I have several Questions about my Lawn. First of all it was sodded about 3 years ago, and seems to be growing well. The problems I have are #1 Crabgrass I hate it the last thing I have done to control it is Spray it with Image weed killer which is supposed to take care of Crabgrass. I think it might be working but not sure, if I pull a clump of it a good portion of the roots about a foot long will come with it. Since you usually pull on it and it just breaks of without the roots I thought something might be working, although the Crabgrass is still sending up new seed pods, What to do about this? #2 There are areas of my Lawn that are turning to solid Bermuda, I guess from blown in seed or something. Is there a way I can get rid of this? Maybe some more History might help I have an OLD mower and I mow about once a week and I have it set on the HIGHEST setting in which the grass stays fairly long. We also water about once a week with a hose, but try to water twice during that day as to get a DEEP watering once a week. We live in College Station out in Shanendoah SubD.
Crabgrass can indeed be a pain. However, it is an annual that is best prevented rather than trying to control it after germination. The best prevention is a healthy, dense turf that prevents sunlight from getting to the crabgrass seed which they need to germinate. The use of a preemergent herbicide to prevent the germination of the seed is necessary while you are developing that dense turf. Products containing Balan and Betasan are the most prevalent of these. See the article written by Dr. Richard Duble (who lives quite near to you) on crabgrass at this PLANTanswers Web site:
aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu...
I know of no way to eradicate bermuda grass in a St Augustine lawn short of completely killing the lawn. Anything that will kill the bermuda will also kill the St Augustine. However, by continuing what you are already doing (mow at a high level; 3 inches or higher), and reducing the amount of fertilizer that you are applying to no more than once in the fall should keep the St Augustine as the dominant grass. Bermuda requires more fertilizer than does St Augustine, and the high mowing will provide shade that the bermuda does not like. For links to a lot of good turfgrass information written by Dr Duble see this PLANTanswers Web site:
aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu...