Eliminating common bermudagrass pasture

[mjsalmonjr]

I am located in South Alabama and have a pasture that is mostly common bermudagrass and weeds.
I would like to establish a better forage for grazing and possibly hay next spring (I was planning on experimenting with Red River Crabgrass or AU Grazer Sericea Lespedeza). I know that common bermuda can be pretty hard to get rid of. I was planning on spraying with Round-up this fall then planting in annual ryegrass and crimson clover for late winter and spring (if it ever rains again). Is this likely to be enough or will I have to spray again in the spring after the bermuda greens up?
I normally use 41% Glyphosphate at 2-3% (2-3 gallons per 100 gallon tank)- is this adequate?
Thanks for any input;
Mike

 

[dun]

The problem with serecia (besides it being considered a noxious weed in MO) is that it tends to get hard stemmed and the palatability sucks.

 

[ga.prime]

It'd be a wasted effort to spray roundup on bermuda this late in the year and under drought stress. It needs to be growing strong for roundup to work. Dormant bermuda is immune to roundup.

 

[mjsalmonjr]

It makes sense that I need to spray this when it is actively growing. Then I should wait until next year and begin spraying when the bermudagrass is actively growing? Is a single application of Round-up likely to be adequate, or will I need to spray it several times to slow it down?
I am considering the AU grazer variety of SL because it it supposed to be less stemmy, good for hay production, and not require nitrongen.
Thanks
Mike

 

[ga.prime]

It makes sense that I need to spray this when it is actively growing. Then I should wait until next year and begin spraying when the bermudagrass is actively growing? Is a single application of Round-up likely to be adequate, or will I need to spray it several times to slow it down?
I am considering the AU grazer variety of SL because it it supposed to be less stemmy, good for hay production, and not require nitrongen.
Thanks
Mike

One spraying won't get rid of it but it will slow it down as you say. Yes, you should wait till spring to spray it. In my experience it takes several sprayings to kill it out. I put 2 quarts per acre when I spray. If I was going to spray once, I'd put a gallon to the acre- that might knock it back enough to get something else established. One spraying I think would certainly be enough to get some crabgrass going good. Good luck with it.

 

[BC]

It takes about 5 qts.per acre of 41% glyphosate to kill bermuda.

 

[jedstivers]

If it is still green an growing spray it this fall and again next year. Anything over 32 oz will be wasted, just do two or three trips with 32 oz.

 

[ga.prime]

Here's what the label says on page 15: "Use 5 qts per acre for adequate control or 3 qts per acre for partial control".

http://www.quali-pro.com/pdf/GlyphosateTO_LABEL.pdf

The only way I've gotten completely rid of bermuda is to spray it with 2 qts once a month May through August two years in a row. I don't know about the lespedeza but I wouldn't try to get completely rid of the bermuda if I was going to plant crabgrass. I'd just spray it once after it greened up good in the spring and seed in the crabgrass soon after.

 

[pdfangus]

if you are going to plant a warm season perrenial.....red river crab grass...

why do you want to kill a warm season perrenial ......common bermuda.....to do it?

the crab grass may be a little higher quality but not enough to justify all the expense.

I can see knocking back the bermuda to plant the crab grass but I would not try to eliminate the bermuda.

Manage the stand as a warm season perrenial stand and fertilize accordingly and you will have a good productive quality forage stand. both bermuda and crab need nitrogen and water and they will produce mightily.

overseed in the fall with rye or rye grass and have late fall or early spring grazing to extend the season.

Common bermuda and rotational grazing saved my butt this year with a drought from May to October.

My cool season grasses suffered mightily and I have been broadcasting cool season grass seed after grazing all fall. I have been lucky with the showers and have broadcast when they were calling for rain and I have a new green tint on most of the paddocks now.

 

[Douglas]

Common bermuda also spreads by seeds, so it takes two or more years to get it all. You might want to plant some kind of roundup ready crop like beans or corn next summer, so you can spray several times and still have something to graze next year. If you don't do it right the first time you will never get rid of it.

 

[alabama]

I think it best to spray Bermuda grass in the fall when still growing and green. At that time it is taking up nutrients and storing in the roots. I have had my best luck spraying it at this time of year. However in Alabama this year it is just too dry.
Use a gal/acre next summer but it won't kill it. You will have to retreat in the fall.

That said, Common Bermuda is not a "bad" pasture. Yes others are better so why not wait until next fall to kill it when conditions are better. You can still over seed this winter with ryegrass.
Also Round-Up may not be the best thing to use. Some other herbicides will work better on Bermuda. Call an agronomist. Shoot you live in Alabama. Send Dr. Ball over at Auburn an e-mail and ask him. After all he developed the AU grazer. Good guy you can even call him. You are paying him through your taxes.
Good luck and please let me know how things work out.

 

[vclavin]

Roundup just makes bermuda grass "angry" :lol: Covering with asphalt doesn't work either - it will grow right thru it. Nasty stuff!!
Valerie

 

[1982vett]

Roundup just makes bermuda grass "angry" :lol: Covering with asphalt doesn't work either - it will grow right thru it. Nasty stuff!!
Valerie

About the best "fertilizer" their is for common bermuda is a quart of roundup. Enough to kill everything else and reduce competition......*




*however, this is not a recommendation to try this. ;-)

 

[skyeagle]

I used two quarts per acre. start in August and spray every three weeks. Did this four times
killed 95%. I hate Bermuda grass the ladies will not touch it ( yes thay are spoiled) and it will
grow and cover any thing on the ground.

 

[skyeagle]

O yea county ext. office told me good luck!

 

[cowsrus]

This year i have seen some lush bermuda in my pasture and the cows won't eat it, so i'm doing some rethinking about bermuda for pasture. i had always thought it was as good as you can get for cows.

 

[ga.prime]

This year i have seen some lush bermuda in my pasture and the cows won't eat it, so i'm doing some rethinking about bermuda for pasture. i had always thought it was as good as you can get for cows.

May not be as good as you can get but it's good enough by a long shot. What do your cows eat in preference to bermuda?

 

[hayrack]

I have alot of common bermuda in some pastures and that is where my cows do the best. I would check the fertility on it and get your P and K and lime as needed and they should eat it well. Dont fight it work with it. On common that is not taken care of I have seen cows cull at times.

 

[ERNIBIGB]

Have seen a few years around here when common bermuda was the only thing left standing and was even spreading, It saved us from feeding hay in August. The cows don't like it if there is anything else available but when that is all there is they do well on it. I thought about trying to get rid of some of it but decided to just try to manage it some better.

 

[cowboy43]

I always look at the economic side, how much will 4 t0 5 quarts an acre cost, or how much will the whole project cost to establish another grass??