Scalping can be caused by a few things.

Letting the grass get too high is the main reason, then you cut off too much and all of the "green" is gone...you cut down into the brown stems underneath.

Also, an unlevel yard. Rotary mowers are rigid, so if you hit a hole or a bump, the blade tilts and the low side can cut much lower than you want. If its sporadic brown spots instead of brown all over, this may be an explanation.

Make sure your mower blades are always really sharp...less stress
on the grass and a cleaner cut

Bermuda is a relatively disease resistant grass. It sounds like you just waited too long between mowings. It should green up shortly

[Edited on July 2, 2013 at 8:23 AM. Reason : aaa]

7/2/2013 8:19:57 AM

Sounds good to me. Thanks.

7/2/2013 8:28:09 AM

I scalped my bermuda lawn this past weekend. Between the rain and my travel schedule it got too tall. Still healthy though and it should green up in no time. It's now time to apply fertilizer once again, so that should help it bounce back. Not the first time, won't be the last.

7/2/2013 10:09:00 AM

if this weather pattern continues, my spring fescue seeding should turn really well. please to continue weekly rain and relatively cool temps.

7/2/2013 10:47:36 AM

^^ I was about ask when I should fertilize again...so I guess that answers it.

7/2/2013 10:52:00 AM

Bermuda looooves fertilizer.

I think like every 90 days is recommended during the growing season

[Edited on July 2, 2013 at 12:19 PM. Reason : Seriously..when in doubt, fertilize. You cant kill it heh]

7/2/2013 12:17:37 PM

when in doubt, use milorganite. I do some variations of milorganite and scotts. If I ever feel like I need to add a little extra I use the milorganite.

7/2/2013 12:39:26 PM

I fertilize my bermuda three times a year ~45 days apart. Target dates for me are: May 15th, July 1st, and August 15th.

7/2/2013 1:13:31 PM

Anyone have any success with using ironite? Supposedly it greens up the yard pretty nicely.

7/2/2013 2:05:15 PM

^^Pretty similar to me. I do some early fertilizer with pre-emergent before that and then some winterizer as well but the other 3 main times are basically right on with yours.

[Edited on July 2, 2013 at 3:10 PM. Reason : ]

7/2/2013 3:10:15 PM

Yeah, I dont know why I said 90 days. In the summer, its common to do fert every 4-6 weeks for bermuda.

7/2/2013 8:19:32 PM

fungus among us

7/4/2013 11:54:16 AM

anybody had experience getting rid of bahia? i guess i'm looking at some metsulfuron methyl. where can i buy that stuff? somewhere like Southern States? i guess i'll also have to get a sprayer like wdprice was asking about.

also, what can i do about crab grass? i put down Scott's Bonus S in the spring and it did a good job on the large patches of weeds i had, but all those patches are now crabgrass. from what i read, i'll just have to wait until next spring and put down a pre-emergent.

bought this place in April. previous owner didn't care too much about the yard. the front was sodded in centipede and looks good. the back is mostly bermuda with a large patch of centipede. also have some large patches of weeds/crabgrass where pines were removed and no grass was seeded. there's a patch of bermuda bordering the centipede in the front and i was told the bermuda would eventually take over the centipede, which would be fine with me. i need a strategy to get the lawn right over the next few years.

[Edited on July 5, 2013 at 3:33 PM. Reason : d]

7/5/2013 3:22:19 PM

for crabgrass, you're right the best way to deal with it is a pre-emergent in late winter/early spring.

if you have it in your lawn, there are selective herbicides that are safe for lawns and only kill the crab grass. They're usually the typical broadleaf weed control + the selective herbicide for crabgrass). the downsides are that they're really pricy (about 10-15 bucks more than normal weed killer), and it doesn't prevent it from popping up elsewhere. it's still unsightly because now you have a brown spot of dead crabgrass (depending on how large it got) for a while.

7/5/2013 3:41:43 PM

yeah, i guess green crabgrass is better than brown crabgrass or patches of dirt

7/5/2013 3:43:27 PM

so how do i know when to put the pre-emergent down? seems like soil temp is the key. can i just stick a digital meat thermometer in the ground?

7/5/2013 5:42:26 PM

^yes I have seen people do that

this map is just based on averages




you have to be extra careful with centipede grass and herbicides here is a link talking about it

http://carteret.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/16/2-Centipede%20and%20Herbicides.pdf

centipede is my favorite grass for lawns that get a lot of sun





[Edited on July 5, 2013 at 6:26 PM. Reason : .]

7/5/2013 6:15:34 PM

thanks for that link

7/5/2013 6:36:22 PM

Owned this place since September and found out today that we've got a zoysia lawn. It was completely neglected for 2+ years before we got the place and it's still pretty green. Sounds like an easy grass to deal with so hopefully some fertilizer will be all we need.

7/5/2013 7:25:41 PM

Quote :

"Owned this place since September and found out today that we've got a zoysia lawn. It was completely neglected for 2+ years before we got the place and it's still pretty green. Sounds like an easy grass to deal with so hopefully some fertilizer will be all we need."

