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dellonb

Tiffway Sport 419 HELP!!

dellonb
9 years ago

I had Tiffway Sport sod installed in May 2013. Lawn looked great last year. We had a very cold winter for Virginia Beach this year, not sure if this has created some of my issues. In April I set the mower to an inch and cut and bagged clippings. I fertilized and used pre emergent for weeds. There are areas along side of my house that the Bermuda looks dead. The main lawn in front of the house has a lot of bare spots. I have continued to cut every 5 days at an inch hoping it will spread horizontally to fill in dead spots. In the beginning of May I took a soil sample and put down the necessary fertilizers. Yesterday, I placed 1 pound/ 1,000 SF of slow release nitrogen and placed a thin layer of compost over the bare spots.

What do I need to do to fix the bare spots? Is the lawn on the sides of the house dead? Will my lawn look like last year again? I do need to do a sand leveling to the lawn but not sure how to do it, it needs to be leveled up to allow me to continue cutting it at 1 inch with a rotary mower.

Comments (9)

  • dellonb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Lawn last year

  • dellonb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Side of house looks dead

  • wrager
    9 years ago

    Looks like you have some winter kill in the front. Can you buy a few pieces of sod to cut up and use as plugs for that area? The side looks bad, something going on there. Was the soil from there included in your test? It may simply be too shady fro TifSport. For leveling, get about 5 yards of sand and a push broom and spread it around. I did it this weekend.
    http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/wrager46/photo11_zps2cb12e2b.jpg

    This post was edited by wrager on Tue, May 27, 14 at 9:44

  • dellonb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Looks like you have some winter kill in the front. Can you buy a few pieces of sod to cut up and use as plugs for that area? The side looks bad, something going on there. Was the soil from there included in your test? It may simply be too shady fro TifSport. For leveling, get about 5 yards of sand and a push broom and spread it around. I did it this weekend.

    I will buy a few pieces of sod and try to patch the areas in the front. The soil tests I referenced were only on the sides where the grass was struggling. I fear the sides are not getting enough sunlight, not sure what to do. I may extend my concrete driveway and not worry about grass on the sides of the house. What type of sand did you use? I assume you aerated first? Have you done this before and if so, were the results positive?

  • iriasj2009
    9 years ago

    I agree with plugging the front yard. The side of the house seems to have a shade issues. How many hours of full sun does that side receive? From the pic you provided I would conclude that its taking the Bermuda a bit longer to take off/wake up + maybe winter kill. I'm sure once the weather heats up your front yard will be just fine.

    Search this forum for leveling projects.

  • texas_weed
    9 years ago

    OK to start with there is no such thing as Tiffway Sport 419. My guess is you either have TifSport or Tifway-I (aka 419). OK enough of that as it makes no difference which one it is,

    What does matter is you are suffering from Winker Kill plain and simple. In the front yard where there is more sun and better established is minor and no reason for concern as it will repair itself and looks like it is well on its way.

    Side yard is another story and unknown. With less sun the Bermuda did not establish itself with as deep roots as the front did. That could mean the ground froze below the root level of the grass and wiped it out. Real easy to tell, just pull up on it. If it pulls right up brown and crunchy it is dead. If dead I would resod with Zoysia because it looks like low light between the houses

    On the other hand if it is well rooted, and the stolons and rhizomes are pliable, wet, and green inside they are alive and well. If that is the case like all across the USA Bermuda is stunned from global warming. You probable got tired of shoveling it off you drive and sidewalk last winter. With it being between houses will be slow to recover and it maybe Late June early July before it fully recovers.

    If your front and back yard are on the north and south side of the house, you are going to have trouble with th egrass on the east and west sides between the houses from low light. Bermuda does not tolerate much shade. TifGrand, Celebration, or a low light Zoysia maybe a better choice on the sides and is a decent match for Tif-Whatever you have.

  • dellonb
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Texas-weed:

    Forgive my ignorance, the sod was TifSport. If the front is merely winter kill, I will be patient, Im still educating myself on Bermuda. I was worried that after spending the money on new sod last year I had some issues. The sides of the house are on the north and south. This being said, If I replant low light Zoysia or TifGrand on the sides, will it crepe into the TifSport and create issues?

    Thanks!

  • texas_weed
    9 years ago

    OK first is there is nothing to forgive. You made a honest mistake confusing and TifSport and Tifway. So no worries friend I knew what you meant and just wanted to to clear your confusion up.

    If by now you have not seen any green up in the side portions of you yard, chances are it is dead. If I were in your shoes I would go back in with TifGrand. It is a shade tolerant Bermuda and will blend in nicely with Tifsport.

    Tifsport is one heck of a Bermuda grass. It is a semi-dwarf type specifically designed for sports fields and golf course fairways. Of it attributes which some are cursed it is extremely aggressive and spreads real fast engineered to repair itself very quickly from damage like gold divots and heavy traffic from football and soccer. In addition it is also one of the most cold tolerant of all the Bermuda grasses. Its one downfall is it has very little tolerance for shade.

    TifGrand and Celebration Bermuda are both engineered to be somewhat shade tolerant. Not quite as fine textured as TifSport, but should look OK against TifSport. Either one will find the equaliberiam against TifSport via shade. Maintenace practices are identical in your application. Only real difference is no concern for you, but TifSport can be cut really short and maintained around 1/4, but will do just fine at 3/4 to 1.25 inches.

    So cheer up and examine your options. Everything will be OK.

  • yardtractor1
    9 years ago

    And THAT is how a question should be answered!

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