovel out there...it'll heal quick

In my experience, when parts of lawn lag (all else equal)....something lerks below (rock, stones, bricks, stake)

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