It's bermuda. Wait. I need to emphasize that a little more. IT'S BERMUDA!!! This means you won't need seed. So that is one strike against your sprinkler contractor. Seriously, bermuda is well known around the world as the fastest growing turf grass there is. Most people think of it as a weed, but it does make an excellent, high quality, turf. You don't have to do anything and you'll have full coverage about a month after it comes out of dormancy. Trust me on this. Seeding into bermuda is about the biggest mistake new bermuda owners make. Seeded bermuda can cause you to have a weedy looking turf from now on. The best thing you could do is to make sure there is a crown over top of the sprinkler pipe trenches. If they left the trenches flat or even with the surrounding surface, then that is 2 more strikes against the contractor. Immediately put that contractor on your sh--list and get some more soil or sand. If you don't then in 3 years you'll know exactly where the trenches are, because the soil will have settled and sunk in. For something like a sprinkler it should crown up 1/2 to 3/4 inch higher than the surrounding soil.

If you decide to seed it anyway, seeding prior to June is almost always a waste of time. Bermuda seed needs hot soil and plenty of sunlight. Starting in about April we'll get questions from people who seeded in March and can't understand why their bermuda isn't coming in. Well, they did it too early. The additional benefit of waiting is that you'll know exactly where the grass is thin, if the grass is thin. And if the grass is thin, please take pictures from a distance and post them back here. Thin bermuda almost always comes from too much shade like a tree, fence, or house.

Did your sprinkler contractor set you up to water every day? They almost all do. You need to fix that immediately. This time of year your lawn needs deep watering once per month. Deep means 1 full inch all at one time. Time how long it takes your new sprinklers to fill some cat food or tuna cans placed around the yard. Remember that time because you'll use it every time you water from now on. The only thing that changes is the frequency of watering from monthly to every 3 weeks, 2 weeks, and then weekly in the hottest heat of summer. You should never water every day.

Where do you live?

I am on the north side of San Antonio. My Bermuda doesn't look like the bermuda I had when I lived in Dallas, I think it may be called Tiff Bermuda which I read had shorter runners. They did leave the crown and some of it filled in nicely. I have some bare spots that I would like to take care of. A neighbor did the same thing but used bermuda seed from the store and the shade of green is off and you can tell where he used the seed. So what is best for the larger bare spots, sod?

I do have deep watering set up. We had a good amount of rain earlier this year which helped and kept me out of watering restrictions.

Okay, great. I have a house in San Antonio near the Quarry Market and am moving to Bandera. Tiff bermuda is a hybrid, but it is more of a mutation. The genetics are the same, but the appearance and growth habit are much different. Tiff does not come in seed. The color and texture difference you see in your neighbors lawn is exactly the issue with seed into Tiff. Sod is the solution. Milbergers (inside Loop 1604 at Bulverde Road) sells it. Ask for Tiff 419. There is also a TifSports for about 10x more than the 419. You can do that now even while the grass is dormant. Call to see when they get deliveries so you can get the fresh stuff.

Even with watering restrictions I've kept a green lawn by deep watering. They give you 7 hours every week (or 2), and that has worked for me to get a full inch on it. As I look around, the San Antonio water restrictions are the closest I've seen to actually being effective. Many places in California restrict you to watering for a short time 3x per week. That's exactly wrong for lawns.

And your sprinkler contractor doesn't know much about bermuda.

If it has slow developing runners, it might be Tifdwarf or Tifgreen./.......419 runners are very rapid ...... as are most bermuda types. The fastest runners i have ever seen, is the seeded type- 'Panama'

If this is a brand new house and you can still find the contractor, ask him what he used. It was likely whatever he got cheap from the sod farm. The sod farms used in our area are the ones in Wharton just southwest of Houston. If they are buying in bulk, they'll deal directly with the farm instead of someone like Milburgers.

Thanks everyone. I will take a look and see. Not that it will help, I tried to take a close up of the grass to see. I already have some calls out to see about sod and taking a look for help on what type.

Keep that mowed to 1 inch, 2 times per week; fertilized monthly with high N; and watered no more than once a week in the summer heat and it will be gorgeous.

There really aren't that many types of sodded bermuda. By far and away the contractors prefer the cheap one, Tif 419. It is one of the best sods there is. Cheap means about $50 per pallet...as opposed to $250 per pallet for Tif Sport or one of the more exotic ones. The only reason 419 is cheap is the huge supply. It grows like a weed, harvests easily, and goes down very easily.

I was able to track down the landscaping company the builder used. It was Tifway 419. Thanks for all the help everyone!