Bermuda stunted from Chemcials

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Sep 13, 2004
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Tennessee
The chemicals I have sprayed have done a great job, but I feel that even though they were for Bermuda fields, it still does affect the growth of the grasses. The areas that were slightly missed; just a couple of strips here and there, are so green and tall. But where I have hit it with 2, 4 D....Outrider,(sulfosulfuron) and Detonate (Dicamba) the grass is still alive, but it is an odd color green but very much alive. It is going to live, but when will it take off?

I need for this grass to turn green and start spreading. Maybe my wish is a bit much after nuking it, but to be honest, I am not counting on a cutting this year. So.... I just need to do what is best for the grass. Some of it is green then some places it is a light green, like it has never had any nitrogen.

Anyone ever hit the grass after being discolored a week after to see if new shoots come out green? Or is that pushing it? I don't want to waste any fertilizer after spending so much on chemicals. I used 200 units of nitrogen in the beginning and it did not rain for almost two weeks after using Urea. They said it was coated and it did not volitze as quickly. It has been over a month since I hit and wonder if it is still going to be stunted afterwards?

Any suggestions?? Hit it with another units of nitrogen now or give it more time??
 
Bermuda being a warm season grass, it will take a bit longer into the spring to 'jump' vs. you cool season species of tall fescue, orchard grass, and your Kentucky blue. That said, the herbicide does have a negative effect and temporarily slows it down as well, but will not kill it. I wouldn't hit it with any more nitrogen, although a soil test will give you an answer on this point. Coating slows volitzation, but does not stop it. I'm not real familiar with coating or the volitzation process, but two weeks seems it might be a bit long for even being coated. Without rain, I've heard that loss is very high after 3 days without being coated. That said, incorporation helps substantially to slow volitization.
 
Chuckie, a couple of questions for you. What have your nighttime temperatures been? Bermuda greens up but does not actively grow until the nighttime temperatures are above 58 degrees F for several nights. What is your pH? And finally, what is your potassium level and how much have you been applying? If you are using bermuda for hay, you need to apply almost as many units of potassium as you do nitrogen. We estimate that 100 lbs of N, 28 lbs of P and 85 lbs of K are removed from the soil when you make 4 - 1000 lb rolls (2 tons/acre)
 
The chemicals I have sprayed have done a great job, but I feel that even though they were for Bermuda fields, it still does affect the growth of the grasses. The areas that were slightly missed; just a couple of strips here and there, are so green and tall. But where I have hit it with 2, 4 D....Outrider,(sulfosulfuron) and Detonate (Dicamba) the grass is still alive, but it is an odd color green but very much alive. It is going to live, but when will it take off?

I need for this grass to turn green and start spreading. Maybe my wish is a bit much after nuking it, but to be honest, I am not counting on a cutting this year. So.... I just need to do what is best for the grass. Some of it is green then some places it is a light green, like it has never had any nitrogen.

Anyone ever hit the grass after being discolored a week after to see if new shoots come out green? Or is that pushing it? I don't want to waste any fertilizer after spending so much on chemicals. I used 200 units of nitrogen in the beginning and it did not rain for almost two weeks after using Urea. They said it was coated and it did not volitze as quickly. It has been over a month since I hit and wonder if it is still going to be stunted afterwards?

Any suggestions?? Hit it with another units of nitrogen now or give it more time??
I have been growing Bermuda hay since 1973. 24d will not hurt it at all. Do a soil test every year, and apply ferilizer and lime according to the test results. Applying any fertilizer at all is a waste of money, if you don't follow the soil test specs. It is like being sick, and going to a pharmacy and saying " Just hand me a bottle of medicine, whatever you have handy".
 
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When was your last frost? Sunshine, rain and fertilizer will fix it.
Our last frost was April 9th. The Bermuda in my pastures is getting taller. Height is probably 8-10" Nice and green but I only hit it with 2,4Db.
The strips that were missed with one ingredient in the hay field; that strip is taller than what is in the pasture. But the bermuda grass is the same variety for the most. Used to store those bales outside where the Vaughs would send runners of Bermuda in bottom of bales and each time I took a bale out there, those runners would take hold and root when I picked the up. They all started out as circles. So when I saw this, I begin to move the hay bales around where I wanted to start the Vaughns in my pasture. Odd how Durana mats, the Vaugns cannot take over it, but the Durana can grow in the Vaughns. But it is beautiful in the pasture. Laying still for the time in the hay field.

