First of all you are at least 4 months early in executing your plan. You can plan all you want to renovate bermuda in the spring, but if you act on the plan now, you will be severely disappointed for the next 8-12 weeks. Bermuda needs very warm soil and air temps to germinate. Typically you don't see those temps until late May to early June. Of course you can buy the seed in January, but they don't tell you it won't germinate. This happens every (EVERY) spring. In a week or two someone will write in to ask why their new bermuda seed is not coming in. EVERY SPRING. Secondly you should understand that any variety of seeded bermuda is going to be under the general classification of "common" bermuda. To me, one variety of common is a bad as the other, but I know others who have very serious preferences. But they are all still common. The various coatings add poundage but don't help with coverage. But how many seeds do you need to sprout? It's bermuda, and it's going to take over anyway. Hybrid bermuda is only available as sod. When you buy sodded bermuda, most (if not all) is going to be Tif 419 because it spreads like wildfire and growers love it - instant yard. Common bermuda is considered to be a noxious weed to hybrid bermuda fans. You have probably already looked into sodded bermuda and abandoned the idea due to the cost to cover your area. But wait! Check this out... Search this forum for the post by SimonR about sprigging or stolonizing his lawn. Everyone should know that any piece of bermuda root or a runner can take root and spread. What SimonR did was to buy a few pieces of excellent hybrid sod, wash off the soil, chop up the remaining grass into pieces, and scatter the pieces over his yard. Then he covered those lightly with topsoil and watered. GENIUS! In a few weeks he had an entire yard full of the expensive stuff for a fraction of the cost. Check it out. But if you get interested in doing that, wait until May. SimonR did it in December because he lives in Australia (summertime).

maidinmontana said, Can someone please tell me if there is a forum where someone can go to get some ADVISE on lawn care, and in the meantime those of you who want to argue can take it elsewhere, you aren't offering any help/advise to those who post here. (Notice the original poster hasn't been back) Sorry maidin but there is no Arguing About Lawns Forum. When people want to discuss this stuff, this is where they take it. It happens in all forums. Other places to not look if you don't like arguing are the food and plumbing forums! One of the things you learn in public forums is how to filter out the stuff that doesn't matter. It takes some time to learn that. The OP's questions were answered in a day or two. Now the forum is open to the nuances of climatology flavored with beer, other Internet sites, and TV images of the Master's Tournament. Actually I was learning a bit about bermuda - that is until texas-weed left to avoid getting tangled in the rope. Personally I don't care about the micro idiosyncrasies of Atlanta's climate/lot size versus Dallas or anywhere else, but if y'all can relate that topic to growing grass, then go for it. This thread has reminded me of just a few short years ago when Tif 419 was The Holy Grail of hybrid bermuda grass. It also reminded me of the just a few short years ago when any kind of bermuda was the Anti Christ. Oh, wait a minute, it still is. It also reminded me of all the 'discussions' I participated in defending organic lawn care before the Organic Lawn Care forum was started. [sigh] Good times [/sigh] For the record, I have never learned anything listening to myself. I learned 90% of what I know about lawn care from listening to discussions just like this one. I know this is snippy, maidin, but I can't resist. Maybe I could ADVICE you on a spell checker. For those of you who are counting my messages, I don't want to disappoint you: deeply and infrequently!

Thanks for the advice. I've actually got three businesses and two small children, so the thought of offering to take care of his lawn for a fee just makes me shudder :) If he were elderly, I'd do it in a heartbeat (and at no charge), but part of this is that he needs to be responsible. Plus, his wife asked mine how much time I spend on our yard, because she is frustrated with him and told him he could no longer pay a lawn care company, and that he needs to get off his ### and do it himself. Now, spraying nematodes in his yard is a very feasible plan. That could work. I don't have a huge problem with his weeds coming over, it's more of the crabgrass, etc. My lawn is very healthy, but combine all of the junk it is fighting over there on the edge, plus his grubs eating the roots, and it's just slowly creeping over. Thanks again for the advice, I'll get some nematodes and spray them his way :)

Cutting will control some weeds, encourage others. Thick healthy grass, well fertilised and growing strongly, will discourage the weeds that thrive in poor soils but will simply make others grow faster. If you damaged the lawn with your weedkiller then you used it wrong. Sorry but it had to be said. Lawn weedkiller, used according to the directions, doesn't kill grass. In my experience it doesn't even make it temporarily yellow although that can happen. I find the granular weedkillers to be very unreliable. I use a soluble weedkiller, which one doesn't make a huge difference except for a few resistant weeds. I apply with a spot sprayer since I now have only a few weeds. I make up my own mix from a concentrate since going over the whole lawn may take an entire spray bottle. Try to spray on a still day so you don't spray all your borders, a nice cool dry day when the soil is moist so that the weeds are growing strongly. Make sure it doesn't rain and you don't water since that will just wash off the weedkiller. Digging can help. Weeds like dandelions must have the taproot completely removed or they just grow back. The taproot will be mant inches long on an established plant. Others have a spreading habit and any pieces that you break are likely to just start new plants. It can be fun tracking each piece of weed to the stem where it reaches the ground but its not everyone's idea of entertainment. Many weeds thrive because they produce masses of seeds, which will continue to germinate for a number of years. Many are very mobile and will blow into exposed lawns from neighbours gardens or wild areas. Always try to remove weeds before they can set seed. Spraying a weed may not stop it from setting seed so try to at least cut off any flowers.