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Yard Help - Multiple Issues (Pics) - UPDATE

Posted on 4/27/20 at 1:59 pm
Posted by Ragnar
Member since Jun 2017
85 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 1:59 pm
I have several issues going on with my yard and am in need of major help.

Some background: In Oklahoma, house was built in 2016, I bought it in 2018. Pretty sure I have a Bermuda base but now have several different grasses growing. I have an in ground sprinkler system and just turned it back on 2 weeks ago. Have it going about 5 minutes per station right now every other day and we've been getting a lot of rain lately.

I'm a first time homeowner so all of this is new to me and I've already made some mistakes. Last year in trying to get my yard greener I spread some tall fescue seeds on both the front and back yards (I just went to Home Depot online and bought whatever had the best reviews). I signed up for a yearly yard treatment plan - 4 weed & feed treatments and 3 fertilizer treatments (theses spray treatments are a huge thing up here, everyone gets them). I had a weed & feed treatment about a month ago now. The weeds were very bad before they sprayed and they all disappeared, but now I have a few new, different type of weeds popping up so I spread my own Scotts Weed & Feed yesterday.

My only neighbor (I live on a corner lot) could care less about their yard and basically has a clover patch going so I know that's not helping me at all. My house backs up to a huge ag field that the farmer just lets grow up a few times a year so I'm pretty sure I'm getting some seeds in my yard from whatever grass he let's grow up back there.

I'll number the issues to make them easier to refer to.

Front Yard:
1. I all of a sudden have bunches of this grass popping up in the front yard. It grows much quicker than the rest of the yard and is much greener. After some research I'm guessing rye grass? How can I get rid of it? Just pull up each bunch of it or is there something I can treat it with to kill it but not the bermuda base?



2. My front yard is fairly sloped away from the house in all directions. In the corner of the front yard closest to the street my grass is just dying. I have been making sure it gets plenty of water so I know that's not the issue. I think I've seen on this board before that a fungus can do this? Thoughts & suggestions?



3. I have oddly shaped holes popping up in the front yard. The first 2 have been there for a few months now and I just found a 3rd yesterday, it's brand new. The existing holes are just getting worse. Any idea what could be causing these? Sticking my hand down in the holes they are pretty damp. My initial thought was a sprinkler line has busted underground and is causing the ground to saturate, but the lines have been empty until 2 weeks ago. Could it just be the ground settling since the house is still fairly new?



Back Yard:
4. In the back yard I have several different grasses growing. Some of it is the same grass that I have up front, closer to the fence there is another type that is thicker and bigger bunches, the light green in the first and 3rd pictures I think is some tall fescue that took hold, then whatever the 4th picture is. Again, is there anyway to get rid of these grasses without killing the base?





5. Then lastly in the back my yard slopes up to the fence that separates the ag field behind it. On the slope along the entire property line the grass is disappearing and turning up bare spots.



I know it's a lot but thanks in advance for any help provided. Last year I worked out of town all spring and summer so my yard looked like shite and this year I said I was going to get ahead of it and have a beautiful lawn. I thought I was on the right track then it seems like in the last couple weeks it's all gone to shite.
This post was edited on 5/18/20 at 12:08 pm
Posted by jimbeam
University of LSU
Member since Oct 2011
75703 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 2:04 pm to
A lot of what you have (in my unprofessional opinion) looks like crabgrass.
Posted by Jibbajabba
Louisiana
Member since May 2011
3881 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 2:32 pm to
When you figure out what is going on with your yard, let me know. Mine is doing the exact same thing. Sodded with centipede 3 years ago and your pics could have been taken in my yard.
Posted by ronk
Member since Jan 2015
6206 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 6:12 pm to
Pull some of the grass/weeds out by the root and take a picture. Some of what you have appears to be St Aug. If it is in fact St Aug you are farther north than suggested zone to grow it. The areas with thin turf looks like dead pan areas. Super hard and super compacted. I would aerate your lawn. Again, hard to tell from just a picture. It is not going to be a fungus as the main fungus that attacks bermuda is helminthosporium and spring dead spot. Neither of which you have.

As far as the watering goes 5 minutes every other day needs to be changed. The key is watering infrequently but deeply. As long as you are getting an inch and half of rain a week you should be good. If not then water twice a week for 20 minutes on your pop up stations and 40 minutes for your rotor stations.

The lime green grass that will appear more shiny (your backyard photo) is poa. Winter annual grass that will die off in the heat. Apply Specticle or Simazine in the fall and that will prevent most of it.
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
25005 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 8:22 pm to
In Oklahoma, it’s just too early for bermuda to come up. I’m in Memphis and my bermuda is just now starting to green up. My zoysia is already green however.

Posted by Goldbondage
Member since Mar 2020
697 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 8:37 pm to
You have a bunch of winter grass weeds. Get some Revolver and treat that lawn.

Looks like you might have some big carpetgrass coming up, Celsius is you only shot of getting rid of that.
Posted by Bawcephus
Member since Jul 2018
2747 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 10:07 pm to
Holy crab grass batman!
Posted by ronk
Member since Jan 2015
6206 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 10:53 pm to
I’m in Dallas. Bermuda has been green for a month. Those bare areas aren’t from cold weather.
Posted by ronk
Member since Jan 2015
6206 posts
Posted on 4/27/20 at 10:56 pm to
Winter grassy weeds are on their way out. Revolver is an expensive choice. Monument would take care of them.

I do agree it could be carpetgrass. That’s why I wanted to see it pulled and separated from the rest of the lawn. I also agree that Celsius would be his friend.
Posted by Ragnar
Member since Jun 2017
85 posts
Posted on 5/18/20 at 12:07 pm to
Update. So after treating what I thought was crabgrass for a week and nothing happening I let it grow out to identify it by the seed head. What I found was that I have Quackgrass taking over, not Crabgrass. This video helped a lot in eliminating what I was looking at Youtube. I also found that I had some Foxtail, Carpetgrass, and Crabgrass as well. The little bit of Crabgrass died with the treatment I applied.

After researching Quackgrass I learned it's a perennial so I couldn't count on it dying off with heat and it has a complex root system so I couldn't just pull it. Unfortunately there is no selective herbicide for it so I ordered some Roundup QuickPro and sprayed all the Quackgrass, Foxtail, and Carpetgrass yesterday. I'm going to wait 2 weeks to reseed with Bermuda and apply a shite ton of Milorganite that I bought a couple weeks ago.

I got the Roundup from DoMyOwn.com, a website I found that sells professional grade stuff. I'm going to order some pesticides from there soon and start treating my house on my own rather than pay someone that has the good stuff.

I aerated my thin spots as ronk suggested and changed up my watering cycle and am waiting to see the effects on the Bermuda that didn't get hit with Roundup. I have been mowing on a very low setting to cut down all the Quackgrass, which I found out is really bad for the Bermuda. Once the Quackgrass and everything else is dead I'm going to start mowing much higher which should help out the thin spots as well. Hopefully it will all come together and I can somewhat salvage a nice lawn for the summer.

Just wanted to update so if someone else has the same problem in the future they can find some answers. Thanks for the help.

Quackgrass seed head


Foxtail seed head
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