The sun, is nice and bright. Having days up into the low 80's and a few high 70's. Looked on wunderground.com and it shows that we will have 15 hours 3 minutes of day light.
I keep riding over my hay field and seeing some other new plant coming up. That perennial Rye grass is tough. I see new clumps pop up here and there, and I slowly pull them up by the roots as they are forming seed at such a short height. I throw them in the back of my truck if they do have seed heads and if not, I just lay them back on the ground where they were because it leaves a hole in the soil. I come back and the whole plant has died. Trying to keep it from coming back next spring.

I have never babied a crop like I have this hay field. I am over it at least 5 times a week.
 
Chuckie, a couple of questions for you. What have your nighttime temperatures been? Bermuda greens up but does not actively grow until the nighttime temperatures are above 58 degrees F for several nights. What is your pH? And finally, what is your potassium level and how much have you been applying? If you are using bermuda for hay, you need to apply almost as many units of potassium as you do nitrogen. We estimate that 100 lbs of N, 28 lbs of P and 85 lbs of K are removed from the soil when you make 4 - 1000 lb rolls (2 tons/acre)
Right now, the temps have been in the 70's. 80's during the day. Days of light are at 15 hours a day. The very first thing I did this spring was pull soil samples. I put the full soil sample analysis sheet in those fertilizer trucks or what they offer. At the time of the soil sample, well let me post the soil sample and I followed it to a "T."
This file will show my hay field and my pasture. The Sample on the hay field ID is HHF on the right hand side right under the Client, Grower, and Report heading. The samples are together, and the hay field is first, and the second one as you scroll is HPF, as the pasture sample.

The hay field called for 1000 lbs of lime as the pH was 6.1 and I had them put a ton on the field as i knew that it would not break down the entire ton of lime this year, but will help it out more for next year. I wanted it to be around 6.8 pH like the pasture.
I fertilized the pasture to the results on the soil test as well.
Let's see if this pdf file will work here.
 

Attachments

That soil sample works, but on this Apple computer, I have to go to the circle down the same line as the address bar as that is where it shows the pdf file. If you cannot get it, I can always take a picture of it on my screen and post it that way.
It called for 200 units of nitrogen and that is what I put down about 30 days ago. Also the soil sample showed Phosphorus at 198. I put that down too.

Something I am wondering about, not sure how much phosphorus is too much, but thought about hitting it with a little more phosphorus when I come back with 100 units of nitrogen again? The dormancy of the field for about 4 years, let some sage grass come in. Cannot believe how much seed that mess puts out each year. I DO NOT want this crap in my hay field.
 
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I( have been growing Bermuda hay since 1973. 24d will not hurt it at all. Do a soil test every year, and apply ferilizer and lime according to the ytest results. Applying any fertilizer at all is a waste of money, if you don't follow the soil test specs. It is like being sick, and going to a pharmacy and saying " Just hand me a bottle of medicine, whatever you have handy".
The yellow might have been one of the other 2 herbicides applied (likely). I hadn't said anything, but if you start combining multiple things that are independently safe, There is a possibility of ending up with something rather unexpected, and I'm not thinking of anything good.
 
The chemicals I have sprayed have done a great job, but I feel that even though they were for Bermuda fields, it still does affect the growth of the grasses. The areas that were slightly missed; just a couple of strips here and there, are so green and tall. But where I have hit it with 2, 4 D....Outrider,(sulfosulfuron) and Detonate (Dicamba) the grass is still alive, but it is an odd color green but very much alive. It is going to live, but when will it take off?

I need for this grass to turn green and start spreading. Maybe my wish is a bit much after nuking it, but to be honest, I am not counting on a cutting this year. So.... I just need to do what is best for the grass. Some of it is green then some places it is a light green, like it has never had any nitrogen.

Anyone ever hit the grass after being discolored a week after to see if new shoots come out green? Or is that pushing it? I don't want to waste any fertilizer after spending so much on chemicals. I used 200 units of nitrogen in the beginning and it did not rain for almost two weeks after using Urea. They said it was coated and it did not volitze as quickly. It has been over a month since I hit and wonder if it is still going to be stunted afterwards?

Any suggestions?? Hit it with another units of nitrogen now or give it more time??
It will recover , sound like you mixed it a little stout.
 
