[programan]

I'm a new homeowner in a newly constructed neighborhood in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area and would really like to have a great lawn and want the satisfaction of doing it myself. My wife and I have spend quite a bit of time ensuring that it's weed free, and it is for the most part, however i can't seem to get it to grow. It's not the worst looking lawn however it just really doesn't grow very well. In the attached images the lawn hasn't been cut in two weeks...

Recently I've measured the pH of the lawn and it actually varied quite a bit depending on where I placed the sensor. In the healthier patches it was around 5 or so and in the unhealthy 2-3. With this knowledge I read up on increasing the lawn's pH and laid down 200 pounds of lime per 1000sqt.

Questions
Is there anything else I can do to make my lawn grow fuller and healthier?
Was laying the lime a smart move?
Any other advise would be very helpful

Other lawns in my neighborhood seem to have the same issue I'm having however still there are some with very healthy lawns.

 

[Spammage]

I would suggest sending a soil sample to either Logan Labs or at least the County Extension Service (Texas A&M) because our DFW area ph typically runs high due to the calcareous clay soil (read - full of calcium) so lime necessity would be unlikely.

My guess would be that the builder removed and/or compacted any good soil and left you with a soil "fixer upper". Bermuda is very resilient, but does require a lot of nitrogen, reacts better if cut short and at least twice a week, and with the current heat you should be irrigating approx every 5 days at about .67 inches per zone. This typically means sprays need to run 30 minutes + each zone and rotors over an hour each. Our soil usually has infiltration issues as well, so you would be better served by applying no more than .25" in an hour. To solve both issues you will need to determine overall run time needed, divide that by 3, and then set your sprinkler system to run the program 3 times.

 

[programan]

Thank you for the great advise; here's what I took from it:

Have my soil analyzed.
Fertilize with a nitrogen heavy fertilizer.
Reevaluate my watering times.

I laid down a fertilizer today and ran the sprinklers for 5 minute per zone to lightly water it in.

My regular watering schedule is twice a week, Monday and Thursday, at 15 minutes per zone.

 

[Ware]

The rule of thumb is Bermuda needs around an inch of rainfall or irrigation a week. An argument could probably be made for more this time of year. Do you know what the precipitation rates are for each of your zones? You should base your run times on those.

To find the precipitation rate, scatter some tuna cans or gauges like these around the zone. Run the zone for either 15 or 30 minutes and then measure the water in the tuna cans or gauges. Multiply your findings by 4 (if you ran the zone for 15min) or 2 (if you ran the zone for 30min) to find that zone's precipitation rate in units of inches per hour (in/hr). Note that each zone may be different, and you may find areas within a zone that don't get as much water. Once you know the precipitation rate for each zone, you will know how long to run each zone to get that 1" of irrigation each week.

 

[jayhawk]

I have a ph meter (not a pro level ..<40$) ....its so finicky and I wouldn't put too much faith in its accuracy.

Review the Bermuda Guide. If I was going the store with no facts on my soil make up, I'd look for a somewhat balanced fert for occasional use and perhaps a N heavy bag for monthly use.

 

[Llano Estacado]

Looks very similar to how mine looked last year. First thing decided was that my height of cut was too tall. I then decided to mow it shorter and my rotary scalped too much and tore the grass up as well. I found a used reel mower on craigslist and began using it this season. Keeping it just over a half inch tall, before it was probably 2"+ tall. So far this year my lawn is much healthier than it was last year. Not near where I want it but it is doing much better. I have also adjusted my irrigation times as Ware has suggested.

 

[programan]

Thanks everyone for your input. I bet i'm not watering it enough, i'll measure and adjust and report back if that helps.