New house and my first experience with a Bermuda lawn. Had some drainage issues when we first moved in, but got that resolved and getting the lawn to a good place.

On the way to church this morning I realized that there are a few patches, very close to the size of a square of sod, that are starting to look different from the rest. Am I looking at two types of Bermuda, is something else growing in large patches, or is my vision starting to catch up to my age?

I'm seeing nut sedge

Is that the little piece in the top picture?

I've been battling all sorts of weeds, so it wouldn't surprise me.. I'm an absolute beginner, so this has been a little if learning over the last couple of months.

After looking harder, I'm starting to think I'm just confusing the same type of Bermuda at different stages. They look the same but one is thicker and stiffer while the other is thinner and soft.

Looks like Bermuda mites as well in the first picture. Lower center and the yellowish part that's starting to form like a witches broom. I've been using Bifen XTS to see if it helps my mite issues.

What is your height of cut? Looks pretty tall for bermuda

El_duderino said:

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Looks like Bermuda mites as well in the first picture. Lower center and the yellowish part that's starting to form like a witches broom. I've been using Bifen XTS to see if it helps my mite issues.

What is your height of cut? Looks pretty tall for bermuda

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Should be a 2" cut height last I attempted to measure. It's the third setting on a basic TB push mower. I've been cutting every 7-10 days once it started coming out of dormancy.

The only thing that has touched the lawn so far is one round of Scotts Southern Lawn back in mid March and spot hitting some clover, nutsedge, and dandelions with Roundup.

This is a better shot of what I'm seeing with the thick patches. The left side is the thick area and the right is what most of the yard is. Still not the best picture, but I'm even worse at photography than I am at identifying grass, apparently.

The thick patch looks healthy and maybe it's TifTuf? Hard to tell on my phone as it's still a little close up of a pic. Maybe take one standing a bit further back to get a better idea?

Bermuda grass mites. On the last pic it looks like the left side is affected(stunted) and the right side normal. First pic definitely looks like mite damage. Google Bermuda grass mite. There is some pretty good info from Clemson.

I have been dealing with this for at least 3 years. The only treatment that is even remotely effective for me is abamectin. Bifen hasn't helped my yard at all.

Clemson article from 2021

El_duderino said:

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The thick patch looks healthy and maybe it's TifTuf? Hard to tell on my phone as it's still a little close up of a pic. Maybe take one standing a bit further back to get a better idea?

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Hopefully this picture is a little better at seeing the variation..

Dogdoc said:

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Bermuda grass mites. On the last pic it looks like the left side is affected(stunted) and the right side normal. First pic definitely looks like mite damage. Google Bermuda grass mite. There is some pretty good info from Clemson.

I have been dealing with this for at least 3 years. The only treatment that is even remotely effective for me is abamectin. Bifen hasn't helped my yard at all.

Clemson article from 2021

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After El_duderino suggested the same I spent an hour reading about them. I was hoping he was wrong but it's definitely looking like I have a problem on my hands.

I appreciate all y'all's help. I imagine I owe half the OB beers by now.

Scalp it with the bag on to avoid spreading the clippings. I've been trying my luck this year with Bifen XTS as it's labeled for mites as well. They first showed up last year during the god awful drought and 100 degree weather.

Do you happen to know what type of Bermuda you have?

DeltaGard G Granules Is another good product for Bermuda Grass Mites

Abamectin is also another one that supposedly works well. You just need a sprayer since i don't think it comes in granular form

If you can find any old Diazinon, it will take care of bermuda mites.

I definitely have a couple of patches of them, so I'm going to grab a couple of treatments suggested and I've read more about and give them a try in different spots. First, though, in going to drop the mower down a notch and attach the bag.

In mid March I threw down some Scotts southern lawn 32-0-10. I've read that they like a high nitrogen diet. Am I good to throw more down in a few weeks, or should I find something with less?

Landscaping crew definitely dumped a few squares of a different grass. They did the same thing at my last house. I should have made the builder come dig it up. I suggest you dig it up and lay some fresh Bermuda squares. Bermuda won't take that over like San Augustine.

Looks like some areas of common Bermuda coming through 419? The common will eventually outcompete the hybrid Bermuda

I have a text out to my builder to find out what kind is throughout the entire yard. It's definitely taller and softer than these short patches.

Maybe ammonium sulfate which is 21-0-0. I typically just use a triple 17 3 times a year and then use urea (46-0-0) in bare areas I want to fill in.

DrewAg27 said:

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Looks like some areas of common Bermuda coming through 419? The common will eventually outcompete the hybrid Bermuda

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This looks to be the case. Common is seeding up. I'm pretty sure the hybrid is celebration and is what's in the rest of the yard outside of 5-6 small patches.

From my reading, it looks like I'm in for a battle. I lowered my cut height, but yard is too uneven to get really short without scalping half of it.

Anyone find anything that works removing the common?

Only real way to do it is nuke it with round up, re-level ground, and then re-lay new celebration over the dead spots

It's ugly for a bit, but the common will continue to overtake it if left unchecked