Prograss/Bermuda Control

hankhill – posted 05 June 2007 01:22

Earlier this year, I tried using Prograss to beat back patches ofBermuda that have been invading my St. Augustine lawn. I prepared atank mix of Prograss and atrazine with middle-of-the-roadconcentrations, and some blue tracker. After checking the weather fora clear day, I sprayed in the morning. I went a little overboard onsome areas–double spraying. Here’s what I found. Nothing for 1-2weeks. Then a complete kill of the above ground Bermuda that I hadsprayed. The St. Augustine stayed mostly green, even in the doublesprayed areas, so I was pretty happy at that point.

However, later events soured me a bit on the approach. In about amonth, after the rest of the lawn was in full growth–it had greened upat the time of spraying, but not started growth–I noticed that theareas I had sprayed where not growing at all. The St. Augustinewasn’t dead–it was green–but it wasn’t growing at all. About thistime–30 days after the first application–I was supposed to hit itagain. I didn’t, because I was scared I’d kill the SA, and I didnotice the Bermuda coming back.

Early May is very wet and not that hot, so I started taking big lossesfrom brown patch in the St. Augustine. This hurt badly in areas that Isprayed since it didn’t recover–no growth. Just last week, I noticedthe areas I sprayed have finally started growing again–after like 3months.

So, I’m not sure it was all worth it. Sure it beat back the Bermuda,but the SA wasn’t able to outcompete it because it was “put to sleep”by the Prograss. Should I have hit it again despite the stagnation?Perhaps, but I was tired of taking brown patch losses.

I have to say, the Prograss is *really* nasty smelling, probably theworst stuff I’ve ever used (including pesticides) and stunk up theyard for 2 days and the garage (where I mixed it) for a week. I’m toldit’s not the ethofumesate (active ingredient) that I’m smelling butsome other “inert” stuff like xylene and ethyl-benzene (acarcinogen). I’m told by Bayer that this is is because Prograss is an”old” formulation, whatever that means. Even though it’s hugelyexpensive, I’d upgrade my jug if they had one that didn’t smell likeZyklon-B.

[This message has been edited by hankhill (edited 05 June 2007).]