Exactly my same deal. Sodded Zoysia from way back when.

I had a ton of weed issues and it's taken almost 2 years, but the grass is coming back strong.

Make sure you get pre-emergent down quick. I'd recommend the stuff from SuperSod. It's pretty solid.

7/5/2013 11:18:14 PM

We don't have much of a weed problem, thankfully. The plan is to fertilize now (possibly post emergent treatment), probably once more in the fall, and pre-emergent in the spring. It's looking pretty solid and we're so busy with the renovations that we're not in a rush to start reworking the yard. A couple shrubs out front are pretty badly overgrown and we'll probably need to replace them. The back yard is shaded and only has patchy grass right now, so I have no idea what we'll do for ground cover there but I'm not worrying about it at this point.

7/5/2013 11:32:59 PM

Wasn't really sure where to post this so I figured I'd put it here. Bird built a nest on top of the corner section of one of my downspouts. I now have 4 new roommates.

7/8/2013 12:35:49 PM

damn weeds have taken over my front lawn. and my ditch has eroded all to hell with all of this rain.

[Edited on July 8, 2013 at 1:38 PM. Reason : .]

7/8/2013 1:36:55 PM

i tried three times this past weekend to install a foundation vent well and every time it started raining on me.

it will happen this weekend.

Anyone have any experiences with this? I have a foundation vent that is right at the grade line and even though the yard drains there pretty good it was recommended by the home inspector.

7/8/2013 1:43:26 PM

Thought it was pretty common knowledge that you should water your lawn after fertilizing, yet it didn't say anything on my bag of fertilizer about watering immediately after laying down fertilizer.

7/9/2013 8:52:17 AM

Yeah, you definitely want to water immediately after you fertilize. The water washes the the fertilizer off the blades and down into the soil, which is where you want it.

7/9/2013 10:21:53 AM

Of course it starts to pour down rain right after I water the lawn.

It wasn't suppose to rain this week...

7/9/2013 11:33:38 AM

I know the feeling. Back in the beginning of June I watered my garden for an hour, then we got 8 inches of rain throughout the rest of the month. I'm not complaining though, I haven't had to water my garden at all since then.

It just sucks having to mow every week. I wouldn't mind so much if I had a small yard, but it takes me half a day to get it all mowed.

[Edited on July 9, 2013 at 11:42 AM. Reason : a]

7/9/2013 11:41:02 AM

hoping I can get through the entire spring and summer without ever watering our bermuda. I haven't watered a single tree or blade of grass yet other than the first time I watered in fertilizer/pre-emergent in late winter. I like having a decent yard but I like keeping the maintenance to an absolute minimum.

[Edited on July 9, 2013 at 1:06 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2013 1:05:15 PM

well thanks a lot, torrential downpour... there goes my 80 lbs of fertilizer I so lovingly distributed yesterday.

7/9/2013 4:17:44 PM

So I've got a patio I want to "clean up." This is the best picture I have of it...back left:



I basically want to clear out all of the dirt and "sediment" between the bricks and stone and fill it in with something. The area has tons of weeds and "mossy" type stuff that can be a bit slippery. djeternal mentioned something a few pages back about taking out all of the stones, leveling the whole patio, etc.

Honestly, I don't mind doing a lot of work...but that's a bit much. And these stones and brick are a bit fragile and I just don't trust myself not to fuck everything up. My non-expert opinion was to get a power washer and blast out all of the dirt in between the stones/brick and fill it in with a kind of sand-crete (or whatever).



What say you, t-dub?

7/11/2013 11:13:45 AM

Quote :

"My non-expert opinion was to get a power washer and blast out all of the dirt in between the stones/brick and fill it in with a kind of sand-crete (or whatever). "

This is my suggestion.

I have just finished off a brick walkway, and I highly recommend this:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_189059-29629-NA_0__

You'll only need 2 buckets to do that space, 3 tops. Just be sure to let it dry for a couple days after you pressure wash it (if that's even possible considering all the rain we have gotten) before you put in the Sakrete. Sakrete gets pretty tough to work with once it gets wet, so the dryer the better when you are putting it in.

[Edited on July 11, 2013 at 12:18 PM. Reason : a]

7/11/2013 12:06:28 PM

In places like that I would be inclined to just put in decorative gravel. Easy to put in and all you have to do is hit a few places with roundup every once in a while.

7/11/2013 4:34:48 PM

You could always lay down landscaping plastic before you lay the gravel, which will eliminate the need for round-up.

But as a person with a gravel driveway, I wouldn't recommend putting gravel in that space. Especially if it will get a lot foot traffic, which I assume it will considering there is a grill and a shed there. You will have a hell of a time keeping gravel out of your grass.

