I am converting from fescue/common bermuda to Patriot bermuda this summer. The common is taking over my lawn and I want a nice bermuda if I am going to have it. A PhD turfgrass extension/research specialist did bring up a very important point to consider. He suggested that I till to a depth of 4' to 6' and here is why. He stated that RU will kill the top portion of the plant but not the rhizomes underneath the ground that are laying dormant. By tilling, it brings the rhizomes to the surface. Upon doing this he suggested to wait 2-3 weeks after tilling. When/if the rhizomes begin to generate new shoots hit it again with another blast of RU or equivalent. One thing he stressed, and others on this board have too. Hit the bermuda with a shot of nitrogen 2 weeks prior to applying RU to really get it growing. When you apply the RU hit it with Roundup Pro or generic equivalent and the full 4 quart per acre rate. He stated that if you merely make it sick it will not take in any more RU, unlike other herbicides. When the rhizomes begin to grow shoots hit it with the 3% solution of the 4 lb per gallon RU. He stated that he once was unable to till on his property due to erosion issues and fought killing the rhizomes with RU for a long time since he was unable to till. To be sure, I DO NOT want to till. But, given the tendencies I have experienced with my lawn, I am considering it. I once thought my neighbors bermuda was encroaching on my lawn, which it is in some areas. However, base on his information, I now think that some of the once-dormant rhizomes are a big reason why I now have widespread bermuda showing up and choking out my fescue. I have only lived here a year and can only speculate what the previous owner did. But, both of my neighbors have the same bermuda that I have and am left wondering if my lawn was at one time the same. I do not want to till for other reasons too. But, if I have a choice to till and fight leveling or not till and fight this darn common bermuda I think I would choose to deal with leveling. This is just my opinion but I really want to do all that I can to get minimize it. He did state that if the bermuda was not that widespread in my lawn then he would not see a need to till as he does recognize that there is a great deal of extra work involved. Given this, I guess each person has to make his own determination of what might be right given their own individual circumstances. That's what I am fighting with now.

Hi there - I am in North Georgia also. The ability of clay to retain moisture can be a blessing so I am thankful for it to some extent. I don't dig the hole any deeper than it needs to sit the rootball in and have the top of it remain at ground level. This way you don't have to worry about the plant ever sinking and putting it below level. But you can dig the hole wider than the rootball and incorporate a few amendments. I like to use organic amendments like compost and finely shredded pine bark/soil conditioner (Nature's Helper is one). But mix these thoroughly with the native soil before putting back into the hole. You don't want to replace the native soil, just enhance it. Then use mulch over the area to help retain the moisture; this will also attract worms and beetles that will enrich the soil through their activities. In Georgia, it is important to use mulch both to keep the moisture in and keep the roots cooler as well as to improve the soil over time. If you were to dig in a forest in North Georgia, you would see nice soil - the result of many years of fallen leaves and soil critters. It was once clay too!

Some of the old stuff I took in the civil engineering soil mechanics courses are coming back now after thirty years. The suggestion given on digging the ditch deeper, assuming this is a "drainage ditch", and not a dugout, within your property would help during "normal drier times" in lowering the phreatic surface of the ground water within the soil (fancy old fashioned technical word that just means ground water level when not telescoping out into the open as the surface of a lake) . But during floods doubt it would be of much help as the water will still rise to and above the surface if your in the lowest spot and the ditch is not actually flowing, or is too small for the quantity of surface runoff and ground water discharge. You should also watch out for digging the ditch too deep with steep walls because it's sides can subside (fall in) from pore pressure dissipation if your soil is sandy or loamy. In the end though, the ditch needs to flow and be sized for the flow to get rid of it. I had minor "water problems" in this property compared to yours and it was caused by me making the gardens by building 12 to 18 inch high rose beds and cutting the surface runoff escape to the swale.. It took two 9 inch rectangular catchment basins (sewer traps) and about 100 feet of drainage tiles and ditching to prevent the surface water and eaves trough water from ponding against my garden beds at the two lowest spots. I cut off the escape to concrete swale (ditch) that runs across the back of my property. The biggest pain I had was not enough gradient (vertical distance from house to swale) to accommodate the 6 inch diameter weeping tile ... so for the last 20 feet through the garden I used perforated pipe to let it go into the soil and cut two holes though my retaining wall for the discharges into the swale. It would be interesting to see photos of the rest of the situation - I find it very interesting but can sympathize with how it sucks right now especially having dug those holes for a lot of roses. Hope you success in solving it. Good luck.

Before you make the claim to have clay with no topsoil, get your soil tested at Logan Labs. Chances are you have no clay and your soil is biologically and chemically fine - not perfect, but at least you have something to work with. What was your watering regimen over the past couple years? How often and for how long? How high/low do you mow? I fertilize around Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day with the appropriate fertilizer for the season. This could be tuned up. Do one app on Memorial Day, one on Labor Day, and one just when the grass stops growing but is still green. That would be sometime after Halloween and maybe nearer to Thanksgiving. The only appropriate fertilizer for 4th of July is organic. Is that what you've been using? If so, which one.