I recently leveled my Bermuda lawn using sand, compost, and cow manure, then overseeded it with Pennington Rye. After 10 days, I noticed patches of grass with different shades of green. Now, 15 days later, these patches are still there. Am I overwatering?
A soil test showed the pH is 7.8, and phosphorus was low, so I added sulfur and super triple phosphate to fix it. How can I achieve a smooth, carpet-like lawn in Zone 8a, Dallas, TX?
Why overseed with rye when there’s Bermuda? My understanding is Bermuda fills in by itself. Is there a plus side to rye instead of overseeding with common or hybrid Bermuda? Or should I just add nitrogen and iron after core aeration and let it run its course?
@Blaine
Many overseed with annual rye as a green cover for winter when Bermuda is dormant. It’s common in golf and certain regions. It might help protect the Bermuda while it’s not growing, but it has downsides. Personally, I’m not a fan of it, but it has its place
Not sure what the original poster’s purpose was. It’s pretty late in Dallas for a top dressing, I think, and hard to tell what’s rye and what’s Bermuda coming back, which probably answers their question.
@Arin
Rye isn’t great. I’d use a non-midnight blend of Kentucky bluegrass, which works well with Bermuda. Ryegrass can chemically kill nearby grass, a concept known as allelopathy. I suggest looking it up if you don’t understand it. It means it kills nearby grass chemically. Ryegrass is unique in this manner, and using it with anything else you care about is not a good idea. I suggest you look up allelopathy.
Maybe differing alkaline levels or perhaps dog pee. With Bermuda, I like to use a 3-4-3 fertilizer once a year at least. Then, you can find a good NPK fertilizer to use every few weeks. Make sure to cut your Bermuda short; that’s how it likes to be
One option might be that the soil is more compacted in some areas, so the roots aren’t as deep. I mention this since aerating the soil isn’t a hard task, and it’s worth doing before trying other more complicated solutions that might cause more harm than good
I agree. Although Ironite has gotten so expensive around here. I’ve been using Fertilome chelated liquid iron or sometimes Southern Ag chelated liquid iron (whichever is less expensive) through a hose end jar. You need to be careful when spraying it because it will stain concrete, stucco, etc. I apply it right after the lawn has been cut.
pH isn’t as important as many think, but that is kind of high. What percentage of organic matter and/or CEC value did the test show? If it was low, consider some compost.
pH isn’t as important as many think, but that is kind of high. What percentage of organic matter and/or CEC value did the test show? If it was low, consider some compost.
pH isn’t as important as many think
It actually is important. You can spend a lot of money on a poor lawn, but if the pH is off, you’re just wasting it. The grass won’t absorb what it needs
pH issues aren’t as common as people think; many just throw lime down without testing.
@Toni
At least as important as pH is the soil’s buffering capacity (CEC). If your soil has little to none, the pH reading is not very significant. A bit of rain, and it will seem acidic, and the next day the pH could be 2 points higher. Trying to ‘fix’ that is a fool’s errand if the main issue is insufficient organic matter (which helps buffer pH). If you have plenty of compost and organic matter in your soil, and a high CEC, you simply won’t have pH problems in almost all cases.