@SouthEastTurf

 

My area on NC had been in a major drought. Lots of hybrid Bermuda suffered more than the common variety.

I will continue with normal fertility and hope this recent rainy pattern pushes the growth.

 

Almost certain its a lack of water. Couple of thoughts, 15-30 minutes of water from a inground gear driven irrigation head is nothing. You are getting water half inch deep and the soil is drying out within the day. You need water 5 to 6 inches deep.

I would rather see you put out 1 inch once a week or 1/2 inch twice a week. Use the empty tuna cans or cheap rain gauges to see what you getting on the lawn.

Once it goes dormant, it will not come back out until the deepest roots get water again. You can take a soaker hose or just a water hose and soak the area by laying it on the area , you need get water 7 ot 8 inches deep. I have also heard of poking the area with a pitch fork. It will green back up in few days.

You will still have brown dead Growth showing. only way to get rid of it is to scalp that area to about 3/4 below your normal height of cut.

Then you will have new problem, in a week or so that area with be thicker and darker than the rest of the yard.

 

Soil is 100% pure loose sand. So watering to 6" probably can't happen as all water disappeares into the depths. It's complicated further by frequent higher than avg daily wind. Somewhat like the desert, that's why cactus literally does well.

Oddly enough when this sod went down, it rooted in the best on the loosest sand with zero topsoil, no binder of any kind.

Despite a dryer than average summer, with the irrigation, it is doing fairly well. The part I don't get is the brown spots are all over, but often very close to areas of lush, green, thick, bermuda. All areas are receiving consistent coverage, well engineered from 2 heads, though I know there can be some variations in coverage.

 

You could top dress it, do you have animals?

 

No animals.
Top dress with what material?

 

That looks like drought stress, maybe with grubs or something underneath. You need to drown it, but with sand you really also need to add something to create soil. Composted cow manure would be the best choice. Peat moss is fine depending on what your soil test shows with acidity, but should be fine to do right now in limited amounts no matter what.

 

Bermuda will grow on asphalt, but if the soil is sandy that tells you its lack of water. Soak it today. Make plans to aerate and top dress with any fine compost. Organic matter is need to hold the moisture. Eventually it will create it's own layer of top soil.

 

No animals.
Top dress with what material?

That looks like drought stress, maybe with grubs or something underneath. You need to drown it, but with sand you really also need to add something to create soil. Composted cow manure would be the best choice. Peat moss is fine depending on what your soil test shows with acidity, but should be fine to do right now in limited amounts no matter what.

Bermuda will grow on asphalt, but if the soil is sandy that tells you its lack of water. Soak it today. Make plans to aerate and top dress with any fine compost. Organic matter is need to hold the moisture. Eventually it will create it's own layer of top soil.

With what they said....

 

From Michigan--no Bermuda within 500 miles.
Suggestions. Check under the dead area. Is there a rock? Buried utility wire or box?
Are there grubs? Any signs of fungus disease? Roots rotted? Leaves have spots?
Get a local experienced small business company owner to come out and take a look, and give you a lawn service a quote. Give him a cup of coffee and a doughnut--ask him nicely what he thinks.
Fertilizer spill? Gas spill? Natural gas leak? Does soil smell like anti-freeze? Anybody park a running mower with low muffler in that spot for 3 minutes or more? Did you kill a pesky weed?
Lightning strike?
Bermuda grass creeps--lots of runners and rhizomes. It will fill in. And you can encourage this by planting runners in the spot.

 

None of the below:
Lightning dmg
Rocks
Fungus
Boxes
Wires
Root rot
Spots on leaves
Fertilizer spill
Gas spill
Antifreeze
Use of weed killer
And no hardpan
....
Grubs are a possibility.

These areas of thin grass are scattered all around a 6000sf area. Most are thin where 75% of the grass blades are gone, but often next to large areas of vibrant, thick bermuda.

In spite of daily watering, drought is a likely cause, but how can you have so many areas of nice rich grass, next to so many thin areas? Est 5000sf good, 1000sf brown.

It would seem that brown everywhere would be more likely.

 

Sure it has been watered and fertilized properly?

 

You never know what construction debris was piled on when the land was cleared for the house, or what may have grown there before.

I have light and dark spots in my own lawn, that is a sign of stuff going on underneath. Rotting wood chunks, dog poop, etc. Fertilization with correct amounts of N and Fe within the mix evens it back out. Thats basically how I decide when it needs more. Bermuda will need food every 6-8 weeks.

But you also have to watch the irrigation run and note the coverage and adjust it, either with the heads directly being positioned or the duration per zone.

Any large tree is going to suck water out of the soil around its drip line, and any grass, full sun or not there, will turn yellow in a drought around a tree or near a tree line.

 

Before laying sod 3 years ago, all vegetation was removed, and the lot was tilled to a depth of 6" into very clean sand. No rotted wood, leaves or debris in top 6".

Last season there were no brown spots June- November.

Not one tree on site.

Irrigation was professionally designed and all areas have full coverage from 2 heads.

Question...
Is it ok to apply N in 90+ in the summer?

 

It can go much deeper than 6", all they did was redo the top layer. Remember bermuda roots can go feet deep, FEET. 6" doesn't mean much in that scheme.

If you have irrigation you can fertilize at any time. I do, and so does every golf course I work with. When people "burn it up" its from letting granular sit on the grass for days without rain before watering it in, tossing out a crazy high rate, or spraying out liquid without enough water in the mix.

You just have to make sure the fert gets watered in very well. 1 heavy storm is enough, but better to run irrigation multiple days in a row when its 90+ and dry to make sure.

Put out a grub treatment at the same time to be sure.

 

ETT, maybe local animals have been feeding at night.
Warm summers? No winters?
Armadillos? Ground hogs, geese? Flamingos? Deer? Wild hogs?
Do you have security video?

 

None of the animals listed except deer, on occasion.

On the coast of Nc we have winters down to about 20 degrees, and hot summers.
The near constant 10-15mph wind is a major factor in drying out everything.
However with the same daily watering in summer, I haven't seen so many brown spots before. It has been a dry summer though.

I'll try some N later this week. Maybe more water.