bermuda damaged badly!

bermudalawn – posted 04 May 2005 13:57

I live in atlanta, i have a small lot about 1/4 acre, and I want to keep it perfect! No matter how much work or fertilizer, etc. it takes, i want my yard to look like a golf course…

here is what i have done so far:

1) i spot killed the pesky weedy grasses with roundup (big mistake!) now i have several dead areas… will these ever regrow?

2) I used the highest level slow-release nitrogen from home depot, i think it was 29-0-0 or 36-0-0. I put that on the yard in mid-march, and applied again yesterday (may)

3) I got the ortho max2 from home depot and it killed a lot of the broadleaf weeds, but there are still pesky thin-leaf varieties in the yard.

How can I get my dead areas to regrow?What is the best (most-potent) weed killer to use to kill everything but the bermuda?What type of fertilizers should i be using at this point?

I don’t cut the grass very often, about once per month because it doesn’t grow much. I’ve read that mowing encourages growth, but it seems that i keep cutting everything off and then it takes another month to green up again…

**side note** I also have several dips and holes where the builder didn’t smooth it out very well. What should I do to fill in and make the yard as smooth as a golf course? I tried sand, but it takes FOREVER! and how do I spread it? By hand?

Any advise is greatly appreciated! I want to have the best looking yard in my neighborhood, and have no clue where to start…

Buck – posted 05 May 2005 09:05

You’re not going to go from a pasture to a golf course overnight. But, are you really committed to having golf course quality turf? If so, better get used to mowing at about 1/2″ and likely every 3 or 4 days. Now, to do this you will need to level it out. Don’t know the sitaution you have but as described I think I would eliminate everything you now have, weeds (a lot of them I guess) and turf – Roundup and then again a week to 10 days later. You want it all dead. Then take a soil test, add lime if necessary, till, rake, roll, mix topsoil, whatever, to get it flat or only gentle contours and then a good quality sod or sprig. This is going to get you there a lot faster than dealing with weeds, dips, holes, and what sounds like a not very good base.

Don’t know where you got the idea that bermuda needs only high N fertilizer, but that is not the case. Generally a ratio of 5-1-2 or so is preferred. Also, to prevent weeds in the future apply a good quaility pre emergent, maybe Dimension, in the fall, late winter and then again around March 1. Much easier to keep the weeds out than to deal with them after they have sprouted.

By the way, spriging is not a bad alternative to sod and a whole lot cheaper. I put about 20,000 sq feet in with 419 sprigs and in less than 6 weeks it was as good as can be.

Lastly, golf course turf and maintenance is not cheap – but if you want the best lawn on the block it is within reach.