What's your recommendation for caring for a bermudagrass lawn? I've got a pretty nice green lawn coming in, though it needs to be thicker and more level in a few places. I don't have a huge problem with weeds right now, though I want to take some preventative measures. It's a relatively new lawn (approx 1 yr) in San Antonio. I've always been pretty happy with Scott's fertilizer products, though I'm considering having some topsoil/compost/manure delivered and spread. I know that will cost a little more, but isn't it more bang for the buck? What should be my ongoing weed-control plan?

Thanks for the advice.

Spread compost, always mulch your clippings when you mow, and pull any weeds that pop up by hand. You won't need extra fertilizer.

I've lost one of the most plush Bermuda lawns you ever saw in the 8 years we've been in our house.

Some more knowledgeable people will chime in, but I think my main mistake was not cutting it low enough and not nearly often enough. As I understand it, Bermuda needs to be cut tight with little "cut off".

Randy Lemmon in Houston is an Aggie and his lawn fertilization schedule is the best. He says to stay from the big box store Scotts fertilizer. There are recomendations for Lawn fertilization on his list here:

http://ktrh.com/pages/gardenline2.html

Good luck!

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He says to stay from the big box store Scotts fertilizer.

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Because they don't pay him. Scotts is a good fertilizer.

I would fertilize the bermudagrass every six weeks until it got where I wanted it. I would also use organics. I'm not a treehugger, but organics are very safe. Apply preemergent for crabgrass now, preferably something with Dimension herbicide.

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Because they don't pay him. Scotts is a good fertilizer.

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I'm not going to get into a pissing contest about whether Randy Lemmon gets paid by any of the fertilizer companies. So what if he does.
People have been listening to and taking advice from TV/Radio personalities for years, they all have something to offer.

Read his website and his recommendations regarding Lawn Fertilization schedule.
http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline-lawn.html
He also has recommendations for doing it organically.
http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline-organiclawn.html

You'll learn something.

Good luck.

Fertilizer is all mostly the same, except with a lot of the brands you see at Home Depot and Lowes, they are over priced for what you get. I recommend buying from Lesco or John Deere or a local Co-op and you should look for a ratio of 3-1-2. The higher numbers like a 21-7-14 will cost more than a 6-2-4. If you are going to use weed and feed products you need to be careful around your trees and shrubs and please don't put out more than the recommended rate as the atrazine will get into our water supplies.

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Fertilizer is all mostly the same, except with a lot of the brands you see at Home Depot and Lowes, they are over priced for what you get. I recommend buying from Lesco or John Deere or a local Co-op and you should look for a ratio of 3-1-2. The higher numbers like a 21-7-14 will cost more than a 6-2-4. If you are going to use weed and feed products you need to be careful around your trees and shrubs and please don't put out more than the recommended rate as the atrazine will get into our water supplies.

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Uh .... not really. The higher priced ones are going to have a variety of nitrogen sources, especially in the area of slow release nitrogen. They will also tend to have more iron and other micros (the most overlooked part of good fertilizers). Regulars on here know how passionate I am about the organic fertilizers, but you also know that if I fo with a chemical fertilizer, it will likely be a Scott's product. If you can get good organic compost, nothing, and i mean nothing beats a good 1/2 - 3/4 inch layer of compost on a lawn.

when I had a Bermuda lawn the only way I kept it nice was twice a week mowing with a reel mower. Luckily it was a small lawn.

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You'll learn something

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Sorry, wasn't trying to tick anyone off. I don't know that I need to rely on Randys advice, my Agronomy degree and 20 years experience as a golf course superintendent serve me just fine.

Troutslime, apache, and I are usually on the same page. If we agreed on everything, then some of us would be unnecessary.

Troutslime, no offense intended and none taken. The "you'll learn something" was intended for Old Jock 1997, the originator of this thread. Most of us don't have access to someone like you or anyone else for that matter that has an Agronomy degree and 20 years experience.

For us laymen we try to get good information where we can find it. I've had success from Randy's advice on my yard. I'm sure other methods work well also.

