Seeding Bermuda?

I am plannning on seeding my yard with Scott's Turf Builder Bermuda. I have a hybrid bermuda in my yard and the crabgrass has gotten so bad that it has taken over about 2/3 of the yard. I have sprayed the crabbgrass and it will set back for a while but it my current Bermuda will not spread to shade it out. I am planning on renting a scraper and getting all the grass out of the yard. Next I'm going to disk it up with a 4 wheeler disk and spread the seed and fertilizer out. Then going to drag it with a piece of chain link fence. Am I missing anything here? Was thinking I might need to spray with some sort of pre-emerge after the bermuda starts to come up. The water is toooo high to fish and I can't stand looking at this spotty yard anymore but am not real sure on how to go about doing it. I do know that sodding it ain't in the budget.

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Originally Posted by jstfshn

I am plannning on seeding my yard with Scott's Turf Builder Bermuda. I have a hybrid bermuda in my yard and the crabgrass has gotten so bad that it has taken over about 2/3 of the yard. I have sprayed the crabbgrass and it will set back for a while but it my current Bermuda will not spread to shade it out. I am planning on renting a scraper and getting all the grass out of the yard. Next I'm going to disk it up with a 4 wheeler disk and spread the seed and fertilizer out. Then going to drag it with a piece of chain link fence. Am I missing anything here? Was thinking I might need to spray with some sort of pre-emerge after the bermuda starts to come up. The water is toooo high to fish and I can't stand looking at this spotty yard anymore but am not real sure on how to go about doing it. I do know that sodding it ain't in the budget.

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Sounds to me like you got it covered! Not sure about the pre-emerge, but don't think it will hurt.

I wouldn't kill out the Bermuda. What are you using to control the crabgrass? If you will spray it multiple times during the hottest part of the summer to get it under control and then use pre emerge in Oct. and again in Feb. You'll get it under control. The pre emerge is the key, next year you wouldn't have any weeds.

My neighbor started doing the same thing you are talking about doing. I went and talked to him and helped him get things under control. By the following Summer he had one of the most beautiful lawns in the neighborhood.

If you've got a strong stand of Bermuda, don't kill it out!!

Send me a pm if you like and I'll get you a sheet to follow for a beautiful lawn.

I think you are right Rip, I used to have a beautiful bermuda lawn at a long ago moved from house. Seems like I used MSMA on it a couple times a year and it killed everything except the bermuda. My memory ain't what it used to be.
Secret, mix 2 capfulls of JOY in your 2 gallon sprayer to cut the film on the "crap grass" and it will kill it. or whatever chemical you use, still use the Joy.. If you mix it too strong, it will also spot your bermuda as well, but crabgrass has 0 chance.

Good luck on finding MSMA. They stopped selling it last year. It worked great on situations like yours.

Bermuda lawns are simple if you just do it right. Lots of products have an agent mixed in now that help the chemical stick to the grass which is what the joy does. You should use trimec (2-4D) now, if it ever quits raining, for broadleaf grass. Then, MSMA when it gets above 85 for grassy leaf stuff (crabgrass). Don't spot spray, get the whole yard multiple times if needed. The hotter the better for MSMA. Put red sand on the bald spots, fertilize and watch how fast the Bermuda will climb into those spots! Then, pre emerge in the fall and late winter. Next year, viola, feed and water your beautiful lawn!!!
Pre emerge, pre emerge, pre emerge!!! You won't have hardly any weeds at all come Spring and Summer!!!

Don't buy the crap from home fixer upper stores. Go to the co-op and get the stuff that works!

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Originally Posted by bchappell

Good luck on finding MSMA. They stopped selling it last year. It worked great on situations like yours.

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Just called the co op on that one. They have MSMA, it's named target six.

I've gotta get on my yard too.. Got a good bit or bermuda but the stickers and other weeds are tryin to take over..

Scotts will work great if your raising cattle. That isn't the Bermuda you want.

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Originally Posted by crappiholic

Scotts will work great if your raising cattle. That isn't the Bermuda you want.

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You got that right. Stuff clumps and strings out bad. My wife ordered seed from some online store that was great...most of the runners were under the surface so it doesn't clump up. Wasn't cheap though...she still mentions that when I have grass to cut. ;)

MSMA is the only way to go its pretty easy to get at an ag chemical place. Mix it bout twice the recomended dose and burn the crap out of your bermuda. Let it gome back to full green and spray it again with the same dose. Your gonna have a brown lawn for a couple weeks but after that you can fertalize with 0-0-34 after that and your grass will take off. Ive been doing it like this for years. some years I dont have to spray at all. Never had much luck seeding tho.

It needs to be really hot to spray MSMA, till then you can spray 24d and atrazine mixed with herbi oil. it will burn em back till it gets got enuff for the msma.

