[balistek]

So front yard is meh. Maybe next year I can sod it. But I have some st Aug and surprisingly some common bermuda. For funsies, would u guys cut low. Stress the SA, buy some common bermuda see and try to get it to spread. Please if ore the nut wedge, weeds, bald spots, etc. Almost feel like it's a 50/50 now between the grasses. I want bermuda. I'm tempted to try to push that grass type. What u guys think

On to embarrassing pics

 

[Tellycoleman]

Ok i have a few imputs. but first

How many square feet of grass do you have?
Do you have an irrigation system?

Depending on your expectations, lawn size and budget I would not do common bermuda.

oh and before you decide on bermuda. It likes to be cut short. Very short. Your lawn will need a serious leveling job if you want to have a Yard of the month Bermuda lawn. St Aug is more forgiving with a very uneven lawn.

 

[Ware]

...I would not do common bermuda.

+1

 

[balistek]

front is 2600ish, no irrigation, I have a rain bird kit u buy at lowes for irrigation, paid like 130 for it. This is the year to pay off debt, I will come back strong 2019. I'm gonna be in this house for another 5-10 years. I want bermuda, I'll do the necessary prep and sod it, with proper irrigation in the future, the back yard will be st.aug. I got a dog and young kids. They can mess up that grass, but I really want a trophy lawn next year. My yard just looks terrible. I figure a bag of seed is what 50 bucks. I got some impact sprinklers. I dont mind mowing the bermuda at like 2" if I have too. Just looking for something to entertain me for this season. Almost got all my trenching done today in the back for a sump pump. So im slowly making improvements to the area. Just looking for something to make cutting the grass less depressing for this season. I love to mow, just front yard is embarrassing

 

[Mightyquinn]

It will be easier to remove the SA from the bermuda than the other way around so my recommendation would be to encourage the bermuda. If you can, I would mow it 2-3 times a week and make sure you are applying at least 1 lb of Nitrogen/K a month, you could probably go up to 1.5 lbs of N/K if you need to. Just keep feeding, watering and mowing often an I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't fill almost all the way in by the end of the year.

What herbicides do you have on hand that could take care of the weeds? You could probably rake up some of those bare spots to give the bermuda something easier to grow into also.

I take it, since you live in Southern Louisiana the temps there are already favorable for growth as that bermuda looks pretty healthy for this time of year.

 

[Ware]

The problem with seeding bermuda is it is difficult to kill and you're not going to want it in the mix when you sod next year with a better variety. You'll also be fighting weeds all summer because you can't use a pre-e if you plan on seeding. I would focus your energy on the end game and only do things you will not have to undo next spring (e.g. leveling).

 

[Spammage]

I would find a herbicide to weaken/kill the St Augustine, mow low and often, feed and water and see what you have. You may find the existing bermuda is fine when properly maintained.

 

[balistek]

It will be easier to remove the SA from the bermuda than the other way around so my recommendation would be to encourage the bermuda. If you can, I would mow it 2-3 times a week and make sure you are applying at least 1 lb of Nitrogen/K a month, you could probably go up to 1.5 lbs of N/K if you need to. Just keep feeding, watering and mowing often an I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't fill almost all the way in by the end of the year.

What herbicides do you have on hand that could take care of the weeds? You could probably rake up some of those bare spots to give the bermuda something easier to grow into also.

I take it, since you live in Southern Louisiana the temps there are already favorable for growth as that bermuda looks pretty healthy for this time of year.

My thoughts exactly. I have image atrazine and Celsius. Also have prodiamine. I it would be near impossible to kill the bermuda and save the st Aug. Instead of seed. Maybe I will just encourage growth. That was my intent with question. Just thought seeding would expedite the process. Would cutting at 2" be suffient. I know it's based on level of yard. But I think I could get that in most areas. Also. I plan to aearte and maybe I can get some sanding down this year

 

[Mightyquinn]

Yeah, I think 2" would be fine. You will be surprised at how fast it will spread and fill in a lot of those bare areas. Just stay after the weeds to give more space for the bermuda to grow into. If you already have a decent amount of bermuda(which I think you do), you will rarely ever need to add seed as the bermuda will fill in on it's own.

 

[tnlynch81]

Like the others said I would not waiste money or time on seed. I would get a soil test done so you can fix any soil issues. This will also give you a head start in case you still want to lay sod next year. Put some milorganite down soon and focus on getting rid of weeds, and mowing.

 

[Colonel K0rn]

Good suggestions in this thread. My $0.02 of input is that you shouldn't feel embarrassed about your yard. We all start somewhere, and with the information and help that I got from this forum, I'm getting closer to the yard that I want.

