Pre-emerge grass treatment

[Shamoan]

I grew up in a st. augustine house and really only know st. augustine, but have a new house with bermuda so i am on a steep learning curve here. the sod was initially riddled with weeds and i applied treatment last summer to deal with the problem. low and behold, my weed problem is back with a vengeance. i got a quote from a grass treatment guy for $400 which included 4 treatments through the next year, which seemed quite pricey. my lot is somewhere between .25 and .5 acres, so its not a huge yard, but sizable. for a nice looking yard this summer, should i spring for the $400, post-emerge it myself with the effective product i currently have, or buy a pre-emerge product and treat myself? bermuda seems to be a ton of maintenance year-round and for a pre-emerge treatment, i know i am running out of time if not out of it already.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

If the grass hasn't come out yet, you can hit the yard with a shot of roundup. That will get rid of your early spring and winter weeds. If you have some crabgrass, something like dithiopyr can be helpful.

 

[Digging dog]

Get a bag (or 2/ yard size) of a preemergent with "Dimension". Put it out soon because if the weeds have already emerged, the pre-emergent won't work.
Follow up in mid late October. Then again around Christmas/ new year. Stay on this schedule and you should have good results.

 

[civildawg88]

This is what i use on my Bermuda yard and it works awesome. Buy a backpack sprayer to apply it. One jug will last years.

http://www.amazon.com/Prodiamine-Generic-Barricade-5lbs-ali8056/dp/B004GTQBEK

ETA: Also by a bottle of the blue dye to show where you have applied it when you spray.

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

Here is what I do and it has been working fairly well. Hit the winter weeds with straight roundup very early to knock out the winter weeds and other junk. Then go to Home Depot and get their pre emergent called Scotts "crabgrass and grassy weed preventer". If you aren't sure how much you need then you can measure your yard on their website using google earth and it gives you an approximate sq footage.

lightly water the pre emergent after application, fertilize it when it begins to come out of dormancy with some triple 13, and make sure your mowers is ready when the triple 13 takes effect.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Since we're on the grass topic, is it ok to start sodding? Cleared out land last fall about put some centipede out to see if it would take. It did so I'm ready to start buying a few rolls a month. Looks like we're going to get a lot of rain this month so I'm wanting to get some down if it's going to take.

 

[civildawg88]

Yep, this month or next month will be the best time to put out sod in my opinion.

 

[Junction John]

The range of topics this board provide expertise on is quite impressive.

Basketball
Vacation spots
Tits
Restaurants
Crabgrass
and anything else you can think of.

This is better than google.

 

[Col. Forbin]

Round up for the weeds now(only if grass is still dormant) then Barricade for the pre-emerge. $17 for a 50lb sack at Keeling in Canton.

 

[aTotal360]

Add offensive line recruiting and marinating steaks.

 

[RocketDawg]

To give you a point of comparison, my yard guy charges $55 per treatment, 6 treatments per year. So $320 per year. That includes fertilizer, weed control, and just about everything else except fungicide (that stuff's expensive). This guy does an outstanding job, but if you got your quote from one of the large companies, like ChemLawn (or whatever they're called now), I'd steer away. This guy is a small, local company, and I find it a lot easier for very little additional expense not to have to push that back-breaking spreader around the yard all the time. If you're young without back problems, that may not be an issue for you.

I have Zoysia ... don't think St. Augustine grows well here. Besides ... it looks so much like crabgrass, what do you know what to kill?

 

[dorndawg]

What if I'm real lazy and have a kinda crappy yard and want to do something mega simple to make it look a little better?

Also, where does Scott's Turf Builder fit in all this? I ask because I'm highly susceptible to advertising.

 

[randystewart]

Depending on where you are.... temps have been a little warm around Starkville to safely hit bermuda with roundup right now. I generally mix a full dose of 2,4-D with a full dose of Atrazine this time of year. Those two should cover just about anything you have growing that could crowd out your bermuda (will take a while with cool temps but will work).

 

[civildawg88]

Scotts turf builder is a decent fertilizer but if you want what professionals use, then buy lesco. You can get lesco at any John Deere landscapes store but I think they just changed the name of the stores.

 

[lowbird]

Trimec for your current weeds.

Spray Alligare(pre emerg) in October and you won't need Trimec in March.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Can't forget these two;
Whether or not to let your kid **** their pants or use a Starkville bathroom
King Ranch sound systems

 

[Wooly17er]

Just be sure it tastes good

My friend here is looking forward to the yield:
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