Thanks for your response, the last part is what I was really looking for. DON'T take the following explanation as dismissing any of the advice given here. I'm asking these question in many places and getting many conflicting responses. This is my first ever Bermuda lawn!
I'm probably going to move on to leveling and forget this "blended look" idea for now anyway. Hancock seed is selling 10# of Yukon for $125 with free shipping so it piqued my interest in seeing what I could do.
Thinner ares of grass
I thank folks for the input as I'll look into the recommendations of more shade tolerant Bermuda cultivars.
I wasn't really asking about the thinner areas because I've resigned myself that I'm stuck with the thin areas because of the sunlight issues. However they're better than they were as I've raised the canopy of the two large trees in the past 2 years letting in more light.
Those areas of the lawn are fortunate to be facing directly into the 2PM Texas summer sun so it still gets a fair amount. Believe it or not, one of the previous owners put down some St. Augustine that I've been walking back using Drive and letting the Bermuda win back a few feet at a time. I've pretty much got that taken care of but I know that in the end I'm a prisoner to sunlight!
Multiple grasses and overseeding
I get the different look part as this whole discussion began for me because I was looking for what could be done to "blend in" the Sahara that someone tossed into the lawn. Trust me, I get what you're saying about the germination too, ...
Obviously I get the fact that the different varieties look different so I wasn't proposing adding a 3rd cultivar lightly. I spent time in multiple of these forums and, believe it or not, that was the recommendation to "even out the look". Now they didn't say use Yukon but they did say to try an overseed. I read up on Princess 77, Riviera, and Yukon and multiple sources say Yukon would "match" 419 better than the others. Yes, I get it was developed to help cold hardiness but everything I've read says it performs equally well as any Bermuda in the heat. I'll try mow height as suggested.
Now on to mow height....
Believe it or not, you get all kinds of "advice" in some pretty stern/cold and sometimes salty language about mowing height and Bermuda in various blogs. There's another site of "lawn care professionals" that openly mock customers who ask to have their Bermuda lawns mowed below 2" in Texas and the south. It's really shameful to mock folks in my opinion but people are people...... My guess is they don't want to put their ZTR decks below 2" to keep away from damage but when I asked that question I was sternly addressed
My mower's minimum specified height is 1.5" and I recently (Memorial Day) moved up from the lowest height to where I'm at now. I've always increased height in the heat of summer so maybe next year I shouldn't do that.
I know I said I'm at 2.25" but it was really about 2 1/8 and that was measured with the blade towards the chute. As you know, the blades are canted forward 1/8-1/2 inch per specification. I usually try to keep the cant at about 1/4". Next time I level the deck I'll drop it another 1/4-1/2 inch on the hangers (I'm on the first step up from 0 and the adjustment is in 1/2" increments). That should return me to as close to the 1.5" spec as I'm going to get.
Anyway, when I do mow at the lowest setting I have to slow down to keep from scalping many areas. Leveling the lawn was the next project on my list. Perhaps it's time to address it.
Getting a reel mower
I grew up using a powered reel mower on the main lawn and a push reel mower on the side strips and tree lawns. Only the cool kids had the "whirlybird mowers" as we called them in the 60's.
The area of Bermuda I'm addressing and shown in my pictures is about 25K square feet so in the Texas heat and at my age a reel mower just isn't going to happen. I've cut it and the rest of my lawn before with my 22" self propelled when I was awaiting delivery of my original JD LA105 rider. It wasn't fun and that was 7 years ago..... I had a different number in the beginning of my age!
Plus there's all the rest of the property up towards the road and in the back of the house which is St Augustine that needs to be mowed, edged, and trimmed. I have 1/4 mile of street, walkway, and drive to edge and another 1/3 mile of house, fence, and planter areas to trim. I've got a walk behind edger and a string trimmer I use. Those are pretty close approximations based on the County tax website which has measuring and area tools for the properties!!!!
Your Questions
I fertilize the Bermuda every 3 weeks with 2 bags, 84 lbs, of 29-0-4. That's a gnat's hair shy of 1 lb/1K if I did my math correctly. I start the season with 3 bags. I've recently located some 21-0-0 so I may pick some up. I buy a LOT of fertilizer. Picked up a pallet of the 42 lbs bags on closeout at $5/bag last fall.
I water to 4-6 inches in the soil. I've got an irrigation well so no restrictions and minimal cost.
I have a tow behind "star spike" aerator that I use in the spring before my pre-emergent. I haven't rented a core aerator for this lawn which is sandy loam with some areas more clay than others, mostly near the house where I'm sure the builder disturbed the native soil more than the rest of the lawn.
