First Time Posting

Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bahia, Paspalum, etc
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jbpayne32
Posts: 1
Joined: April 6th, 2021, 1:16 pm
Location: Lakeway, TX
Grass Type: Bermuda
Lawn Size: 1000-3000
Level: Novice

First Time Posting

Post by jbpayne32 » April 28th, 2021, 3:53 pm

Hi all,

Have a few questions about my yard, if anyone has any idea what is going on? I live west of Austin near Lake Travis. We moved into our house last fall (house is 2.5 years old), so didn't do much to the lawn before the grass went dormant. We had some bare spots in the back that the previous owner obviously left for us, so I decided to sod those this spring. We didn't get a chance to do pre-emergent last year, so all weeds we had all winter were post-emergent. I do use some grass killer in January/February to spot kill some of the weeds we had, so not sure if that is why we have large patches where the grass isn't coming back? I scalped in mid-to-late March and put a starter fertilizer down before I sodded the bare spots. I also put down a grub treatment about a month ago. If you have any questions or ideas, I'd be glad to hear as this is my first ever lawn and want it to be much and green!

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3341
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: First Time Posting

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » May 14th, 2021, 12:38 pm

That looks just like my nephew's back yard north of Dripping Springs - back fence and everything. Is the soil underneath really rocky?

Stop using chemicals on the lawn. You don't have grubs. Grubs and insects are almost always a late summer problem.

Get rid of the grass killer. That is the likely culprit for the spots along with the amazing cold weather we had this winter. If you have weeds, start with something like Weed-b-Gone for Southern Lawns. That will kill the weeds and not the grass. If you have grassy weeds, then it is best to dig those out before they get established.

Bermuda will eventually spread and recover, but if you want a lawn this season, then dig up the old turf and replace it with TIF 419 bermuda sod. That is what they put down for you already. If you have a midsized SUV you can put a good 50 or more pieces in the back, and go back for more. Find a dealer who is selling a lot of sod to ensure it is fresh. The dealer I found in San Antonio sells 14 pallets of St Augustine per day, every day, all through the growing season. That's what you're looking for but with bermuda.

Also you're going to want a landing at the bottom of the steps. Without it there will be a mud hole there. We built a wooden deck-like structure just sitting on two 4x4s. That gives you enough choices for stepping off so you can avoid a muddy mess.

If you decide to go with new sod, let us know so we can help you get the ground prepped right.

edslawn
Posts: 475
Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
Location: South Central PA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: First Time Posting

Post by edslawn » May 18th, 2021, 8:28 pm

jbpayne32 wrote:
April 28th, 2021, 3:53 pm
Hi all,

Have a few questions about my yard, if anyone has any idea what is going on? I live west of Austin near Lake Travis. We moved into our house last fall (house is 2.5 years old), so didn't do much to the lawn before the grass went dormant. We had some bare spots in the back that the previous owner obviously left for us, so I decided to sod those this spring. We didn't get a chance to do pre-emergent last year, so all weeds we had all winter were post-emergent. I do use some grass killer in January/February to spot kill some of the weeds we had, so not sure if that is why we have large patches where the grass isn't coming back? I scalped in mid-to-late March and put a starter fertilizer down before I sodded the bare spots. I also put down a grub treatment about a month ago. If you have any questions or ideas, I'd be glad to hear as this is my first ever lawn and want it to be much and green!

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Welcome to the forum! Listen to Dan...he knows his stuff about your area.

Next, read and learn. Learn to prepare for what you need to do 3 months from now and get ready. Today's battle is usually lost... slow down and think ahead for the next cycle/season. As they say, this is a marathon and not treating it like one will just lead to frustration.

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