Mornin' ladies and gents,
I am historically bad at maintaining lawns. However, I just moved my family to Texas earlier in the month and seeing as I just turned 30 and I'm already a self-proclaimed grill master, I think my next dad skill mastery badge I need to obtain is the green thumb.
All jokes aside, as it's a new build, it has some fairly fresh Bermuda sod that was layed in mid-November. I really can't tell how it's doing, but from what I've read it seems like it's getting too much water from all the rain we've had recently. The ground is very soft, uneven, bumpy/lumpy, and has sunken in spots around the driveway. Along with that, there are some weeds popping up across the yard.
So here are some things I've seen that might help:
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Pre-emergent Application
- Is it too late in the year for this?
- Should I just hand weed if that's the case?
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Leveling with sand
- Is it to early to do with the sod having just been laid last month?
- Should Pre-emergent be applied first?
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When to do the first cut
- Is the ground too soft to cut right now?
- Is Bermuda okay to leave uncut through the winter?
I know this is a lot for a Saturday morning, but if anyone can shed light on where to really begin I would be eternally grateful! Attached are some hopefully helpful pics and schedule I was originally hoping to follow once the lawn is decently established.
by PastamanVibrationsYa
2 Comments
1: never to late to throw down pre-emergent this time of the year. Better late than never. You already have some weeds, so I recommend spot spraying and then in spring, after your first mow, spray the entire yard with a good herbicide.
2: level only when the grass is actively growing. So, wait until spring.
3: if it’s new sod, it probably won’t start growing until spring when the soil starts warming up. When you start seeing growth, start mowing.
https://thebermudabible.com/
Good luck!
1. Too early for preemergents given that it was laid in November. They can root prune and kill the new sod. I wait until it’s had a full growing season before applying preemergents. Although there are some that are okay for new sod, I don’t believe they are available to residential customers.
2. Sand it when it begins actively growing. With Bermuda you can hopefully top dress two times per year. Bermuda loves sand.
3. It’s dormant. You can cut it to just trim it up and make it look a bit better but it won’t begin growing until the spring time.
Look at TAMU’s extension website. They’ll have tons of info on there I feel certain. They have a phenomenal turf grass program.