Smooth Crabgrass or Bermudagrass Seed heads?

proudx · May 14, 2009

I maintain my lawn at 5/8" with a reel mower. However, every year around mid may and into late june I get light green thick seed head pops ups, they are either from smooth crabgrass or just bermudagrass seed heads. It really takes away as these things are double the height of the 5/8" bermuda cut. See link, what is this, is it smooth crabgrass or just bermudagrass seed heads?

look at the picture below, see the arrows pointing tot he lighter green stems that rise up over the bermudagrass.

http://albums.phanfare.com/3835271/3904931#imageID=68863804

greendoctor · May 14, 2009

That is common bermuda seed heads. This happens when the bermuda does not have enough nitrogen and too much phosphorus. It is also a function of spring transitioning into summer.

proudx · May 14, 2009

I hit it with labonon ISOTEK greens grade fertilizer about 7 days ago and dropped about 1lb nitrogen/1000sqft. About 56% of that fertilizer is slow release (IBDU and some METH EX) homogenous, perhaps just not enough initial quick release and the overal nitrogen just has not built up yet. I got a real late start fertilizing this year, I guess in GA I should have started around mid April

What other things will cause these seed heads to pop up? lack of water, etc?

I'm got some Primo MAXX and was hoping to use that to slow/control these seedheads but haven't used it yet.

greendoctor · May 14, 2009

When using slow release on bermuda, I calculate rates based on the expected duration of the fertilizer. So, if it was supposed to last 2-3 months and is 50% slow release, I apply the equivalent of 2 lb N per 1000. A high IBDU granule will take up to a year to release. You might need to apply tremendous amounts to get anything out of it. However, in warm climates, I have seen "slow release" not work as advertised and dump all of the N at once. Then you will really need the Primo Maxx. I prefer to feed 1/2-1 lb N as urea or 21-0-0 monthly throughout the growing season with 1/4-1/2 lb K from 13-0-45. Perchance, is all of this stuff you have from a golf course?

proudx · May 15, 2009

yeah, its from a company who sales to golf courses. I was planning on hitting it with 1lb every month, thinking it would always have a mix of 50% slow and 50% fast so the feeding would be more consistent. I do realize it will take several months or a season for this to work.

Are you 100% sure that aint smooth crabgrass? .I wish there was a way to get rid of it.

Turfdoctor1 · May 16, 2009

proudx said:
yeah, its from a company who sales to golf courses. I was planning on hitting it with 1lb every month, thinking it would always have a mix of 50% slow and 50% fast so the feeding would be more consistent. I do realize it will take several months or a season for this to work.

Are you 100% sure that aint smooth crabgrass? .I wish there was a way to get rid of it.

greendoctor is correct, it is definitely just your Bermuda.

Seed heads is just a natural by product of the grasses life cycle. Just like any other plant or animal, it wants to reproduce. If the grass is stressed, it will produce the seed heads earlier in the season. But, regardless, the seed heads will come about, even if under no stress. Just the natural life cycle of the grass.

proudx · May 16, 2009

The lawn is a mix of common and hybrid bermuda. I wish I could get rid of the common as it is way more course than the tifway hybrid.

My thinking 3 years ago was 2to3x a week low mowings at 1/2 to 5/8" would thicken the hybrid and make it harder for the common to survive. Well the common adapted and started growing in a prostate fashion just like the hybrid.

I would love to be able to get rid of the common bermuda without killing my hybrid as well. When I see the common stolons I pull them up, as it looks terrible next to the finer stolons of the hybrid. And the common seed heads just lay over at such a low cutting height

Guess I will have to just get used to it and just learn to deal with it better.

greendoctor · May 16, 2009

Try cutting it at 1/4-3/8 and feeding it a lot more. Under those conditions, dwarf bermuda becomes much more competitive. It is much easier to kill dwarf hybrids with herbicides than it is to kill common.

Smooth Crabgrass or Bermudagrass Seed heads?

proudx

greendoctor

proudx

greendoctor

proudx

Turfdoctor1

proudx

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