7/12/2013 9:24:13 AM

as long as you put some sort of border around it, it shouldn't be too bad

7/12/2013 9:25:20 AM

^^wat? plastic? no no no. Geotextile filter fabric (this is NOT landscape fabric)

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 9:30 AM. Reason : holy water batman]

7/12/2013 9:30:10 AM

Are y'all talking about putting gravel in between the brick/stones/slate or just replacing the whole patio with gravel? I'm definitely not doing the latter. That patio is over 100 years old and I think it will look great once it's all cleaned up. I also don't think there is enough space in the "seams" for gravel and it just wouldn't look right. Definitely earning towards the sakrete...just need to figure out when the weather will allow it.

7/12/2013 9:33:31 AM

^^ yeah, I didn't mean plastic. I meant the shit that's thicker than regular landscape fabric, but still lets moisture through.

^ talking about replacing the whole thing with gravel. and I agree with you, cleaning up the stones will look much better than gravel and will probably be less work.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 9:40 AM. Reason : a]

7/12/2013 9:38:33 AM

^^replacing all.

If it's important to the historical architecture and your property, you definitely want to keep what you have. If I were doing it, I would firstly powerwash it, then removal all of the bricks, remove and waste the sublayers, if any, and then reinstall as a normal stone/brick patio (and fixing grade issues while at it).

I guess you just want to powerwash and essentially grout? I won't say that won't do the job/look good; but I wouldn't endorse the plan. Part of your problem there is drainage (unless the picture is that misleading that multiple people have now been fooled; I mean the water "damage" LOOKS so obvious). As pointed out previously, it appears to dip in the middle, the yard seems to pitch that direction, and in my semi-professional opinion, I'm thinking the gap filler/sublayers aren't draining all that well anymore. It's also shaded... you want water to get out of their quickly. I'm all about "do it right the first time" (TM, Mike Holmes). I think it's a waste to not repair the other issues, because they'll be back.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 9:46 AM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 9:40:15 AM

^ My thoughts exactly. You can go the pressure wash / sakrete route if you want a fairly easy cosmetic bandaid. But as I said before, if it were me I would do what ^ suggests. It will be a lot more work in the short term, but it will pay off in the long term. Plus the second option wouldn't really cost you much more money, if any at all.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 10:36 AM. Reason : a]

7/12/2013 10:33:58 AM

it's ugly and unlevel. i'd rip it up and replace it.

7/12/2013 10:44:54 AM

Gravel is beautiful....

7/12/2013 10:53:46 AM

i didn't suggest gravel

7/12/2013 1:05:42 PM

when I suggested gravel I'm talking about something nice like slate chips not the standard gravel you would use for a driveway

7/12/2013 2:56:17 PM

^ I figured that. And I actually really like those when incorporated well.

7/12/2013 2:57:31 PM

I've already got large pieces of slate bordering the entire thing. And when clean...the old bricks and stone on the inside look great.

I wish I had the time/money/handyness to rip it all up and put it back together nicely. Truth be told, it actually looked good the first two years when we kept the weeds out. We just let it go this year and would like a more semi-permanent fix. And though it is a tad unlevel, the rain filters out of my yard pretty well. So any puddling in that area is small and short lived.

So I'm going to do the quick-fix and see how long it will hold up. Just will have to wait for at least after this weekend as it looks to be a wet one.

7/12/2013 4:59:33 PM

^^^ enjoy walking on that with no shoes.

7/15/2013 10:40:31 AM

Looking for multi-zone, multi-programmable hose timers (e.g., want to set different start times for different zones).

I have 1 of these to test out: http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62061N-Single-Dial-Water-Timer/dp/B004INGS8S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374621123&sr=8-3&keywords=hose+timer

At $25/unit, I'm not looking forward to buying a bunch of these; thus the want for a multi-zone timer, such as: http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Sprinkler-Double-Outlet-Screen/dp/B007FG7UYQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Just looking for the most cost effective solution to run multiple zones on different schedules. Anyone know of any others? This second one is the only multi-programmable timer I've seen... the reviews aren't all that great.

7/23/2013 7:23:04 PM

http://www.lowes.com/pd_139120-74985-27752_0__?productId=3103107&Ntt=orbit&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dorbit&facetInfo=

I used this last year with great success. I purchased 2 additional controllers, it only comes with 2. I could water 4 zones twice a day at whatever time I wanted. Helped me keep 2 acres of grass watered. Once programmed it turned on and off by itself without any input from me.

7/23/2013 7:33:30 PM

depending on how many zones you want, you might be better off to rig up a Hunter irrigation controller, some solenoid valves, and a hose manifold out of PVC. you'd pretty much have a underground irrigation system, but above ground and supplying some hoses instead. it would be extremely simple to setup and much more robust.

home depot carries all the stuff. $50 for a controller. solenoid valves are <$20 each. maybe $25 for pipe and fittings. might need a few bucks worth of wire, depending on where you position things.

[Edited on July 23, 2013 at 7:42 PM. Reason : ^that might be worth a try. not crazy about battery operated.]

[Edited on July 23, 2013 at 7:42 PM. Reason : afd]

7/23/2013 7:37:43 PM