New to organic lawn care questions

14 years ago

Hi,

I live in Southern Arizona and I am about to plant some bermuda seed to fill in bare areas of my lawn. I just added about 1/4"-1/2" of compost.

What can I add from the different meals (soybean, corn, bone, blood, etc) I have been reading about that would be a good start to the bermuda and for the soil?

My soil is defficient in NPK and has a pH of about 8.0. This is why I added the compost.

I plan to use organics from now on since I believe the chemical fertilizers have depleted my soil over time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments (7)

billhill
14 years ago
Bermuda lawns require a lot of nitrogen, That being said, organic feeding is definately possible. Have a look at okcdans page linked here. OKCDan
Have you read the Bermuda Bible ? Latest version linked below.

Bill Hill

Here is a link that might be useful: Bermuda Bible by Texas Weed
skoot_cat
14 years ago
Bermuda Is a Nitrogen(N) Hog. I wouldn't worry much about the P and K. Your soil Ph is slightly high, but within range for Bermuda. All this will balance out with an organic program.

From your options I would choose either Soybean Meal or Blood Meal or a combo of both for your existing Bermuda grass. If you choose to use both just alternate them every 30-60days during the growing season. Yes Bermuda should be feed N only that often. Apply the SBM @ 10-20lbs per 1000sqft. Apply the Blood meal @ 5-10 lbs per 1000sqft. In the spring you could use Alfalfa Pellets @ 20lbs per 1000sqft.

How large are these bare areas?
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carlo_822
Original Author
14 years ago
It seems the bare areas cover about half the lawn which is about 800sqft. Now, what do I do add for the new see out of the different meals available? I heard bone meal is good for root growth and after that I don't know which to use in conjunction with the new seed.

I haven't read the Bermuda Bilbe yet, but I will.

Thanks.
skoot_cat
14 years ago
I would go with Alfalfa Pellets for your new seeds. Apply them at aprox 20-30lbs per your 800sqft area. Water them for about 15-20mins for a few days to help them break down, then work them into the soil a bit with a rake or something. Wait appox 3 weeks, then plant your seeds. During the 3 week wait water the soil/alfalfa 1-2x per week. After the seeds have sprouted and you've mowed them 1 time they are ready to be fertilized regularly. I would go with SBM @ 10-20lbs per 1000sqft every 30-60 days during the growing season.
dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
How often do you water and for how long?
carlo_822
Original Author
14 years ago
I was watering everyday but now have cut back to 2-3 times per week for 10-15 minutes.
dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
According to my friendly Phoenix-based lawn care guy, that is not enough water and too often. Can you gradually move toward once per week and watering about an hour (or more) each time?

I'm concerned that you don't have full coverage in a bermuda lawn. I thought you were not watering at all and had developed bare spots from lack of moisture. Bermuda overseeding is almost never needed. Something else is going on. Have you used any herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide in the past year or two? Also is there any shade on your lawn?