Spring bermuda lawn care

[truckinusa]

I'm looking into dethatching or aerating. I'm wondering if any of these processes are beneficial to my bermuda lawn. It is still cold enough for the law to still be dormant. Any tips or ideas? Thinking of renting a bluebird aerator frome Home Depot. I haven't checked how much it is yet.

I'm also wondering if there is any spray, feltilizers, etc I should use to kill off weeds or green my grass. I have a very small yard.

[DaughtryLC]

I always aerate before I do my spring Pre-emergent. If you do it after it will break down the brier.

As for Fertilizer I use 16-4-8 slow release, and for Pre-e I use Simazine

The Pre-e time for application will be different in your area than mine

[truckinusa]

I always aerate before I do my spring Pre-emergent. If you do it after it will break down the brier.

As for Fertilizer I use 16-4-8 slow release, and for Pre-e I use Simazine

The Pre-e time for application will be different in your area than mine

Where do you buy Simazine? What does it do exactly? Is that just the chemical found in the fertilizers like Scotts?

[DaughtryLC]

Check with your local farm supply store, NOT TSC, your farm supply will put u in the right direction

[FIRESCOOBY]

Where do you buy Simazine? What does it do exactly? Is that just the chemical found in the fertilizers like Scotts?

You probably need to be certified to apply it, at least in GA you do.

[Az Gardener]

All of our local university studies tell us not to verticut or aerate until Bermuda is aggressively growing, usually July/Aug here. Doing so while it is dormant will remove roots and stolons where the starches that are needed for the spring green up are stored. Thereby making the turf weaker.

I have been blasted by others on site with this same comment, but they are dealing with different turf varieties and frozen ground. I would hit it with some N to get it moving and get the water on it every5 days or so. My over seeded lawns have green Bermuda mixed in, it is coming back now here in AZ.

[ed2hess]

There is nothing to do to bermuda at this time.....unless you want to paint it green. Go to Depot and get weed-b-gone and a pump sprayer and that will take care of the broadleaf weeds.....needs to be about 80F to work. Then in July go back and get some msma and spray it again and all the other grassey weeds will be gone. Don't need pre-m and fertililze with weed control. And do aeration after it greens up an Al said and then put on a high nitrogen fertilize. Next year you can overseed with rye if you got irrigation and it will be green all winter.

[REDNAX]

I lived in Dallas until recently. On poor lawns I started with a March/April core aeration (two directions), lay down some Scott's T-B/Southern and some Ironite, then topdressed with compost I hauled from the Mesquite, TX landfill (excellent operation). I'd fill my pickup bed 4,5,6 times over a couple of weekends. (And get lots of mulch for everywhere I didn't want grass to grow; I'd cover the ground 6-8" thick (NOT 4-6"). Years later, that would be best dirt in the yard.

Try to do this when ground is soft enough that you can feel your heel sink slightly, maybe 24-48' hours after rain. The clay is too hard otherwise. Expect to stop and clean the clay out of the tiller tines several times. This is also the time to use a weed fork or similar and crawl around the lawn to get all the Dallisgrass. Nothing else works.

Do it again in early or mid-June (before the rains stop). And, again, in September.

This is the easy and cheap way to get a start for next year. Have a soil test done, and keep looking for ways to make the soil healthier (mechanical work) and work your ways to a pretty much organic care program. Stop by ROHDE'S NURSERY in Garland, see his website. Greg carries what you need. Ask him if he services your area.

For this year, do it the easy way (above) and work towards having more control over information for next year to work things intelligently (earthworms, soil tilth, more compost, specific mineral supplements, etc). Don't worry over grass appearance this year (it'll be fine) but look to what you want five years from now.