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You put down what seed on my bermuda lawn?

Testadura
9 years ago

Background: Rental property in Phoenix. Really trying not to bury too much money into someone else's property. 850 square foot lawn with a couple of trees in either end. N/S exposure; back yard on south side of lot. We have a Rhodesian Ridgebacks and they can be tough on a lawn.

We've been here a couple of years. Bermuda lawn has never been great. I think it is mostly because the trees were shading too much. Winter lawn has done reasonably well. Had the trees trimmed in the fall, but they didn't cut them back nearly enough I don't think.

Got tired of the back yard being mostly dirt causing the dogs to be mostly dirt causing the inside of the house to be mostly dirt upsetting the OCD mama. Had a line on free sod, but our landscaper explained to us we couldn't get the common bermuda killed in time to meet the schedule for removing the sod. Contracted with him to trim back the trees, prep the ground including leveling, and to re-seed. He cut the trees way back, scalped the lawn of the bermuda and lingering perennial rye and did the ground work including some improvement of the drainage. He put down the seed and that's where the wheels came off. He handed me the bag, and it was fescue. WTF? Who plants fescue in Phoenix in a bermuda lawn without sterilizing it first?

We want the bermuda because it is the only thing that has a chance to stand up to the dog and kid traffic. We overseeded with bermuda seed so the fescue didn't get a freebie to grow in. We figure the bermuda roots from the previous lawn are still there on our side. Is the only thing we can do is help the bermuda outcompete the fescue, as in once established mow the crud out of it really low, fertilize regularly and water deeply and infrequently?

One other question. I know I have some weeds that are going to love getting watered a bunch of times every day. Don't mind pulling them. What I'd like to know is since I've got a residual nutsedge problem how soon until I can hit the new lawn with Sedgehammer or the equivalent?