Help a new guy out...

Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bahia, Paspalum, etc
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Slingblade92
Posts: 1
Joined: March 22nd, 2021, 12:41 pm
Location: North Alabama
Grass Type: Bermuda
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Help a new guy out...

Post by Slingblade92 » March 23rd, 2021, 3:56 pm

I live in Limestone County in North Alabama. I have lived in my current home for 4 years and have never truly gotten "control" of my Bermuda lawn. I am at a point where I am ready to commit to proper care and maintenance of the lawn above and beyond the normal post-emergent sprays, occasional fertilizing and weekly mowing.

So...I have lots of questions. I'll just throw them out there and anyone can feel free to answer them in-line or point me in the right direction. I'd really appreciate it.

1. I would like to dethatch and aerate my lawn this year. When should I do that? I have scalped the lawn for the first time a few days ago but will need to go over it again to make sure I've got it low enough. I'm assuming I should do it after that--but should I dethatch and aerate on the same day? Does it matter?

2. I've never applied pre-emergent. Things have begun to bloom around where I live so I'm assuming it may be too late? What is the best budget friendly pre-emergent to use on Bermuda lawns? Also (and more importantly) when should I apply pre-emergent in relationship to when I dethatch and aerate?

3. Fertilizer. I started using Milorganite as my only fertilizer a year or two ago and have seen mediocre results--though I suspect some of this is due to thatch buildup and sparse/irregular application. So my question is... what type/how often/how much fertilizer should I apply? When should I do this in relationship to dethatching/aerating/pre-emergent?

4. Weed control... when I scalped a few days ago, I cut a TON of weeds. "Purple flower" type weeds... clover... dandelions.. etc. Since these have already germinated, what is the best post-emergent to use that can be used whole-lawn and is forgiving to Bermuda?

I'm sure I'll have more questions later... but thank you in advance for helping out someone who is new to this!

bpgreen
Posts: 3871
Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: Help a new guy out...

Post by bpgreen » March 24th, 2021, 12:44 am

I'm not a warm season grass guy. But I wouldn't aerate and I'd only dethatch if 2 had a thatch layer that was preventing water from getting to the root zone.

I can't help with any of the rest.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3341
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: Help a new guy out...

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » March 28th, 2021, 5:26 pm

1. If you have scalped the grass down to the stolons, there is no thatch. However, having said that, bermuda seems to become stimulated from a spring slicing, which is just like dethatching. As for aeration, the new thing is to use a surfactant instead of aerating. I used baby shampoo but you can use any shampoo that you can see through. Morpheuspa likes the apple scented shampoo you can get at Dollar Tree. The application rate is 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. If you had 3,000 square feet, you'd put 9 ounces of shampoo into a hose end sprayer. Fill the tank with water and spray it all out evenly over the 3,000 square feet.

2. I've never applied pre-emergent, either. I have used corn gluten meal, but that doesn't work, so I don't call it a preemergent. I hear Prodiamine products work, but have never used them.

3. Bermuda can take all the high N fertilizer you can give it on a monthly basis. If you are going to get serious, then plan to fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks. If you are not thrilled with Milorganite, I am going to suggest an off beat alternative. Fish food. Tractor Supply carries catfish food and trophy fish food which is much higher in protein content than Milorganite. I would apply at 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet every 4-6 weeks. I believe this fish feed will go through a broadcast spreader but not through a drop spreader. The size of the pellets is about the same as a peppercorn. Once you get the spreader setting dialed in, write the setting on the bag so you'll remember it. All you have to be is close.

4. Give the weeds until mid April and then spray with Weed-g-Gon or Weed-g-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. Remember it is a foliar spray, not a soil drench.

More important that 1-4 above is proper watering. This time of year you should be deep watering (1 inch) about once every 3-4 weeks. As the temps warm up to summer heat, decrease the interval to once per week (5-7 days). You can measure 1 inch using tuna or cat food cans placed around the yard and time how long it takes to fill them. That will be your permanent watering time. All you change is the frequency.

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