Overseeding bermuda

[Creeksidelc]

Hi,I've got a small 5 acre pasture that was pretty thick mesquite up until I cleared it last spring. The native grasses are fairly thin and there are stumps all over it from the mesquites. Gettin a tractor in there isn't going to happen for a while due to the thorns and stumps so I am thinking about buying 50 lbs of common bermuda seed and just overseeding it. I've had them on that pasture for a few weeks so it's ate down real short. Has anyone had decent success just slinging Bermuda seed or is that just going to be a waste of money? Thanks.

 

[greybeard]

I tried it here on a few acres, not long after my trees were cut, hauled and the tops limbs piled. (no mesquite)
There was lots of bare dirt. Very very little of it germinated. Bermuda evidently is not like ryegrass that only needs soil contact. Maybe the birds got most of it--dunno. Only places it seemed to come up was at the bottom of a hill where it had washed and sat in mud after rains. For the rest of the place, I disked, slung Bahia, and drug to cover and had good stands everywhere--bahia at the time being cheaper and more plentiful than common bermuda seed anyway.
Whether a lawn or pasture, I've always had a bit of difficulty getting bermuda established.

 

[Rajela]

If you broadcast and then drag with a chain harrow it will establish very well. You might want to add the seed to some fertilizer and broadcast them together. Most fertilizer dealers will mix the seed with the fertilizer for you.

 

[HDRider]

Put cattle on it and feed Bermuda hay. You will get Bermuda grass. It starts from the creepers in the hay on the ground and the cows fertilize it and smash it in.

 

[cowboy43]

Can't get a tractor in because of stumps and thorns, you have a mess on your hands, the mesquite will grown back at the rate of several feet a year, the weeds will take over and choke out any grass planted. You need to make a decision of how to finish what you stared in the clearing process before any grass is planted. Bermuda is bad idea waste of money in that situation. :2cents:

 

[Ebenezer]

If you can get a track machine in there all you need to do is press the seeds into the soil with a heavy roll or track. Can do with cow hooves if you get enough out there to walk it in. Too deep is as bad as too shallow.

 

[bird dog]

Save your money from the seed. You will need it for chemical to finish killing the mesquite. This will also kill the weeds and improve your grass. You might be surprised on what you already have.

 

[Creeksidelc]

Thanks for the replies. I've been treating all of the stumps as I've cut them so the ones I've killed are dead and won't come back. I'm also planning to spray sendero on the little ones that come up from seed. that pasture is still a tire hazard due to all the branches that broke off as I cleared and I can't drag a disk or anything like that until the stumps Rot or are removed.

 

[cowboy43]

Mesquite stumps will not .

 

[cowboy43]

I left the rot off, Mesquite stumps will not rot.

 

[texast]

I've tried it the way you're mentioning and it worked ok for me. I used something call hull turf seeds though. I now have a little more insight don't know that I would try it that way again.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Mesquite beans will seed for the next nine years. That's how they work. Some from each pod sprout thru the years. Read up on it. Don't think that you have completed this task. Stay after them and you will have success.

 

[joeu235]

I had a similar situation with mesquite. I ended up foam filling the front tractor tires, the rear tires don't seem to be affected by the thorns.
My experience with seeding bermuda grass is it needs to be drilled 1 - 2" deep. If it were me I would hand spread a bluestem or Kleingrass. They both just need to be barely under the ground. WW-B Dahl has worked great for me.

 

[Cross-7]

Put cattle on it and feed Bermuda hay. You will get Bermuda grass. It starts from the creepers in the hay on the ground and the cows fertilize it and smash it in.

X2
It's a slow process but it works
If you can feed in different places helps but with what you've described it may not be possible
Sprigs set by hand would be another option

 

[cowboy43]

Would be nice when such a question is asked pictures would be posted of the situation, because mentally I am picturing a real disaster with the way the land was cleared and left in a state were machinery can't be used on the land.

 

[Rajela]

I had a similar situation with mesquite. I ended up foam filling the front tractor tires, the rear tires don't seem to be affected by the thorns.
My experience with seeding bermuda grass is it needs to be drilled 1 - 2" deep. If it were me I would hand spread a bluestem or Kleingrass. They both just need to be barely under the ground. WW-B Dahl has worked great for me.

Your experience with Bermuda has been a lot different than mine. all my Bermuda grass experience has been to not plant deeper than 1/4".

 

[Ebenezer]

...all my Bermuda grass experience has been to not plant deeper than 1/4".

Dead on. Pressing into surface is even better for some of the improved varieties that might not have the same seedling vigor as common.

 

[Creeksidelc]

Thanks for all the replies. I went ahead and overseeded it before this hard rain we had. After I spread the seed I scraped the ground with a small spring tooth pulled by a 4 wheeler. Maybe it will sprout alright. If it will establish over the next few years I'll be happy with that. If it doesn't I'll just have to save my pennies and get it root plowed and sproved in a few years.

 

[Creeksidelc]

I wanted to give an update on that pasture. I ended up deciding to try and seed it. I seeded it @ 10 lbs an acre then scratched the ground with a 4 wheeler implement then we got 5 inches of rain the next 2 days. I grazed it for a few days after the rain and now a couple weeks after there are bermuda seedlings everywhere! Hopefully the rains will continue and it will be able to compete with the native grasses