Converting a Fescue Lawn to Bermuda by tilling and seeding

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Hi,

I am in Charlotte, NC area.

My side yard lawn (5000 sft) is Tiffway-419 bermuda.

My back yard lawn (3000 sft) is Fescue. This is currently 40% dormant fescue, 30% weeds including crabgrass and 30% bare sports. It is new lawn that was applied seed and straw in January and did not fully develop.

The soil is mostly clay.

I am planning to convert my backyard to Bermuda in May/June of next year, by properly tilling and adding some soil conditioner.

Any suggestions or comments on what I can do in winter or early spring to prepare for the seeding?

I am going to use Rivera or Princess 77 Bermuda seed.

Some of the questions I have:

How do I get rid of all weed seeds that got into the soil now?

Should I nurture the Fescue in the winter?

In May once Fescue goes dormant, will just tilling thoroughly kill the Fescue?

What is best to use to kill weeds or Fescue just before starting the tilling?

While tilling, should I dump all the soil conditioner and then start tilling, or is it the opposite?

Thank you for any guidance!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

PRO
Yardvaark
5 years ago
Tilling will not thoroughly kill anything. It will evenly distribute it so it can start anew. However, not too bad with fescue. Weeds and bermuda another story though. Glyphosate is the standard weed killer when you're going to plant something soon later. You're not going to get a nice lawn at the back like 419. You're going to get the coarse bermuda. The most likely reason your didn't get going well is that it does much better with an early fall start.
Ram thanked Yardvaark
Ram
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Thank you!

What is with "weeds and Bermuda"? Please share any pointers.

did not understand "not too bad with Fescue"

The reason why I am going to replace Fescue is the water is very expensive here and Fescue seems to need lot of water in summer.

Could you suggest when and how to apply Glyphosate?