Registrants of MSMA for use on residential turf,
commercial turf and sports turf can no longer sell
the product; however, distributors will be able to
sell products purchased before December 31, 2009,
until December 31, 2010. After December 31, 2010,
existing stocks of MSMA can legally be used for weed
control on residential, commercial and sports field
turf until they are exhausted, provided that these uses
comply with the EPA-approved label and labeling of
the affected product.

If you can find it buy ALL you can. Target6 is a brand name for MSMA.

So with a yard with bermuda, but has been taken over by various grasses and weeds, I'm hearing 24D till it gets hot, then two double doses about 3-5 weeks apart with MSMA to kill everything but the bermuda. Then a couple times in the fall hit it with RonStar or some pre-emergent, and pre-emerge it again in the early spring, and all should be well. Is that what I understand from this conversation??

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Originally Posted by jimmydee1

So with a yard with bermuda, but has been taken over by various grasses and weeds, I'm hearing 24D till it gets hot, then two double doses about 3-5 weeks apart with MSMA to kill everything but the bermuda. Then a couple times in the fall hit it with RonStar or some pre-emergent, and pre-emerge it again in the early spring, and all should be well. Is that what I understand from this conversation??

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Yes, all that and some Red Sand on bare spots. If you don,t have room for a load of sand, get several bags of iron pellets from Coop or home depot for all the bare spots. Red sand is full of iron which Bermuda loves.

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Originally Posted by jimmydee1

So with a yard with bermuda, but has been taken over by various grasses and weeds, I'm hearing 24D till it gets hot, then two double doses about 3-5 weeks apart with MSMA to kill everything but the bermuda. Then a couple times in the fall hit it with RonStar or some pre-emergent, and pre-emerge it again in the early spring, and all should be well. Is that what I understand from this conversation??

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Pretty much. Pre emerge say oct 15 and feb 15. The pre emerge means a lot, as in very few, the next spring and fall.

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Originally Posted by jimmydee1

So with a yard with bermuda, but has been taken over by various grasses and weeds, I'm hearing 24D till it gets hot, then two double doses about 3-5 weeks apart with MSMA to kill everything but the bermuda. Then a couple times in the fall hit it with RonStar or some pre-emergent, and pre-emerge it again in the early spring, and all should be well. Is that what I understand from this conversation??

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Also know that so much of the weeds you have right now, henbit and others will burn out when it gets hot. You are really after dandelions and the like, broadleaf stuff, right now.

When it gets hot, I use a time release like 28-6-12. Gets you really green and growing with less likelihood of burning up your Bermuda and stays green for longer periods.

Heck all ya got to do is till it all up and plant ya a couple of tomato plants and some peppers and if ya got some places where no grass grows then plant a few watermelon's and I'll garuntee you will have a yard full of bermuda grass after that !!!!

Bermuda grass is the most expensive WEED there is !!! Farmers spend BILLIONS trying to kill it & Homeowners spend BILLIONS trying to grow it !!!!

Do what I did, rent a Toro Dingo and till it all up and put down centipede rolls. A couple of 8 8 8 applications and it's growing great.

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Originally Posted by Slabo

Bermuda grass is the most expensive WEED there is !!! Farmers spend BILLIONS trying to kill it & Homeowners spend BILLIONS trying to grow it !!!!

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Ain't THAT the truth...

Wow guys, thanks for all the replies. I bought this house two years ago and it had the best looking yard on the block. I don't know much about yarding and didn't spray it any the first year. I finally got around to spraying last year and then had a 2 month drought with absolutely no rain. This stressed the yard out bad and not about 2/3 of the yard has been taken over with crabgrass and some other unidentifiable stuff. The 1/3 of the yard that is Bermuda is really thick and looks good. I burned the bad spots in the yard down in late february before the Bermuda started growing. I was hoping that the Bermuda would put out runners and spread across the yard. I will try and take a picture tomorrow from the roof so you can see the entire yard and I will hightlight the good and bad parts. This might shed a little more light on what I'm talking about. If I could save the grass that I have that would be awesome. I really appreciate all help, I am a wildlife biologist but know absolutely nothing about turf grasses.

You would be better off to save your money this year and start all over with centipede sod in March. Fertilize it 4 times a year and you will have a beautiful yard.

Keep your bermuda and listen to Rip on the spraying, red sand, etc....... You may get a pallet of bermuda and place piece by piece throughout our yard in the bare spots to help spread quicker. A pallet will cost you $70-75. The bermuda will not grow in the shade if you have a bunch of trees, but sounds like to me you don't. Next spring/summer you will have a good looking yard.

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Originally Posted by CRAPPIE 123

Keep your bermuda and listen to Rip on the spraying, red sand, etc....... You may get a pallet of bermuda and place piece by piece throughout our yard in the bare spots to help spread quicker. A pallet will cost you $70-75. The bermuda will not grow in the shade if you have a bunch of trees, but sounds like to me you don't. Next spring/summer you will have a good looking yard.

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Great idea Joel!!! A little red sand and some fertilizer in between em and watch it spread.