Thanks,

AmAn-

I think to be clear, I should have said that Scotts is a good product because it has methylene urea as a nitrogen source (typically). Most other brands use Sulfur coated urea. The methylene urea is released by microbes eating the carbon chain around the nitrogen. When the soil is warm enough for this to happen, it is warm enough for your grass to consume it. SCU is released with water, so it can be wasted. As mentioned above, the micronutrients (Iron, Managanese, Magnesium, Zinc) are probably more important than the nitrogen. For what its worth, I use organics 90% of the time.

For Trout and B1-83: I'm about ready to put down another helping of fertilizer (I like organics). Which would you recommend (these are the easiest for me to get my hands on): Scotts Organic or Medina Growin' Green?

I am not familiar with those products. I would choose the one based in poultry and\or has the most iron.

troutslime et al,

Question: I keep seeing the 3-1-2 ratio thing mentioned in several different places. What exactly does that mean (i.e., what are the chemicals being ratioed)?

I have always heard that Scott's products are very good, though in doing a little research, it doesn't appear that their Southern Turf Builder is a 3-1-2 ratio; their website says it is 26-2-13.

I called Scott's about the question re: Bonus S Southern Weed & Feed, and they confirmed what the packaging said, i.e. don't use on bermuda grass, regardless of whether it's a hybrid or not. I guess I won't.

My plan is thus. Please critique as needed...I appreciate any and all help.

-I put down some Scott's Southern Turf Builder over a month ago. It has really helped the lawn come in nice and green, though occasional weeds remain a problem.
-I put down a generic insecticide about a month ago.
-I'm going to do some spot-spraying of weed patches with Ortho Max Weed B Gone this weekend. I'll stay away from landscaping beds and at least 5 feet from the trunks of trees.
-In about 2 weeks, I'm going to have an organic compost (soil, compost, manure, etc.) delivered and spread over the entire yard with emphasis on filling in small holes and craters in the yard.
-In June, I'll put down more fertilizer in a 3-1-2 ratio. I'll then put down winterizer in October or November.
-It looks like I should put down a fungicide in July or August. I'll plan to do so.
-Ditto for the herbicide...looks like the next time to do so, especially if I spot-spray now, would be May or June. (Or should I just put down an herbicide now and skip the spot spraying?)

SUGGESTIONS? COMMENTS? I appreciate any and all help!

The numbers refer to the percentage of nutrients in the bag. For example, a 15-5-10 would have 15% Nitrogen (leaf growth,color), 5% phosphorous (root development), and 10% potassium (hardiness). Most fertilizers come in a 50 lb bag, so a 15-5-10 would contain 7.5 lbs of nitrogen, 2.5 lbs of phosphorous, and 5 lbs of potassium. As you can see, this totals 15 lbs of nutrients in a 50 lb bag. 50-15 = 35 lbs of "filler". Filler is typically corn cob or kitty litter. The 3-1-2 ratio is how St Augustine assimilates its nutrients, but you won't hurt it using a non 3-1-2 fertilizer. The higher % of nutrients (29-5-10), would mean more coverage and less filler, thus more value. The common rate on fertilizers is 1 lb of Nitrogen, not fertilizer, per 1000 sq ft. So a 5,000 sq ft lawn would need 5 lbs of nitrogen.

Your plan looks good. I would add an insecticide app in April\May.

[This message has been edited by Troutslime (edited 4/2/2009 10:30p).]

I'm not sure what Scott's was thinking with their organic fertilizer, but it is some nasty stuff w/feathermeal and other animal by-products ..... it smells. The Medina Growin' Green is in my rotation and has a bunch of micros added.

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As I understand it, Bermuda needs to be cut tight with little "cut off".

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Bermuda should be cut short early in the growing season. This promotes good deep root growth and makes the grass more drought resistant. As the growing season progresses, you can incrementally increase the height.

As for "cut off" the general rule that I have always gone by is that you should never cut more than 1/3 of length of the grass. Regular cutting will also help with weed control. Turf grasses are much more able to thrive with regular cuttings than are most weeds.