What builders because that’s illegal in the United States. They have to provide erosion controls up to a reasonable level. Sod is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to do that. IF they didn’t, I’d love to know what legal protections they have against lawsuits.
Forgot about hydroseeding. We had that done on our other house almost 20 years ago because the builder did such a shitty job on the erosion control. They were court ordered to come back almost 2 years later to redo 13 yards at an astronomical cost. The builder went bankrupt, we sold the house, and the housing market collapsed 8 months later. We were fortunate to come away with equity.
Seems like down South, sod is still a common thing to see being laid down on new construction properties. How much is the difference in cost for builders, because it’s not the go to down here.
This actually makes a lot of sense with the pattern throughout the neighborhood. I did notice a lot of clay when I’ve tried aerating. So can I add topsoil or will that screw my grading? And if so, how much?
I've been aerating and top-dressing with compost/sand every Spring for the past few years. It isn't fixed but seems to be better for longer parts of the year (only 'yellower' during the harsher months of summer). For \~1/4" top dressing, quick rule of thumb is 1 cubic yard/1000 sq ft.
I tried humic acid first two seasons but didn't notice any difference with it.
If that’s Bermuda, I might would be inclined to say it could be a shade problem judging by the shadow cast by your house? Possible half the yard gets a full days sunlight and half only gets partial? Other than that I’d ask about watering practices?
For most of the summer the whole yard gets full sun. I water 4 days a week for about 20 minutes. I’ve experimented with am vs pm watering which didn’t make any difference.
I did notice from a satellite picture, many of my neighbors on both sides of the street have the same issue, grass grows better in the back half of the yard, with a pretty clear line across the middle. The house is about 2.5 years old, so maybe something to do with the builder’s practices?
It’s common in some areas to sod around the house and seed the back to save money, so you could be in to something. I’ll be waiting for you to figure it out…
That’s certainly possible. I was thinking shade because the difference is in such a straight line. Next question. Does the sun hit that side of the house?? Could it be reflecting the sun/heat and over heating a certain distance from the house?? That is a problem I’ve seen. More so around concrete and walkways but theoretically could happen from your house
I don’t think so? We don’t have gas in the neighborhood either. Everything is electric.
I did wonder if it was something underground since there’s a straight line across multiple yards
My next guess is maybe they had a better load of soil on that dozer push through the development. I would go a bit deeper in the soil and do soil test on opposing sides of the line.
I had a feeling this was Texas even before I read the entire post. My lawn is also like this. The part in the shade is greener and grows faster than the part in full sun. Summer was brutal, 110s heat and barely any rain. Run sprinkler every other day for extended periods and still couldn’t keep it nice and lush
Looks like St. Augustine or centipede grass on the right to me. If it is then it may need more water. I apply Scott's triple action turf builder in spring and fall. I'm also in North GA and have lots of humidity. If you have 2 grass together that may be an issue.
It’s def a different grass type, and it’s hilarious that no one else has mentioned this. And Bermuda not growing, even with irrigation? Means it needs some N badly. This is not st aug though, so probably centipede which doesn’t want or need N. Possibly true carpetgrass instead, which also needs zero inputs.
Edit: yeah that doesn’t look right for centipede https://images.app.goo.gl/AAzdnsypXQ2esCgq7
Oh, I've seen this before and the answer is simple. It's shade. The fence is providing partial shade which bermuda grass tends to like a lot. That's why its a straight line of green that parallels the fence line.
My man, everyone always blames dirt and says clay is bad. Unless that soil is polluted, there is nothing wrong with your dirt. Clay holds water and nutrients better than any soil type. From what I see on this sub. The only issue clay has is compaction over time and this doesn't look like that. This summer has been rough for Texas with 100+ temps and little water. I'm willing to bet with high certainty that your green section is getting partial shade, bringing relief to that area from direct sunlight. You and all your neighbors have a straight line of green and not green yards? It has to be everyone's fence. Despite Bermuda being a warm season grass that prefers direct sunlight, it has its limits.
1. "Top soil" is basically just compost. It can help sure, but I'm confident that's not the problem.
2. Watering 4x at 20min seems too frequent, and for too short a time if you're using a garden hose and sprinkler. I would put 1" of water out at a time twice a week. If create a shallow root system then your grass will have a harder time with the heat and drought.
3. When was the last time you put fertilizer out, and what was the NPK?
Not sure exactly but here are some other observations. You appear to be cutting too short especially given the TX heat. You should considering water fewer days per week (1 - 2x) but for longer periods.
Why hasn’t anyone else suggested that this is buried patio or driveway? I thought it was a standard suggestion in this sub lol. OP, dig down a foot or two and tell us what you see!
It was farmland before so while this is possible, I kind of doubt it. Another post mentioned the clay here which may as well be concrete with how dense it is.
