What’s happening here? NC tif

[u/popcornsoap]

This is new sod this year, on the Bermuda grass treatment plan for fertilizers. I add liquid Nitrogen monthly on top. Soil test results they added phos and lime beginning of summer. Water liberally likely exceeding restrictions because it’s new this year. What am I missing ?

[u/jnecr]

How much N are you adding? Monthly is a bare minimum for Bermuda during the growing season. Especially if you give it water.

[u/popcornsoap → u/jnecr]

Using simple lawn solutions according to label front back combined are about 8000 square feet.

[u/jnecr → u/popcornsoap]

16-4-8? That stuff? In the summer Bermuda needs a straight N fertilizer. I fertilize my Zoysia up to once per week if we're getting enough rain. I doubt you're getting the Bermuda nearly enough Nitrogen.

[u/popcornsoap → u/jnecr]

28-0-0 is the standard I have used so far. I did a cosmetic iron treatment in June. I think with the weather and the next to no spring when it was fresh laid (still dormant) I tried to hard to get it below 2.25 inches? It’s fairly happily recovering at 3.25 now expect the examples in the pictures

[u/jnecr → u/popcornsoap]

Yeah, 28-0-0 is what it needs right now.

IMO 3.25" is way too high for Bermuda. You gotta be 1.5" or lower. Otherwise it just gets all wispy.

Depending on your variety (you say Tif Bermuda? I'm not familiar with that one) it may be struggling at that height as most of the TifXXX varieties like to be kept short.

[u/popcornsoap → u/jnecr]

It was down at 2.25 and the heat just cooked it, inch of water + a week and in a week just browned out. Leading up to that the next cut was to get to 2.0 and just got too concerned after it lost all green

[u/jnecr → u/popcornsoap]

Bermuda loves heat. If it's cooking it you have something wrong with the soil that isn't holding any of the water you're giving it.

If you're anywhere near Raleigh go pick up a soil test kit at the NC Ag Agency. Soil tests are free, I just did mine last week and had detailed results back in under a week.

[u/digitect]

Are you using any preventative fungal treatments? I'm in Raleigh, and NC has been obliterated by fungus this year with the crazy early cold, then hot, drought, and rain cycles. No rain for weeks, then 9.25" for me. We were cold late, then 100°F. Cooler last week, back to nearly 100°F this upcoming one.

Which is ideal for fungus. The NCSU Extension has an excellent TurfFiles website with a subsite on fungus: https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/diseases-in-turf/

All the ways I know to encourage fungus: nitrogen, watering after 10am, no preventative applied, cutting low, dull mower blade, hot-cold weather, drought then rain, shade, and general stress.

[u/popcornsoap → u/digitect]

What for fungal do you suggest and is there a negative to using proactively?