Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
ksmith72

Soil Prep

ksmith72
10 years ago

I am prepping my backyard to seed bermuda. My original plan was to spread some good topsoil over the yard and till it in to get some organics in the soil. I am having second thoughts about that right now. I am thinking I might should do a soil test and amend what I have, then rely on clippings to add some organics to the yard. I have a black soil that doesn't seem to be too loamy, I can dig a hole fairly easily. Not sandy either. However, I know something is missing from the soil because my dog can pee in the front yard and it turns bright green. Doesn't burn so I know its low in N. So my options are to

1) Spread turkey poop topsoil over yard and till it in

2) Do a soil test and amend with whatever I need to get PH right, then add Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium as needed according to the soil test. Then rely on clippings being left from mowings to add organics

I am leaning towards number 2 as it seems to address the problem instead of guessing. Either way I will be tilling the yard, leveling, scratching, broadcast seed and starter fertilizer, rake over then cover lightly with straw.

This area is irrigated so water is easily applied in my situation....county water so I'm paying for it until I can get an irrigation well in.

Comments (2)

  • dchall_san_antonio
    10 years ago

    Had you done any prior reading in this forum you would not have mentioned rototilling. Rototilling is fine for a veggie garden (not really but the reasoning is beside my point), but NEVER in preparation for a lawn. Why? Because you will want to walk on the lawn later on. When you rototill you fluff up what was once a stabilized soil bed. That means it had already settled and was not going to settle any further. When you fluff it up, then it has to settle again in a process that takes about 3 years. No matter how level you level it after tilling, the solid soil underneath the fluffy soil is not level. That bumpy lower level is where the top will settle to. When it finally settles back down, it will be bumpy. It will be so bumpy that you will write in to this forum to find out "how to level your bermuda lawn" (quotes indicate a good search term for you to learn more about it). Bermuda lawns show bumps the worst of all lawns because they are mowed so short.

    Also forget about bringing in any new topsoil UNLESS you need to change your drainage. Why? Because new topsoil ALWAYS changes your drainage. ...and often for the worse.

    Covering with straw is a local option. There are a minority of locations in the country where they routinely cover new seed with straw. It doesn't seem to hurt anything but causes confusion when people want to rake up the straw and don't know when.

    I'm not sure what the gurus say about starter fertilizer, but if you don't have any roots in the ground, any fertilizer is wasted. If it takes 3 weeks for the first seed to germinate, that is 3 weeks of fertilizer washed away.

    I would offer option number 3 as follows. Apply organic fertilizer in May, in June rent a slit seeder and run it over the lawn criss cross to chew up everything to a depth of about 1/8 inch into the soil, use the same slit seeder to apply the seed, roll the seed down with a rented roller, water 3x per day for 5 minutes each time (depending on your sprinkler output), set your mower for 2 inches, mow when it needs it, and back off on the water frequency when 80% of the seed sprouts. Back way off after you start to mow. Ideally you will need 1 inch of water per week in the hottest heat of summer. Apply that inch all at once and do not spread it out over 7 days. After you have mowed the grass for the second time, you can fertilize knowing that you have roots to take up the fertilizer.

    The organic fertilizer will do more to improve your soil than anything else you have mentioned. Adding chemicals does not help the soil biology. Poor soil is a result of not enough beneficial fungi in the soil. Organic fertilizer helps with that.

    Find the Bermuda Bible online and memorize it. Well kept bermuda is a tedious and expensive turf to manage. Good luck with it.

  • ksmith72
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the advice! I have read differing opinions on tilling, but I think I will do as you suggested and run the slit seeder over the yard to at least loosen the top part.

    I did a soil test today and Ph is OK, however, Nitrogen wouldn't even register. So I will do as you suggested and add some organic fertilizer to try and boost that.

    Question, do I need to rake over the yard after running over it with the slit seeder with seed?