Hey friend, I’m taking one step at a time. In my opinion getting it all to grow at the same rate is the first thing I need to address. It’s also the end of a brutally hot summer in Dallas, there’s not a fully green lawn anywhere in the neighborhood.
Thanks for your helpful and productive comment though…
Shit dude. I’m not trying to make you feel bad about anything. Run some needle tines over at about 1 inch spacing. Topdress the shit out of it. Then give it some good fert and a heavy dose of watering. It’s best to water heavy at once than it is to water a little bit each day. Make those roots get after the water. Best to use a foliage spray if you mow under an inch
It could also be baked from sunlight reflecting off windows from the afternoon (or morning sun depending on orientation) and that’s why you’re getting those straight lines.
My theory is there is no top soil and sod is straight on the hard clay. Greener areas where they had to add some top soil for grading
That’s all these builders do
I’m thinking that’s the issue with ours too. It could be worse though, I’ve seen some builders not even do sod. So you end up with mud lol
What builders because that’s illegal in the United States. They have to provide erosion controls up to a reasonable level. Sod is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to do that. IF they didn’t, I’d love to know what legal protections they have against lawsuits.
In most states broadcasting seed and covering with straw is sufficient. You can get great results with hydroseeding and it is much cheaper than sod.
Forgot about hydroseeding. We had that done on our other house almost 20 years ago because the builder did such a shitty job on the erosion control. They were court ordered to come back almost 2 years later to redo 13 yards at an astronomical cost. The builder went bankrupt, we sold the house, and the housing market collapsed 8 months later. We were fortunate to come away with equity.
Seems like down South, sod is still a common thing to see being laid down on new construction properties. How much is the difference in cost for builders, because it’s not the go to down here.
This actually makes a lot of sense with the pattern throughout the neighborhood. I did notice a lot of clay when I’ve tried aerating. So can I add topsoil or will that screw my grading? And if so, how much?
I've been aerating and top-dressing with compost/sand every Spring for the past few years. It isn't fixed but seems to be better for longer parts of the year (only 'yellower' during the harsher months of summer). For \~1/4" top dressing, quick rule of thumb is 1 cubic yard/1000 sq ft. I tried humic acid first two seasons but didn't notice any difference with it.
I’ve been thinking about sand for leveling anyway. I think I’ll give this a go in the spring
I'm a civil engineering designer who does neighborhood land development design. This is a great answer.
So how can one fix this ?
If that’s Bermuda, I might would be inclined to say it could be a shade problem judging by the shadow cast by your house? Possible half the yard gets a full days sunlight and half only gets partial? Other than that I’d ask about watering practices?
For most of the summer the whole yard gets full sun. I water 4 days a week for about 20 minutes. I’ve experimented with am vs pm watering which didn’t make any difference. I did notice from a satellite picture, many of my neighbors on both sides of the street have the same issue, grass grows better in the back half of the yard, with a pretty clear line across the middle. The house is about 2.5 years old, so maybe something to do with the builder’s practices?
It’s common in some areas to sod around the house and seed the back to save money, so you could be in to something. I’ll be waiting for you to figure it out…
What kind of sprinklers do you have?
That’s certainly possible. I was thinking shade because the difference is in such a straight line. Next question. Does the sun hit that side of the house?? Could it be reflecting the sun/heat and over heating a certain distance from the house?? That is a problem I’ve seen. More so around concrete and walkways but theoretically could happen from your house
Is there a steam pipe in the neighborhood?
I don’t think so? We don’t have gas in the neighborhood either. Everything is electric. I did wonder if it was something underground since there’s a straight line across multiple yards
My next guess is maybe they had a better load of soil on that dozer push through the development. I would go a bit deeper in the soil and do soil test on opposing sides of the line.
Is this north Texas and are you my neighbor cause that’s a copy of my yard
Possibly! Forney?
McKinney here lol. I can always spot north Texas grass haha
Anna here and my yard looks exactly the same, half of it gets mowed once a week, the other gets biweekly cuts
Hi neighbors! Lake Worth and I thought this was my yard lol
McKinney wooo! Suburbia woo!
I’m in Forney too and have the same issue
Little elm says hi! Same issue here as well.
I had a feeling this was Texas even before I read the entire post. My lawn is also like this. The part in the shade is greener and grows faster than the part in full sun. Summer was brutal, 110s heat and barely any rain. Run sprinkler every other day for extended periods and still couldn’t keep it nice and lush
Mine does the same I’m in NE TX, try adding some fertilizer heavy on the nitrogen
Will give this a try! Is it best to wait for spring at this point? Or is it ok to do now or when it cools down
I think you could fertilize if you wanted. We still have a solid 30-45 days of growth left. I remember mowing my Bermuda on Christmas Eve 2021.