The seed selling websites said, Rivera or Princess 77 is the closest to 419. And it looks like 419 is available only as sod. Is that not right? Any other type that I can use to match with the existing?
Related Discussions
Converting lawn to veggies; bermuda grass question
Q
Comments (6)
Sheet mulching is my favourite way to suppress grass and weeds and start a new bed. My approach is: first, a layer of cardboard, overlapping such that there is nowhere for grass to penetrate; next a layer of well-rotted manure; then a layer of straw--NOT HAY, (you'd be amazed how many people mistakenly use hay, as opposed to straw!); finally a layer of good topsoil, or my favourite, SeaSoil. You can then plant directly into this top layer. Not only do you avoid all the work of tilling, but you promote a much healthier soil ecology, and subsequently better plants. Be careful of your topsoil sources--I have seen a lot of properties unwittingly import horsetail, morning glory, and other nasty beasts by purchasing cheap material. That will leave you longing for bermuda grass! There is a lot of info on the web about sheet mulching, or 'lasagne gardening', as it sometimes called. A soil test is always a good idea. It will inform you of any deficient or toxic mineral levels, and if you need to adjust your soil pH. Personally, I think you will never make a better investment in your garden. I would mention that using pressure treated lumber for a vegetable garden is not advisable. I would replace it with rough cedar, which is relatively cheap, and will last years.
...See More
Eliminating patches of bermuda in a fescue lawn
Q
Comments (6)
I had the same situation at my home in Southern California, primarily fescue but some patches of bermuda. After treating bermuda with Roundup for a year and it coming up next season I chose to dig out the soil with the bermuda including areas beyond where bermuda was figuring roots were there. I dug out probably 18" deep of soil. Guess what? Next season bermuda back. I think once bermuda gets in a lawn you're screwed.
...See More
Need help with starting a new lawn from grass seeds (Till or No-Till)
Q
Comments (8)
I am not familiar with your area and what types of grass is grown and readily available, so I will let someone else comment on that. I seeded Bermuda, im in texas, about 2 years ago when my house was built. I started off with rye grass during the winter, but since it did not take everywhere, it resulted in areas where there were washouts. I did not level my lawn again before planting Bermuda, wish I would have, but it is not all that bad for me. I am currently taking my time in leveling the lawn now with a very good amount of grass. I am doing it in small sections as I have over 3/4 of an acre to maintain. So back to your situation and what I would do. If you think you have bad soil, maybe consider doing a soil test. While the soil test is being done, spray the area with round-up if you are trying to get rid of whatever you currently have. If you do not want to do that, then bring in topsoil, and then get someone to use a box blade to smooth the area and then seed whatever and whenever is recommended. I will strongly recommend not tilling. I have tilled in certain areas, where I though the ground was too hard to seed and it did result in a bumpy yard. Tilling also roots up new weeds that you currently do not have. If you do some searching here and other sites, you will see some good posts on leveling, prepping and seeding your yard. Hope that helps as a start for you. To keep this post short, I will try to answer anything else if you have specific questions.
...See More
Bermuda front, Fescue back
Q
Comments (3)
I've also seen on here that Roundup, a tiller, time and patience will also get rid of the bermuda grass. I'm pretty sure you didn't see that here. The only way I know that works to kill off bermuda is shade. You might be able to get it out with Round Up, time, Round Up, time, and Round Up. It has to be growing for the Round Up to work, so that limits you to spring, summer, and early fall to kill it. For the average home owner, seeding rye for winter green will weaken the bermuda the following year. Why? Remember the shade mentioned above? The tall rye in the spring provides enough shade to prolong the sleep time for the bermuda. In many cases the bermuda will have died back (not died out) and will be thin and weedy the rest of the season. The reason golf courses and some other sports fields overseed with rye and get away with it is they have access to an herbicide that home owners cannot buy. They kill off the rye before the bermuda awakens leaving a brown yard for a couple of weeks, but then the bermuda is not weakened. Sodded bermuda is one of the best lawns you can have. The secret to keeping bermuda immaculate is to mow at the mower's lowest setting 2x per week, water deeply and infrequently, and fertilize monthly during the growing season with a high N fertilizer like urea.
...See More
dchall_san_antonio
5 years ago
I'll start with the elephant in the room. Rototilling is the very worst thing you can do to prepare for a lawn, and it only gets worse for bermuda. So the term, 'proper tilling' means nothing. There is no proper tilling. There is only improper tilling. Why? I'll summarize
1. The surface will settle unevenly and it is very hard to ever get a smooth surface again.
2. It kills the microbes that give your soil health.
3. It destroys the existing soil structure both structurally and biologically (sum of 1 and 2). Reestablishing a new soil structure takes 3 years.
4. Grass seed sprouts on the top surface of the soil. You don't need to bury the seed into soft soil.
Yes, nurture the current grass until the very day you decide to kill it all. Do that at the end of April. Spray with RoundUp and start watering lightly, 3x per day, every day for a week. This will sprout all the crabgrass and other summer annual weeds that may be lurking in the soil. After a week of daily watering, spray the area again with RU to kill everything that sprouted during the week. This approach may work better if you start watering a week before the first RU app. Oh and mow it short to let the sunlight in.

Search this forum for the topic of sprigging. That is another way to get a very expensive lawn for not much money. You do some prep work, but the result is an expensive hybrid lawn for the cost of a few pieces of sod.
Tom
5 years ago
Is there any life in the fescue at all ? If there is a little bit of green tissue ( maybe around the crown) you can spray 'Round up' now, and sprig the yard using the Tifway you already have. Power raking your Tifway, will give you big huge piles of free sprigs ( it needs to be de thatched this time of year anyway) , so you won't have to wait till spring to plant bermuda. To find some green in the fescue, you might have to mow short to remove dead top growth. Wait a week after spraying, power rake the yard to expose a lot of bare soil, rake everything clean, power rake the Tifway, spread the sprigs 2 or 3 inches thick across the whole yard. The sprigs on the top will die, but the ones underneath will have protection from the sun, and sprout new roots. Of course the new sprigs will need lots of water at first- sometimes 4 or 5 times a day in hot weather.

Converting a Fescue Lawn to Bermuda by tilling and seeding

Comments (4)

Yardvaark

Ram
Original Author

Related Discussions

dchall_san_antonio

Tom

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Converting a Fescue Lawn to Bermuda by tilling and seeding

Comments (4)

Yardvaark

RamOriginal Author

Related Discussions

dchall_san_antonio

Tom

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Ram
Original Author