It's too late for this year, but while the bermuda is dormant and the bluegrass is green, you can spray with glyphosate (Roundup is a brand name version) to kill the bluegrass without affecting the bermuda. Once the bermuda starts to green up, it's too late to spray. It's also too late to use a pre emergent since it's already growing, but almost all pre emergents will work on bluegrass (the exception is Tupersan/Sidurol). That's one of the reasons so many people try to reseed in the fall. If they reseed in the spring, they get more weeds because they can't use a pre emergent.

I'm also just starting to put forth some effort in learning about lawn care. This will be my first time using a pre emergent. From everything I've read, this is the perfect time to put it down for the Fall. So I went to a big box store in San Antonio and the only pre em they carried was Vigoro Crabgrass & Weed Preventer (Dithiopyr). I tried to find some Dimension or Prodiamine like you guys recommended, but that's all they had and I wanted to get something down this weekend. I do have a crabgrass problem, so I guess it can't hurt. I have a few questions: 1. The instructions said to only use it once a year, but the label also said it only protects for 4 months. I was planning to use it again in the Sping, but don't want to cause any damage. How does that work? Can I use it again, or should I use something else? 2. Speaking of using something else, would it hurt anything if I was able to find some Dimension or Prodiamine and put that down this week? Or would that be too much at once? Thanks for any feedback!

You could use corn gluten meal as the pre-emergent. That won't hurt them.

Hi. Congratulations on your new home. =) If the area is really really shady St Augustine will work well but it can't handle Texas sun without a lot of supplemental watering -- and that constant use of irrigation will eventually destroy your soil. Learning to garden is a bit like learning a new language. The dead sod and weeds are trying to tell you something about your land. Contrary to the advice you get from TV ads, the weeds do not mean you need to spray a pre-emergent poison onto your land. That is an absolutely last ditch strategy. I never use them or fertilizers on my lawn and it is healthy and lush. My neighbours who do use them have crispy and unhealthy lawns. Any herbicide that kills weeds also kills soil organisms and acts like a slow poison for any trees you may have in the area. The dead sod and struggling grass interlaced with weeds are telling you something is out of balance with the system that needs to be corrected. It is either the soil, the water or the light conditions. You can get your soil tested for free or close to free from your local county extension office. They will tell you what -- if anything -- you need to do to improve the soil's nutrition. You can improve water retention by adding organic material like compost into the soil before you plant anything. As others have mentioned, choosing drought tolerant plant varieties to grow just makes a lot of sense here in Texas. Observe how much sun you are getting in the area each day. Take into consideration that the sun shifts its angles as the seasons shift. Use that information to make plant selection choices. Different plants need differing amounts of light. Choose plants that want those conditions. Put a sun lover into shade and it won't be healthy: other plants (weeds) and insects will come in to finish it off. Conversely, put a shade loving plant into the sun and you will get similar results assuming the Texas death star doesn't just melt the plant first. Good luck! It sounds complicated but it isn't really. When you go to purchase your plants ask for help. Let them know what kind of soil, light and water conditions you have and they will be able to help you make good choices.