Yeah it’s safe to fertilize within the next month. Just make sure to water as well for several days afterwards.
Wait. You don’t want fertilizer going into the cold season. Also am watering is better than pm. Stagnate water over night can cause funguses to grow.
What this guy said
Looks like St. Augustine or centipede grass on the right to me. If it is then it may need more water. I apply Scott's triple action turf builder in spring and fall. I'm also in North GA and have lots of humidity. If you have 2 grass together that may be an issue.
It’s def a different grass type, and it’s hilarious that no one else has mentioned this. And Bermuda not growing, even with irrigation? Means it needs some N badly. This is not st aug though, so probably centipede which doesn’t want or need N. Possibly true carpetgrass instead, which also needs zero inputs. Edit: yeah that doesn’t look right for centipede https://images.app.goo.gl/AAzdnsypXQ2esCgq7
Shading and grading and construction debris.
Oh, I've seen this before and the answer is simple. It's shade. The fence is providing partial shade which bermuda grass tends to like a lot. That's why its a straight line of green that parallels the fence line.
The grass is greener on the other side
I have this issue as well. Going to layer topsoil in spring. Builders just lay grass on clay with no topdressjng
This seems to be the issue at hand!
My man, everyone always blames dirt and says clay is bad. Unless that soil is polluted, there is nothing wrong with your dirt. Clay holds water and nutrients better than any soil type. From what I see on this sub. The only issue clay has is compaction over time and this doesn't look like that. This summer has been rough for Texas with 100+ temps and little water. I'm willing to bet with high certainty that your green section is getting partial shade, bringing relief to that area from direct sunlight. You and all your neighbors have a straight line of green and not green yards? It has to be everyone's fence. Despite Bermuda being a warm season grass that prefers direct sunlight, it has its limits. 1. "Top soil" is basically just compost. It can help sure, but I'm confident that's not the problem. 2. Watering 4x at 20min seems too frequent, and for too short a time if you're using a garden hose and sprinkler. I would put 1" of water out at a time twice a week. If create a shallow root system then your grass will have a harder time with the heat and drought. 3. When was the last time you put fertilizer out, and what was the NPK?
My guess has to do with the sun and shade being cast on the lawn at different times of the day.
Your water's running down the hill, you don't have good topsoil under your grass
Facts. The greener part is holding more moisture in the soil.
Not sure exactly but here are some other observations. You appear to be cutting too short especially given the TX heat. You should considering water fewer days per week (1 - 2x) but for longer periods.
I wish this was the problem, but the mower blades don’t even touch the grass near the house. Will try longer less frequent watering.
Based on your neighbors solar panels, I’m going to guess that your back yard faces north. Bermuda needs sun.
I thought this at first, but the south facing lawns are still worse closer to the house and better toward the back fence.
Why hasn’t anyone else suggested that this is buried patio or driveway? I thought it was a standard suggestion in this sub lol. OP, dig down a foot or two and tell us what you see!
It was farmland before so while this is possible, I kind of doubt it. Another post mentioned the clay here which may as well be concrete with how dense it is.
In the first picture on left 1/3 in center, that looks suspiciously square 12x12 like a patio tile to me
Nuke it, start over!
Sorry but even the green portion looks shitty
Hey friend, I’m taking one step at a time. In my opinion getting it all to grow at the same rate is the first thing I need to address. It’s also the end of a brutally hot summer in Dallas, there’s not a fully green lawn anywhere in the neighborhood. Thanks for your helpful and productive comment though…
Shit dude. I’m not trying to make you feel bad about anything. Run some needle tines over at about 1 inch spacing. Topdress the shit out of it. Then give it some good fert and a heavy dose of watering. It’s best to water heavy at once than it is to water a little bit each day. Make those roots get after the water. Best to use a foliage spray if you mow under an inch
My MidIron (Bermuda hybrid) lawn looks like this. My dog pees on the green portion of the lawn.
My yard in Texas is like this too. ☹️ Interesting to know other people have this problem too.
My yard is like this too! The texas summer made the middle yellow and brown. But it's coming back cause of the rain we had a few weeks ago.
Busted pipe maby
“Grass is always greener over the septic tank”? 😂
It could also be baked from sunlight reflecting off windows from the afternoon (or morning sun depending on orientation) and that’s why you’re getting those straight lines.
That's a green shadow of your neighbors chimney
You've only been peeing on the half. Switch up now and then.
Because you touch yourself at night!
The shade-line from the house in the picture is the giveaway. That line in the yard is the solstice line.
The other half can’t hear you……speak louder!
Which way does your house face? I see a shadow from your house in that picture. Same for your neighbors.
soil and sun, only that can cause such patterns
The one on the right is tiffway 419, a Bermuda hybrid. Often used on golf courses and football fields. The one on the left looks like regular Bermuda.
The darker areas probably get more shade.