What's going to be easiest for the lawn to thrive is to reduce the weed pressure off of the grass as much as you can. Get your pre-emergent(PreM) down ASAP, this will help you combat the summer weeds that are going to hinder any progress that you make the rest of the year. Once you get the weeds dealt with, then focus on getting your soil in optimal condition where you can have good success with next year's work.

What's going to be most helpful is getting your soil test, and that will dictate on what you need to fertilize with. St. Aug likes a different pH over Bermuda. The test will help you determine what amendments to make.

Take the time to read up on the cultural practices for Bermuda, if that's the grass type that you want to encourage. Mowing is going to be the best cultural practice that you can practice, and Bermuda likes to be mowed low and often. You don't have to spring for a greens mower, just get a push Scott's reel mower off of Craigslist, or a new one from Home Depot. It's $99. That's what I started with.

I'm giving you these points of advice, because that's exactly what I did for the back yard of my house. And when I say that you don't have to feel embarrassed, you don't. The pictures below are what I was able to get with 3 months of work, and letting the bermuda that was there do it's thing. It's even further out right now.

Before TLF


After TLF


Feb 28th of this year

 

[balistek]

Like the others said I would not waiste money or time on seed. I would get a soil test done so you can fix any soil issues. This will also give you a head start in case you still want to lay sod next year. Put some milorganite down soon and focus on getting rid of weeds, and mowing.

Thanks. Yes I need to do that. I put a bag per month of milo last season. I've been digging flower beds in the front and found a good bit of healthy looking earth worms. I might be better to do synthetic fast release N with the bermuda now though huh? Milo could take awhile to give that bermuda a punch

 

[Tellycoleman]

The problem with seeding bermuda is it is difficult to kill and you're not going to want it in the mix when you sod next year with a better variety. You'll also be fighting weeds all summer because you can't use a pre-e if you plan on seeding. I would focus your energy on the end game and only do things you will not have to undo next spring (e.g. leveling).

I agree i know you want something cheep to put down i would put down perennial rye grass instead of bermuda. You are just gonna have a time killing that common bermuda when you finally are able for a renovation. I would start to price sod. You would be surprised how cheap it could be with only 2000K of sod. I think you would be happy with rye grass in the interim and its easy to kill and will give you a nice quick lawn.

 

[tnlynch81]

I would do a blend of synthetic and milo. Just keep it at about 1 pound N per thousand for your total application. Just make sure you are mostly out of dormancy. Don't want to try and pull it out too quickly.

 

[balistek]

I had a busy day and took advice from this forum and applied it today. Was a busy day. Decided to promote the bermuda I have now for this season. Reassess next spring and go from there. Today went to Lowe's. I bought a steel rake and some starter fertilizer. I also cut the grass twice bringing it down. I put down some Scott's turf builder feet, and I put down some prodiamine. I will admit. I need to calibrate my sprayer better. I ended up with more product then I thought. That will be next purchase. However, products are down. I also used the take to remove some dead material in the bald spots to promote growth. The bermuda looks good. Lots of runners. I am watering in the products now. I will create a lawn journal thread for myself to keep track for my benefit and hopefully others entertainment. Thank you all for your sound advice. Pic for today watering It in.

 

[Colonel K0rn]

I had a busy day and took advice from this forum and applied it today. Was a busy day. Decided to promote the bermuda I have now for this season. Reassess next spring and go from there. Today went to Lowe's. I bought a steel rake and some starter fertilizer. I also cut the grass twice bringing it down. I put down some Scott's turf builder feet, and I put down some prodiamine. I will admit. I need to calibrate my sprayer better. I ended up with more product then I thought. That will be next purchase. However, products are down. I also used the take to remove some dead material in the bald spots to promote growth. The bermuda looks good. Lots of runners. I am watering in the products now. I will create a lawn journal thread for myself to keep track for my benefit and hopefully others entertainment. Thank you all for your sound advice. Pic for today watering It in.

:thumbup: Hey that looks good! Just let Mother Nature do the rest, keep it mowed, and you'll have a lawn you can be proud of in a few weeks. The temps here are slowly starting to rise, daily, but Spring can't get here soon enough. That groundhog foiled my plans for a nice Spring green-up.

 

[balistek]

Been cutting every 2-3 days. Just lowered to lowest setting on a toro 22 recycler. Sourced some sand for around July when it really growing.

Baby steps

 

[balistek]

Just an update. About a 1.5 months of better cultural practice. Spot sprayed celsius. 2 apps of sedge hammer. 2 apps of fertilizer. One synthetic. Last app of milo at just over 1lb N rate. I also hand brushed some weeds with glyphosate. I did this after work. Ran out of day light. Not bad for a month or so considering the lower than normal temps

 

[Ware]

Lookin' good!

 

[Colonel K0rn]

Coming along nicely! Once the weather warms up, you're going to have those bare spots fill in, and by the time the heat of summer comes, you'll be enjoying looking out on your grass covered lawn. Nice work.