Yeap

Absolutely. We found out after a few years that the home builders didn't clean out debris or tons of rocks.

Agreed - I've found out numerous times in our yard where there are bare/patches of dirt surrounded by lush Bermuda, there is generally a problem beneath the soil - I've found debris, tree roots, rocks, and even busted sections of drainage pipes a few inches beneath the soil and once cleared and the soil amended, the Bermuda quickly grows right back in.

Its slow using the runner method but it works and it's free. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it can root itself.

I very carefully watch the lawn for any signs of struggle. During intense heat, if I see parts of the lawn start to turn grayish-green, I water that spot. As of right now, I water twice a week at 0.75 inches each watering. I also put down hydretain. Also worth to add, if its over 95 degrees, I go out and just hand water the lawn on a mist setting. This allows me to cool down the lawn mid day.

Not much choice there. Better to hard scape that side and just plant shade tolerant plants.

Zeon Zoysia

Creeping red fescue

I thought about that, I was afraid it might be noticeable

@@TheALG Nothing will match perfectly but I think it might be the closest match that has more shade tolerance. I can live with some difference rather than patchy spots. Others might need perfection. 😀 I bought some sod for an area and trying it out. The fine texture matches pretty close. The color match closeness might depend on the flavor of Bermuda grass already established.

Let me know later on how it looks when winter comes around. I am curious to find out when bermuda goes dormant, how soon does the zoysia goes dormant. I was also concerned that the zoysia would take over when bermuda goes to sleep.

No, find a screw driver and see if it can go down easily. It's likely you have something hard under the soil. Worst case, maybe the soil is very compacted. If you find there are no hard objects them top dress that small spot with 50%playsand and 50% mushroom compost or black cow soil.

@TheALG with water soil is not as compacted I'm that area but easily becomes compacted compared to the other areas. Idk I should dig all that up to make sure there aren't brick or debris from the home build years ago.

You can try to dig and see, or you can top dress that spot. Only top dress of you can confirm there's nothing hard on the first 5 inches of soil.

@TheALG After digging, I took out many big rocks and soda cans and a brick from the home build in 2000. The biggest issue I found was hard cement in the soil that is connected to the driveway from the pour. I need to dig more, but as of now, it is about 8" deep and over 3' all around and only about 2" in depth from the driveway line. Now I have more work with a sledgehammer or a jackhammer because of a crap job from the builders.

That's unfortunate, lazy builders. You should be fine at about 8 to 12 inches, no need to go deeper.