Newbie here who needs help searching

[mayday0017]

I am new to the forum and don't want to ask the same questions that have been asked 100x or more on here but I can't seem to find what I am looking for... Maybe I don't know the correct words to search by, but can someone point me to the information that does know the right words to search with?

Things I am looking to find answers for:

How do I remove Bermuda from my back yard that is part Bermuda part St. Augustine?

How do you know what height to cut your grass at?

I installed a sprinkler system over the winter, how should I set it to encourage deep root growth, not over water, and have a beautiful yard?

Also any other links that could be helpful to a newbie would be great too, I like reading and learning but starting with useful information is much better then digging trying to find the useful info for me and getting frustrated.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks everyone

[Mightyquinn]

Welcome mayday!!!!! Don't worry about searching for answers we are more than happy to answer your questions and help you on your way. The more you are here and the more you learn it will be easier to do a search if you want but I don't mind answering the same questions over and over we were all there at one point.

It will be a long road and almost impossible to remove the bermuda from the St. Augustine but the first thing you can do is start to mow the St. Augustine on the highest setting on your mower to encourage the SA to grow in thick and discourage the bermuda.

The goal for watering in one inch a week and all at once but that may have to be adjusted depending on soil and temperature.

I am sure the other SA experts will be by here soon to give you more detailed info, all I know is the basics for it.

[Begotten]

as far as mowing heights go, the book generally says bermuda is best at an inch or less, and st. augustine 3-4". i've found my st. aug looks and does best with a 5" cut so it's something you can experiment with yourself, but i wouldn't go below 3" during summer.


i'm not familiar with how moist the houston area generally is, but where i am the st. augustine usually doesn't need more than what nature provides with rainfall. over watering has actually done more harm than good for mine in the past so i'm fairly mindful of it now.

[andy10917]

and have a beautiful yard?

We're ** ALL ** looking for results for THAT search phrase...

[cactus]

Welcome Mayday.
Getting bermuda out of St. Augustine is a tough nut. You're not going to find anything over-the-counter at the local box store, and there really aren't that many options available to the professional applicators either - at least nothing that's federally approved or cheap.
Your best bet is to not let the St. Augustine get drought stressed (the bermuda will outcompete in drought conditions), don't water so much that you open the St. Augustine up to fungal problems, and then mow as high as you possibly can. The St. Augustine might be able to shade out some of the bermuda, but I've never seen it totally effective when the turf gets plenty of sunshine to begin with.

For your irrigation system, you need to make sure you know that your coverage is uniform and what the rates are for each zone (measure using a tuna can or something similar). Then MQ is right - you want to target about an inch of moisture per week during the hot summer season, but applied all at once. Of you're putting down 1/7th of an inch every day, you're going to grow weeds. If it rains more than 1/4", add a couple of days to your irrigation interval. If you've been watering frequently already, you're roots might still be shallow and you won't be able to go the full interval right away. You might need to work up to it. Watch your turf, and it will let you know when it's stressed for moisture. There is an article on this site about irrigation amounts if you really want to get technical about it.
You might also need to modify the irrigation schedule if your lawn won't accept 1" of irrigation all at once (either by ponding or run-off). These issues will need to be addressed as well.

Gotta go - time to jam.

[mayday0017]

Wow what a great forum!

I guess let me give a little more information since everyone is so friendly and ready to help vs typical forum where you better do your reading before asking any questions.

I bought this house 2.5 years agoand the yard was really bad. I spent the first year trying to get it better myself and didn't see very good results (honestly I didn't put in the effort in needed). So the 2nd season I heard about Truegreen and while I don't like their "do the same thing to every yard" approach it is better then I was doing. The 2nd season it got a little better but still wasn't happy... So from there the piece of the puzzle that was missing was water. Over the winter I added a sprinkler system that was professionally designed and installed by myself. I started watering 3x a week and have been doing so since (mon, wed, fri). I would guess (but I need to measure), that I am putting down very close to 1" of water and the yard seems to be loving it. I am mowing every 5 days, almost all of my trenches are grown over now, the bald spot I fought in the front yard for the previous 2 seasons is almost 100% gone, I am seeing really good results.

So what I'm hearing is I need to play with the water and make sure I am not over watering and back off to 1/2" 2x a week (I know I can't do 1" 1 day a week due to run off at least in the front). Does it matter if the yard has large trees in it?

As for removing the bermuda, if it's not overly mixed in (there is almost a line) can I cut that area very very short. Maybe lay something like some plastic down to kill it or at least make it struggle. Then come back and get a pallet of fresh St. Augustine sod and cover the area with it. I don't mind having some Bermuda here or there I think the St. Augustine will choak it out in time if I keep it happy. I just hate how one 1/2 of the back yard needs to be cut at one time and the other 1/2 at another. To top it off the St. Augustine right before the Bermuda looks so thick and happy (hoping the rest of the yard gets to be as impressive as it is).

I guess I'll throw in one new question/comment. I also want to do a little leveling, there are small holes here and there making some what of a bumpy yard. There are also some small hills from old ant bed problems. My current plan of action has been to focus on getting the grass to grow correctly and be very healthy and established. Then once that is complete worry about bringing in dirt/sand as needed (If needed). Is this the correct approach?

I will try and upload a pic or 2 of the yard as it sits for reference later today.

[spencer777]

Depending on the size of your area you could spray the area with soapy water and sprinkle the bermuda with baking soda. Also I would take a leaf of your SA grass to garden center and compare the size. I cut my front at 4" and back at 2.3"(tried at 4" but looked thin.

[ Post made via Android ]

[cactus]

So what I'm hearing is I need to play with the water and make sure I am not over watering and back off to 1/2" 2x a week (I know I can't do 1" 1 day a week due to run off at least in the front). Does it matter if the yard has large trees in it?

If you have run-off problems, the preferred solution would be to water 1/2" (or whatever the soil will take without runoff), wait an hour or two, and then apply another 1/2", etc. The irrigation is applied "all at once" over the course of several hours. The trees will tend to suck up a lot of water, but they also add shade. You'll need to watch the grass for signs of stress to determine how your yard behaves.

As for removing the bermuda, if it's not overly mixed in (there is almost a line) can I cut that area very very short. Maybe lay something like some plastic down to kill it or at least make it struggle. Then come back and get a pallet of fresh St. Augustine sod and cover the area with it.

If you're willing to kill off the bermuda and replace with SA sod, then that's the way to go. I'd use Roundup to remove the bermuda, wait a couple of weeks and apply a 2nd round of herbicide. You'll want to do that know while the bermuda is active, but then you'll be needing frequent irrigation to keep your new SA sod happy through the hot summer.

My current plan of action has been to focus on getting the grass to grow correctly and be very healthy and established. Then once that is complete worry about bringing in dirt/sand as needed (If needed). Is this the correct approach?

Depends on how much leveling you're planning on doing, but it sounds okay to me. You want vigorous turf that will grow up through the top-dressing. Now if you are killing off the bermuda to lay sod, then you should level those areas before the SA goes down.

[cactus]

Depending on the size of your area you could spray the area with soapy water and sprinkle the bermuda with baking soda.

My experience is that bermuda is about as tolerant of the baking soda as is the St. Augustine. Baking soda is usually offered as a control for crabgrass.