Need Advice on Bermuda

coach – posted 08 January 2005 08:06

I am new to Bermuda and live in Midland Texas. Anything special I need to put on it in the winter? Thanks for your help!

Coach

ted – posted 08 January 2005 11:35

as usual, you need to soil test it. i’m sure a little 5-10-31 or 6-24-24 type of fert. formulation wouldn’t hurt, although i’m not sure of your temps there. i’m assuming it’s totally brown now?

coach – posted 09 January 2005 08:23

Thanks Ted! Our Temps are pretty mild. Avg low mid 30s avg high 60s. It will get as cold as 20s and as hot as 70s. Yes it is all brown.

I see fertilizers advertized as winterizers??? Do I need some thing of that nature?

ted – posted 09 January 2005 16:03

yeah, i’m from houston- the other end of the state. the winterizer fertilizers are the ones that i described, with high last numbers. they help protect the bermuda grass from the cold snaps you’ve described and other stresses. really recommend soil testing to determine what’s up with the nutrient needs of your grass. a good soil test will give you exact recommendations on what to use and when. you could do some spot weed control now, with 24d or if it’s cold enough, you could use roundup. just make sure your bermuda is really brown and you’re not anywhere near warm temps.- like in the 50’s or lower temps. when you start to warm up in the 70’s ( march?) start hammering it with the high nitrogen content ferts. – like 24-5-11 or something. not a whole lot to do right now on a warm weather grass in your locale.

coach – posted 13 January 2005 21:01

Thanks Ted!!!

mikemaas00 – posted 20 January 2005 12:29

Be sure to use a preemergent herbicide along with your fertilizers. I use Lesco products such as pre-m 5-10-20 and pre-m 16-2-16. These kill the weeds before they germinate in the spring. This will keep your crabgrass at bay. Spot spray with a 2-4,d product right now to kill winter weeds. And remember, bermuda likes nitrogen…you’ll probably have to fertilize once a month when it gets green here in march or so. Don’t spray for weeds when temps start to get in the 80s.

coach – posted 23 January 2005 08:50

Thanks Mikemaas00

After you put down the preemergent do you water it in??

You guys are dealing with a rookie here!!

ted – posted 23 January 2005 14:40

absolutely water it in- it won’t be able to bind with the soil- you don’t want laying on top of the grass or thatch. remember unless you can get a Lesco to sell you these products, you won’t have the kind of results that pros would get, so don’t get too excited about the results you would get from a local hardware store. you might try a ag co-op /farm store type of place- they actually carry alot of products that contain the same active ingredients as the pro products, but of course you would always need to check the label first….