Dchall_san_antonio wrote: > One more think you can do with fescue in the summer is to stop mowing for several weeks. That will really drive the bermuda crazy but the grass will use much less water when it is 9 inches long and flowing in the breeze. You know, I like having fescue and bluegrass that is tall, like the 9-plus inches you suggested above to Mirz2000. Most of my lawn is zoysia but I also keep an area devoted to fescue and bluegrass. I recall in a different, older thread you mentioned you are growing some of your grass at your new home extra super tall. Once a cool season grass reaches 9 inches and taller, though, how do you cut it with a mower without cutting into the stems? The stems grow higher as the blades also grow higher, so you won't just be cutting blade, but also stem. At least that's what I found when I allowed my fescue and Kentucky bluegrass to grow extra tall. Even on the walk-behind mower's highest wheel setting, I was cutting into the stems. Of course, the books recommend cutting fescue and bluegrass to a height of 3 to 4 inches, and not removing more than a third at a time.

STOP EVERYTHING! Call off your gardener. He's rushing the process. If he has already ordered the sod you want to give him time to cancel the order. And I need to say this...Bwahahahahahahaha! Mesh backing??? Sorry, but I've never heard of that. Nothing short of chemicals will stop bermuda. Mesh anything that allows any light to the soil will not slow it down. All the Roundup did was kill the existing plants. If you have not watered in 2 years, you have a bazillion weed seeds there waiting to sprout as soon as you start watering the new sod. Your gardener should know that but he's also got a boat payment to make. Take a week and water the area he sprayed. The idea is to sprout the weed seeds so you can kill those. To do that you should water it lightly (15 minutes) at least once a day - preferably 3x per day (morning noon and night). Any weed seeds should sprout and any living bermuda should bounce back. If you see ANY thing, give it a week to mature and spray with Roundup again. You will save countless weed induced headaches by taking the extra week to go through this process. Exactly where in SoCal do you live? Name the town or zip (and I'll name the town for you). Does everyone around you have fescue? So did you want a second opinion on your gardener or on what he plans to do? I think he's rushing you. Are you planning to let him mow?

I know how I get rid of Bermuda. I cut that part of the sod out and replace it. The longer you let it go. The further it will travel. I have a 10x10 spot I also removed this year. I would rather have the bare spots untill I get a chance to replace it. The bermuda vine travels way to fast!!!

Where do you live (city/state)? How old is your lawn? What is your watering routine? What is your normal height of cut? How often do you mow? It has been my experience this past summer that common bermuda as hardy as it is, is no match for hybrid cultivars. Withholding water and mowing low was enough to kill back most of the common bermuda in my yard. During the heat of the summer I watered 0.25" every 8-10 days and mowed at 0.25" every two days. The common stuff really died back and let the Yukon take it over. Since your tifway is touted as leap and bounds above my seeded Yukon, I would say that the same could work for you. You just need to watch very closely for drought stress then water before your tif suffers. The common stuff should show stress a day or so before the tif. The low mowing and lack of water turned stolons golden brown. It was too much for it and I never gave it a chance to recover. I just kept pushing it until it was gone.