ABC Pets and Lawn? Bermuda Grass? Buffalo Grass (Bowie: how much, new house)

[shenane]

Hi Everyone
I think I have bermuda grass at my new house (2007) and it doesn't look so great. It hardly grows at all and it's thin. I thought it might be buffalo grass but I took it to some sod folks and they said it was bermuda.

I've tried watering it a lot, watering it a little and I tried some organic fertizer. It just doesn't look nice. It's in full sun. What do y'all think about that compost that ABC pest and lawn blows on the lawn? Do you think that will help? Has anyone used it? If so, how much did it cost?

Also, I was thinking about overseeding with buffalo grass. Seems like a nice grass to have in front. Buffalo doesn't really need mowing (according to what I've read) and my front yard doesn't get any traffic. Do y'all know where I can find some buffalo grass seed - preferably on the NE side. I couldn't find any at the places where I usually get my garden supplies - BXtra, PXtra, Lowes, Home Depot

Thanks

[Bowie]

Top dressing with compost is a great way to improve your lawn. I've looked into ABC's compost service and found it a little pricey. It's less than half as expensive for me to buy a few bags of compost at Gardenville, throw them around the yard myself, and spread the compost with a rake. If you don't have the time or the ability to do that, then ABC is a good company to use and their service is a good alternative.

As for the grass seed, I'll bet you could find what you're looking for at this place: http://www.dkseeds.com

[rd2007]

if you're up for a little work (more than a little in this heat though), just have a truck dump a load of compost on your yard and spread it out My neighbor did that two years ago and his lawn puts mine to shame.
you do know that Bermuda grass is meant to be short right? it should do great in this weather because it loves lots of hot sun. might want to also look up how much you're supposed to water it. you might be trying too hard..

[shenane]

Thanks guys. Great info. I think I might try doing it myself. Does it matter what time of day I put it down?

Yes, I have read several places that bermuda does much better when it is short. That's why I'm wondering if I actually have buffalo because I mowed my grass short once (about 2 inches) and it looked much worse. I thought I had killed it. Now I leave it really high. About 4-5 inches. Oh yeah, when I mowed it short that one time, I didn't take off a bunch at one time. It was really high when I moved in. I mowed it down to about 4 inches, then waited a week then mowed it down to 2 inches and that's when it looked really bad.

The third picture is of my neighbor's yard. It looked better than mine before he mowed it lower. He just mowed it a couple of days ago. Now it looks at bad as mine did that time I mowed it low. I think he has the same type of grass that I have.

The other pictures are from my yard. One of my yard and one of a blade from my yard.

I'll look into a watering schedule. If we don't get any rain soon, looks like water restrictions will decide for me

Originally Posted by Bowie

Top dressing with compost is a great way to improve your lawn. I've looked into ABC's compost service and found it a little pricey. It's less than half as expensive for me to buy a few bags of compost at Gardenville, throw them around the yard myself, and spread the compost with a rake. If you don't have the time or the ability to do that, then ABC is a good company to use and their service is a good alternative.

As for the grass seed, I'll bet you could find what you're looking for at this place: http://www.dkseeds.com

Originally Posted by rd2007

if you're up for a little work (more than a little in this heat though), just have a truck dump a load of compost on your yard and spread it out My neighbor did that two years ago and his lawn puts mine to shame.
you do know that Bermuda grass is meant to be short right? it should do great in this weather because it loves lots of hot sun. might want to also look up how much you're supposed to water it. you might be trying too hard..

[shenane]

Well, for some reason, the pictures didn't show in the last post:

Originally Posted by shenane

Thanks guys. Great info. I think I might try doing it myself. Does it matter what time of day I put it down?

Yes, I have read several places that bermuda does much better when it is short. That's why I'm wondering if I actually have buffalo because I mowed my grass short once (about 2 inches) and it looked much worse. I thought I had killed it. Now I leave it really high. About 4-5 inches. Oh yeah, when I mowed it short that one time, I didn't take off a bunch at one time. It was really high when I moved in. I mowed it down to about 4 inches, then waited a week then mowed it down to 2 inches and that's when it looked really bad.

The third picture is of my neighbor's yard. It looked better than mine before he mowed it lower. He just mowed it a couple of days ago. Now it looks at bad as mine did that time I mowed it low. I think he has the same type of grass that I have.

The other pictures are from my yard. One of my yard and one of a blade from my yard.

I'll look into a watering schedule. If we don't get any rain soon, looks like water restrictions will decide for me

[Dunkan21]

yeah, i hate the look of bermuda grass. too thin IMO. will keep on reading for some tips on my lawn which is bermuda as well

[sapphire]

Yours looks better than mine.

[shenane]

Maybe that's my problem. I just moved from a house that had beautiful green, thick St Augustine. I didn't do anything to it but mow it often and water at the most once a week if it wasn't raining. No fertizer or anything. Maybe my bermuda is supposed to look the way it does?? I don't know but when I'm out walking with my dogs and I pass by all the houses that do have St Augustin, I get get so jealous.
I have often read that bermuda is used on golf courses though. And I think the golf courses I have seen look way better than my yard.

Originally Posted by Dunkan21

yeah, i hate the look of bermuda grass. too thin IMO. will keep on reading for some tips on my lawn which is bermuda as well

[Cruehead]

That looks like a St. Augustine/Bermuda mix (unless the pics are just not detailed enough for me to truly see it). St. Augustine takes a beating in this summer heat. Like one of the other posters mentioned, I would top dress it with top soil. Garden-Ville has a product called "Sports Turf Plus". I used that on my St. Augustine religiously and it would help keep it moist and grow well even in the sun/drought. Spread about a 1/4" of it all over your lawn and water it in. Then water every few days.

[rd2007]

a big problem with the builders here is they skimp on top soil, which leads to problems with the grass getting their roots going. The grass you have looks like the Bermuda I had in my back yard and it didn't do too good, but that was because of too much shade. I now have St. Augustine and it's not looking so good because this weather SUCKS..
Laying some compost on top should help a lot and it doesn't matter when you do it because you're literally burying the grass pretty much.. It'll pop though in a week or so though.

edit (for the post below)- my neighbor did his in the middle of summer and it worked great. I personally think the grass would appreciate some dirt to protect it from that freaking sun.