That soil sample works, but on this Apple computer, I have to go to the circle down the same line as the address bar as that is where it shows the pdf file. If you cannot get it, I can always take a picture of it on my screen and post it that way.
It called for 200 units of nitrogen and that is what I put down about 30 days ago. Also the soil sample showed Phosphorus at 198. I put that down too.

Something I am wondering about, not sure how much phosphorus is too much, but thought about hitting it with a little more phosphorus when I come back with 100 units of nitrogen again? The dormancy of the field for about 4 years, let some sage grass come in. Cannot believe how much seed that mess puts out each year. I DO NOT want this crap in my hay field.
Im sure you know but 200 units of nitrogen 34-0-0 is almost 600 lb per acre. Phosphorus is usually 0-46-0 so thats 430lb per acre. Adding over 1000 lb per ac sure gets expensive.
You may have already stated it but is your PH where it needs to be?
 
I have been growing Bermuda hay since 1973. 24d will not hurt it at all. Do a soil test every year, and apply ferilizer and lime according to the test results. Applying any fertilizer at all is a waste of money, if you don't follow the soil test specs. It is like being sick, and going to a pharmacy and saying " Just hand me a bottle of medicine, whatever you have handy".
I agree with that 100 %. Often I hear people say they are going to put 15-15-15 and not do a soil test. Cracks me up.
My problem with this field is that it sat for a few years dormant, from illness and death. This year, I put my boots back on and tackling it head on. Just gonna take some time for all of this to work. But it will get there and me asking questions when I run into something I have not happen before or have never seen. I think with all of us on the board; there is always someone who has had to work some of our problems. It is good to share with each other.
 
1000lbs was of lime right?.
The soil sample called for 1000lbs of lime and I called the soil sample testing lab and asked them if I put a ton to the acre, would I cause this season to have too high of pH and cause problems with the grass growing. They said no, that not that much will break down anyway, but that extra lime might keep me in the right range for next year as well. I was concerned that with the lime being only 6.1 going into the summer, that it would slowly drop too much. They said the 1000 lbs would help me to keep that from happening, but if I could stand to put a 2000 an acre, it would be OK.
 
It will recover , sound like you mixed it a little stout.
Last year, I thought the amounts to fullest was on the heavy side. So, I did it mid ways between the lowest and highest rate. Such as Prowl, it calls for 32 oz per acre. And so on. Then I saw I sort of stunted a lot that I sprayed, but it is back pretty strong this year. So, I sort of wasted the chemical that I used before as I should have hit it stronger.
And you are correct, after using the full amount they called for per acre, that was also 32 oz per acre, that I need to slide that back a bit for next year if I use it. Maybe a 75% mix with 24 oz to the acre. Then if that is not heavy enough, it sure is expensive for it not to work. You know what I mean? Use too much, and it is too expensive, and then not using enough is too expensive as well. By the time I learn all of this from experience, I will be dead. Probably from spraying so many chemicals. Ha-hha!!
 
Im sure you know but 200 units of nitrogen 34-0-0 is almost 600 lb per acre. Phosphorus is usually 0-46-0 so thats 430lb per acre. Adding over 1000 lb per ac sure gets expensive.
You may have already stated it but is your PH where it needs to be?
Kenny, are you able to see my soil test? My soil was at 6.1, which is above 6.0 where Bermuda does not need to drop. So, I hit it with another ton of lime. To just get it in the middle the soil lab said to use 1000 lbs. I used the ton so that by next year, it will have worked down further in the soil towards the roots. They said it would use up some of the 1000 lbs put down, but the ton was not too much.
 
I found a site that showed the progression of the lime working down along the roots of plants and then as it goes deeper. It explains it so well to show you why usually, (with a soil test) that you probably will have to spread lime every three years. That is how it is in our clay soil here in West TN.

This article showed where they took cut out of the soil as the lime went deeper each year then as it worked it's way out of reach of the roots. The visual made so much sense. I read too where they said if you get a coarser lime, that it does not work longer. That the finer ground lime works the best and stays with it as long as the larger lime, but finer is more utilized for correcting the pH.
 
Mrcopier, it is not so easy to get them to just bring one ton of lime to your field, but only half a ton, even much less. So, I went ahead and ordered the one ton, but called the lab to make sure it would not run things backwards.
 
Mrcopier, it is not so easy to get them to just bring one ton of lime to your field, but only half a ton, even much less. So, I went ahead and ordered the one ton, but called the lab to make sure it would not run things backwards.
Oh I agree 💯 percent,
 

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