Bermuda Lawn Care Schedule?
Question:I have bermuda grass on my new home in Dallas. it was planted in December of 2006. For the most part the grass is doing good, there are some dead spots that are i am trying to fill up with bermuda seeds.
my problem is that i have alot of crab grass on my lawn that grows super fast and makes my lawn look really bad, is there something i can do about that?
Also what is the best fertilization, weed control, watering schedule for this type of grass? Next year when should i apply the crabbgrass and other weed control?
Please advise..
Answers:
I grew up in Memphis, TN where all of the beautifully kept lawns are Bermuda or Zoysia. As for the Bermuda grass, we always had great luck with ours. What I would suggest for the dead spots is to plug the area with a piece of your Bermuda grass sod. Just dig up a small piece about the size of a softball and plug it into the middle of the dead spot. Fertilize with Ammonia Nitrate and water, water, water and the Bermuda grass will spread so fast. We did an entire acre of yard this way, so it can be done. As for the weeds, there used to be a product out there called ANSAR that was wonderful for killing the crabgrass and other weeds but it has been outlawed in its original strength. It has been released for sale in a weaker solution and been outlawed and released again, etc so that isn't an option any more but you could go to your local CO OP and ask for advice on killing the weeds. You don't want to fertilize the weeds so I wouldn't recommend fertilizing the Bermuda grass right now, even though you could. You can also pull weeds (been there, done that) and that is really the most efficient way to get rid of them but if your yard is large or you have too many weeds, I understand that that is not an option. Just get your CO OP to recommend something for the weeds and hopefully you can spray the lawn when there is going to be an extended dry period and when the weeds are crispy brown, then pour the Ammonia Nitrate and water to the lawn and your yard will be the envy of the neighborhood. It will look like a golf course! Hope this helps!!
I live in McKinney and use Scott lawn fertilizer, the new housing development that I live in has a lot of Sand underneath the sod (2" or so). I double to opening size on my spreader, and do it every 6 weeks.
Weeds, if you follow Scott's program on the bags, it has worked for me great for weed control and Fertilizer. If your weeds are really thick, you can use MSMA you can put it in a pump sprayer- but only do this in the heat of summer. If nights get too cool it does not work. Follow the mixing instructions.
Soil Sample - I would suggest you take a soil sample and have it tested, since you have no base spec's for your soil.
Watering - water in 1" per week at one time. Do not water every other day for 3 days. You need to deep water your grass. If it is very hot and dry like last summer you many need to do it twice per week.
Hope this helps
I was just at the garden center yesterday, asking about the same problem. I also live in the Dallas area.
There are two kinds of weeds. Grassy and Broadleaf. Crabgrass and nutshedge, which are currently in my yard, are grassy. Dandelions and clover, also a probelm, are broadleaf. To treat the crabgrass, you need to by a post-emergent grassy weed killer, and spot treat the areas of crabgrass. Multiple treatments 7-10 days apart may be needed. For broadleaf weeds, you can either buy a broadleaf killer for spot treating, or use a weed and feed if you have not yet fertilized your lawn this year. But be careful, grassy weeds can become a bigger problem when fertilized. The lawn needs to be wet when putting down weed and feed so the product sticks to the weed's leaves.
When spot treating weeds directly, be sure the lawn is dry and try to not water the lawn for a couple days, and try to avoid rain. This gives the plant longer to absorb the killer through the leaves and roots.
To prevent future weeds, use a granular preventative weed control product you put down with a spreader. I started using Lesco brand. Make sure to follow directions, and water in well, or it can burn your lawn. It is a good idea to put down preventative in the late winter/early spring (before things green up), summer, and fall. Amounts vary for each time, so read the bag carefully.
Slow release granular fertilizer can be put down every 8 weeks starting when things green up. Be sure not to fertilize too late into the fall. The grass needs to go dormant for winter. I've had good results from Lesco 15-5-10 fertilizer.
I also bought a kitchen scale so I can weigh the product for each section of yard. The bag will tell you how many square feet it covers. Dividing the total pounds by sqaure feet it covers gives you how many pounds per square foot to use. Then figure out the square footage of each section of lawn, and measure out the right amount. I find this to be much more accurate than the number setting on a spreader.
Using weed killer may hurt the newly seeded areas where you are trying to grow new grass. It is a good idea to solve one problem at a time.
Bermuda grass is drought tolerant, so it needs food more than water. But it is still a good idea to give it one inch of water per week. You can track rainfall in your area at www.weather.com and click on the "month" forecast. Go back and look at previous days rainfall totals. If it rains an inch during the week, no need to water. If there has not been rain, it is better to water in a full inch in one day, rather than watering a little over multiple days. This sends the water deeper for better root systems. You can put down a pie plate or other container when running the sprinkler to see how long it takes to put down one inch of water. If you have an in ground sprinkler system, it can put down an inch surprisingly fast. We had a high water bill before I discovered how quickly it puts out water.
My area is in drought restrictions, so I can only water on one day at certain times. Be sure you check out any water restrictions in your area so you don't get fined.
It is also important to keep up with regular mowing, so that you only cut 25-30% of the blade of grass with each mowing. This prevents thatch build up in the lawn, and keeps the grass more healthy. When you fertilize, you will likely need to mow more often.
Good luck!
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