Jim, if the brown areas are not too large, you can use your weed eater/trimer and cut them down to the dirt. Do a soil test with a long screwdriver to make sure you don't a stones or construction debris under those spots (it can cause shallow root system) Another way of doing it is if you have a push mower (21" rotary type) you can lower the setting to the lowest available and mow those areas only down to 1/2" or so. Then you can aerate and drop some seed. A few bags of top soil from Lowe's ($1.39 per bag)or HD will make germination much faster and better. I'm glad you've got Midnight Star rather than Midnight II, it is going to work better for your application. But you said you've received a 50-lb bag rather than a 5-lb? That's a lot of seed if is a 50-lb bag... One of the best ways to kill bermuda is to spray round up at the higher rate, then dug out the dead/infested area. You can also till the area after applying roundup a couple of times destroying the root system in the process. If it comes back next summer, it will be sporadic, and then you can spot spray round up or Turflon to supress it and keep a mowing height of 3 inches so the TTTF/KBG will shade the upcoming bermuda. Post some picture if you can, and good luck. This weekend is perfect time for overseeding in the Raleigh area...

Most slit seeders will not adjust beyond a 1" depth. Till it when it dries out and use a slit seeder to plant grass during a dry period in April thru May if it gets too late this fall to plant after you've tilled.

> "2) I hear alot of overseeding.... What is that all about? " Over seeding is additional seeding OVER an existing, established lawn, once it has become older and tired and needs to be replenished. Think hair plugs and grafts on a bald or thin head ... like me, LOL! That's not the case with new sod, which is still very young and very capable of recuperating from injury like a child does. Fall is the best time to fertilize. Try to do it at least twice ... oh say Labor Day and Halloween. Fall IMHO is the best time to kill weeds. Common weeds like dandelions, are winter annuals. Kill them now and you don't see them next spring.

Plant Growth Regulator. Basically it slows down grass growth. Trinexapac for example will cut down your mowing by 50+%. Since it suppresses growth in shoot length, the plant puts its energy into growing sideways and downwards, making for deeper roots and a denser lawn. It also darkens the grass significantly. It also helps a lot with drought resistance in the summer because the plant uses less water. It's a great tool that golf courses have been using for many years, and it's penetrating residential market. It's a bit expensive, but it saves a lot of time on mowing. The problem with using the tractor is that it will tear up the new grass on turns. If that's the only option you have then avoid making sharp turns on the grass and make sure your blades are very sharp.