About 4-5 years ago I took a ground strike that wiped out all my solenoids in the field but one. I had no map and even with a locator there I had to dig a number of "test holes" to form the outline of the system and find all the valve boxes. The ground is pretty consistent across the yard. I didn't find any debris to speak of. I know this one as I dug out a 4x8 sheet of plywood in my first house I built
Grass kept dying in a rectangle!!!
Did I miss anything?
CONCLUSION
I REALLY appreciate the information everyone has provided and look forward to more information.
Please continue to help with my plan. This is the first season I've actually had only spots of weeds and crabgrass to deal with. My last lawn in TX was beautiful weed free St. Augustine and up north I always had post card KBG lawns but they were in the 1/2 acre sizes and I was a lot younger.
Like I said, I've still got some POA issues but I hope to finish most of that off this September. I made the mistake of thinking I had it licked and skipped last Septembers pre-emergent
I personally think it would be a mistake to try to lower the height of cut at this time of the year but open to all well formed opinions!!!
Honestly, if I were building this house today, it would all be St. Augustine
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL!
Tellycoleman said:
Ok I have Yukon Bermuda.
How do I like it? I love it. Very very fine texture bermuda with a darker color. Yukon really responds to iron and gets really dark. I dont think it is as aggressive in spreading as riviera. It will not grow worth a flip in the shade. It is designed for cold tolerance not shade tolerance.
You might as well throw away your quinclorac if you have Yukon. It is more than sensitive to it and will not tolerate it even in small doses.
Now as far as your question. Should I use it to overseed 419? Will it Match 419.
long story short the answer is NO
Why?
1) Unless you have Yukon you should not overseed with Yukon. Overseeding a hybrid bermuda with a seeded form. even an advanced seeded form (like yukon) will give you undesirable results and waste your money.
Yukon seed is expensive You are maintaining your height of cut at 2.5. This means very little sunlight reaches the ground. Which means you will have very little germination. At $300+ for a 50lb bucket its not worth the money to try and see what happens.
2) Undoubtedly Some seeds will germinate. but when it does the human eye can pick out so many shades. Even though yukon has almost the same leaf texture as 419 its color is subtly different. So standing from the street you wont see the difference but up close you will notice. Most people say that they dont care untill you start seeing patches of off color. It is darker than common bermuda.
There is a reason why this is a forum full of bermuda lovers and experts and NO ONE will do what you are proposing to do on your lawn. I love my yukon but if i had 419 sodded in my yard I would search and destroy everyblade of yukon I once loved.
I think i made this analogy once when someone asked me the exact question a couple months ago. Why put a blue Cadillac door on a red Mercedes Benz.
You are trying to treat the symptoms and not the disease so to speak. Like giving someone with a broken leg some morphine and sending them home pain free without a cast.
Bermuda doesnt have to be overseeded because it actually does just as good on its own spreading. If you have thin spots ask yourself why. What is the cause?
1) If the area doesnt have 6-8 hours of sun then that is the problem. You have alot of trees. Trees and Bermuda doesnt mix at all. You will never have a nice lawn under or around a tree LONG TERM. If you can NOT get rid of them then try and have someone come in and thin out and raise your canopy to allow more sun to hit the ground.
2) How do you fertilize your lawn how much do you fertilize and water the area that is thin? Usually fertilizer and water is all you need to make 419 spread like mad. I see that you said you fertilize. well how much? If your trying to grow in an area I put down alot more than a maintenance app
3) Have you ever stuck a screwdriver in the thin areas to see if there is alot of rocks or construction debri under the ground in thin areas? If so you need to try to dig it out and replace with sand and dirt (NOT COMPOST)
4) If these areas are the result of you killing off the crabgrass then you need to have patients and it will fill in.
5) To help speed up Bermuda spreeding in large bare areas you can get a Pro-Plugger and transplant grass from a good area into the bad area. This will actually give you faster results than seeding and will not stop your preemergence application in the fall. Youtube PRO_PLUGGER
6) Does the thin area have alot of water run off or is it really compacted? If so areation
7) 419 does better and grows thicker with a lower height of cut. Best below 1 inch. When you cut your grass high it uses most of its energy growing up instead of out. The only disadvantage to mowing low is that you have to mow often. Since you already mow alot it shouldnt be a problem
Now as far as your common Bermuda you already have in your lawn.
You can get rid of it but it requires that you lower your height of cut.
Alot lower. As @Greendoc and @Spammage a reel mower would alow you to cut very low. Common bermuda does not like to be cut below 1 inch. 419 does likes it Last year I had alot of common bermuda in my yard during my renovation. This year my height of cut is 0.5 inch. The common bermuda is thin looks stressed and my yukon has just moved on into the thin spots. I know most people say "my lawn is to bumpy" But often a reel mower will scalp the lawn less than a rotory.
I know I gave you alot of information but please consider not overseeding your lawn. in the long run you will be happier not having a lawn that looks like a spring mix salad
