Bahia question

[Butterbean_Farms]

I have a bahia pasture, or what used to be bahia pasture that needs renovation. Horse nettle, pig weed, dog fennel, and nut sedge are thick, and smut grass is coming on. I know I can control all of these chemically in the spring/summer but I'm on a limited budget like everybody else and need to cut cost where I can.

I want to use this pasture for winter grazing, and am considering disking the field before planting, but can't get a good answer on wether or not the bahia will come back in the spring. I know bermuda will come back after disking, but will bahia?

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have a bahia pasture, or what used to be bahia pasture that needs renovation. Horse nettle, pig weed, dog fennel, and nut sedge are thick, and smut grass is coming on. I know I can control all of these chemically in the spring/summer but I'm on a limited budget like everybody else and need to cut cost where I can.

I want to use this pasture for winter grazing, and am considering disking the field before planting, but can't get a good answer on wether or not the bahia will come back in the spring. I know bermuda will come back after disking, but will bahia?

Bahia really doesn't like the disc.
Depending on how intensive the discing.
You more than likely spend more in Diesel trying to clean it up than the 2-4-D in the spring . What are you wanting for winter pasture.

 

[Butterbean_Farms]

Oats if I disk. Ryegrass if I don't.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I run a chisel plow, disc and then a Do All to smooth my bahia and in two years it's thicker than when I started. But the first year I drill brown top millet in the spring through the ryegrass - oat mix so there's grazing for the cows. Works alright and you don't lose to much summer production the fist year.

 

[JMJ Farms]

All the above is right on. On a side note, the only way to get rid of the smut grass is through harrowing (disking) or with spraying with Velpar. 24d won't kill it. Any other chemicals besides Velpar will kill the Bermuda/Bahia as well.

 

[Farmgirl]

Dealing with smutgrass myself. Be careful with velpar near trees. Especially oaks. Glyphosate will kill it but requires spot spraying.

Good luck.

Farmgirl

 

[ga.prime]

All the above is right on. On a side note, the only way to get rid of the smut grass is through harrowing (disking) or with spraying with Velpar. 24d won't kill it. Any other chemicals besides Velpar will kill the Bermuda/Bahia as well.

You obviously have never tried to kill bermuda grass. It is immortal.

 

[Texasmark]

From ga.prime: "You obviously have never tried to kill bermuda grass. It is immortal." I'll add Johnsongrass and yellot Nutsedge to that. 24D won't kill YN.

I'm for killing the YN but I encourage the other two. I'm having my first experience with Bahia. I'm trying to introduce something into my undesirable places like runoff areas and it's coming along nicely on it's own. I know a lot of folks use it for hay and I'm seeing some nice results with the recent rains with no fertilizer.

 

[Butterbean_Farms]

I run a chisel plow, disc and then a Do All to smooth my bahia and in two years it's thicker than when I started. But the first year I drill brown top millet in the spring through the ryegrass - oat mix so there's grazing for the cows. Works alright and you don't lose to much summer production the fist year.

I like the sound of this, but don't have a chisel plow,or do all. The only implements I have for this are a bottom plow, disk, roto-tiller, and a drag, but I think I can make this work even if I have to overseed more bahia. My current stand of bahia is pretty thin anyway.

Jmj, I'm planning on spraying velpar next summer, but that is going to get expensive quick, and The main reason I am wanting to break ground to kill what I can mechanically first. I have even considered roto-tilling the thick stands of smut grass, and spot spraying the thin spots with gly. That stuff is way harder to deal with than broadleaf stuff.

 

[Farmgirl]

That stuff is way harder to deal with than broadleaf stuff.

You got that right.


Farmgirl

 

[True Grit Farms]

The only way I've wiped out bahia grass is with Roundup and Select herbicides. The chisel plow bust the hard pan down to 20" and the Do All just smooths things out. You have the equipment to get it done, just make sure to keep or get the field smooth no matter how long it takes.

 

[Txpiney]

Check your soil PH. Probably needs lime also.

 

[JMJ Farms]

All the above is right on. On a side note, the only way to get rid of the smut grass is through harrowing (disking) or with spraying with Velpar. 24d won't kill it. Any other chemicals besides Velpar will kill the Bermuda/Bahia as well.

You obviously have never tried to kill bermuda grass. It is immortal.

It's immortal ONLY if you're trying to kill it. If you don't want it dead it'll die from anything :lol2: Bermuda grass is hard to kill. It is easy to "hurt" it though.

I've never seen it with my own eyes so take this for what it's worth. I had an extension agent tell me that he and a farmer took a backhoe and dig down in a Bermuda grass pasture and found roots 8' deep. That's tough to kill.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I prefer the Red River Crabgrass it's actually smothering out the Bahia.

 

[ClinchValley]

Not sure the type, but volunteer crab grass has shared space very well with dallisgrass and white clover. Each have taken turns dominating depending on how hard it has been grazed. Definitely grows.

Horse nettle is my problem. Have mowed one pasture in particular 3 times already in hopes of avoiding herbicide. But that stuff won't die.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Not sure the type, but volunteer crab grass has shared space very well with dallisgrass and white clover. Each have taken turns dominating depending on how hard it has been grazed. Definitely grows.

Horse nettle is my problem. Have mowed one pasture in particular 3 times already in hopes of avoiding herbicide. But that stuff won't die.

Why? Herbicide is our friend used on label.

 

[ga.prime]

Horse nettle is my problem. Have mowed one pasture in particular 3 times already in hopes of avoiding herbicide. But that stuff won't die.

Mowing sure won't kill it, it's a perennial. You need a herbicide with a residual to deal with resprouting from the extensive root system. If you somehow were able to kill what's there, there's another million seed left behind just waiting for a chance. It's years long project getting rid of horsenettle.

 

[True Grit Farms]

How or what do you use to kill centipede grass out of the bahia grass? That's my only problem with bahia grass, otherwise I wouldn't trade my bahia grass pastures for anything.

 

[ga.prime]

How or what do you use to kill centipede grass out of the bahia grass? That's my only problem with bahia grass, otherwise I wouldn't trade my bahia grass pastures for anything.

Bahia, after it hardens off in late spring and summer and fall , has good resistance to glyphosate. It takes very little glyphosate to kill centipede.

 

[True Grit Farms]

How or what do you use to kill centipede grass out of the bahia grass? That's my only problem with bahia grass, otherwise I wouldn't trade my bahia grass pastures for anything.

Bahia, after it hardens off in late spring and summer and fall , has good resistance to glyphosate. It takes very little glyphosate to kill centipede.

I was hoping you'd read this, is now the time to spray and if so at what rate? Thanks, GP.