# Cleaning up my bermuda pasture



## Windfall farmer (Mar 18, 2019)

Hello all-

I'm new here to this site as of a few minutes ago. I've tried to clean up my pastures for several years, trying to get them to pure bermuda. It's common bermuda and I've controlled the broadleaf weeds successfully, but I've been invaded by vaseygrass, nut grass, and some other summer grasses. The vaseygrass is the hardest to get rid of. I'm looking for a spraying program that works. Through the last 20+ years I've sprayed pastora and a variety of others with not much luck other than to knock the bermuda down. I'm in Georgia just south of Atlanta - so good region for bermuda. Ph is good, soil is good, just need to establish a thick bermuda stand. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

Welcome to Haytalk. You have the greatest asset available to you at UGA , Dr Dennis Hancock. I saw him today on RFD TV.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Very much a newbie here. Had my first coastal sprigged two years ago and soon there after found Haytalk. Been a life savior. Some great people here.

I will second UGA, I am in SC and Clemson follows UGA lead a lot. I was in a class on hay and forage two weeks ago and over and over GA has this or that so be watching for it in SC. Clemson has some very good info on herbicides on their web site, no doubt UGA also does. They list the weed and the chemical rating how effective it is on that weed. If you don't use your country agents reach out to them. No doubt they have those who work heavy in hay and forage. No doubt they offer some great classes on the topic. If you do not have a pesticide license you need to be working to get one unless you are hiring your spraying done.

If you will search my post about June or July of 2017 you will find recommendations on vasey grass. It is not easy to control in bermuda any way. Roundup and I think MSA will. MSA at least in SC is NOT labeled for that use. Find two groups on that, those such as Clemson agents saying not labelled for it so can not even discuss it and those who will tell you it works great.

No idea on common bermuda but it has worked on coastal bermuda reasonable well for me. Not recommended on first year grass. Clemson meeting both agents and some growers said one of best ways to control is to get the wet spots drained. For me it is or was not just in wet spots.


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## Windfall farmer (Mar 18, 2019)

Thanks. I'll get in touch with the county agent. He's the one that identified the vaseygrass, but it's been several years ago. I sprayed roundup right after a hay cutting last year with not so great results, but I'll see what greens up this year. Down here, some of the bermuda never goes completely dormant even in the coldest days so I'm reluctant to spray roundup. I'll check out MSA too.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Welcome Windfall. You have a tough weed to contend with. I've tried Outrider (which will hammer Johnson Grass) but it didn't phase the vaseygrass. MSMA doesn't phase it either. I am trying something by pure accident this spring. I burned a Bermuda field that has vasey in it about a month ago. I sprayed the field last week with glyphosate at about 10 oz. per acre. While spraying I noticed the vasey had started greening up. I went back down there yesterday and the vasey looks sick. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

That vaseygrass is hard to kill.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

In the hay class we had here recently they made a suggestion that surprised me, cut your coastal very close and spray roundup think it was 2 or 3 days after the cutting as the coastal is "dormant" and the weeds will have foliage. The impression I got was after each cutting. They were recommending low level of Glyphosate. They were talking about the cutting for baling.

Can not say MSMA wiped out my vasey but it did help. It was not even identified till two years ago this summer and it was here with pictures. The land was planted in roundup ready soybeans and corn for several years and only herbicide used was Glyphosate.

Troy Farmer, did you mix anything with MSMA and when did you use it? I have only used it by itself and when the vasey was at least few inches high and then wet it good. I only spot sprayed.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

No, it wasn't mixed with anything. I used it last fall after the last cutting. The weather was still warm during the day but the nights had cooled.


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## Windfall farmer (Mar 18, 2019)

I did the roundup treatment right after my last cutting last year. I'm waiting to see what comes up this year, but I'm thinking I didn't phase the vassey much. I have a wiper and may try that. Also found Impose herbicide that SAYS it kills vassey but we'll see. Yep, a tough weed/grass to control.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Any update on "Impose" on vassey? Have looked at what Clemson University has to say about it and per them it is good.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Impose / Panoramic will get Vasey and anything else. You'll think it's getting the Bermuda at first but it will recover. I did some spot spraying Panoramic on Vasey and it took it out. BTW the spring burning and gly application I talked about in an earlier post evidently worked on eliminating a lot of Vasey.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

The Impose/Panoramic is a tank mix or is Panoramic the same as Impose? Was told yesterday Cadre is same as Impose but not labeled for hay. Odd to me. He also said it (Cadre at least) will stunt the Bermuda for a while.

We baled my 10 acre field yesterday, very pleased with it. Other than an on going issue with baler with not tieing correctly 100% of the time. Still know there was some vassey sprinkled in few areas. Not ready to stuny the bermuda for the current small stand. Did not realize Impose would stunt bermuda heavy.

Thanks for your feed back. KT


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Panoramic is the same as Impose. It will set the bermuda back for a while. To quote UGA Extension Weed Scientist, Dr. Patrick McCullough "Impose is pretty hot on Bermuda".

I've got a small section in my coastal field that has dallis grass and vasey. I think I'm just going to treat that area with Impose.


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## reede (May 17, 2010)

Panoramic will take everything off above ground in the field. You will think the bermuda is dead. It will come back. But, also know that Panoramic has like a 4 year plantback restriction along with it. When I used it, the weeds came right back as well. I was not impressed. In fact, I've got about a pint left I'll give to anyone who wants it. I don't ever want to use it again.


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## Windfall farmer (Mar 18, 2019)

Hello all-

Just an update to this old post. Thought it might help someone out there. Last year in December I limed all the fields to get rid of a little broomsedge and bring the ph levels up where they needed to be. This year, March 1 for the first time ever I sprayed a pre-emergeant. I used a generic Prowl H20. I think the name was Acumen. Didn't think it did much but it really helped. Next I cut the fields to get rid of the weed tops and sprayed Target 6 which is a generic MSMA with surfactant. The results have been really good so far. Crabgrass is yellowing after 9 days and dying. Foxtail and Broomsedge are not growing. Bermuda is taking over! Got my fingers crossed and will update the results later.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I guess I'm late to this party...I musta been on my hiatus. Vasey Grass can indeed be a tough one to control in a hay field. Not because we don't have a way to control, but that it's such a prolific seed producer, that the seed bank that gets built over years of not being controlled will rear it's ugly head every year, but it will diminish with time and effort. 
MSMA (1qpa) with a good surfactant or crop oil 1qpa (or target) when sprayed within the first 10 days or so of growth will smoke it....as well as a bunch of other weeds. It's a fantastic herbicide but it also is not labeled for use in hayfields. It was for many years, not anymore. For that reason, I limit my broadcast applications and usually will just spot spray....I have broadcast it with the boom but not recently. But there's no way I could have gotten them under control without it.... I've had limited success with Prowl H2O as well, it's very finicky about rainfall.
Panaromic, and the likes are tough because of the damage and restrictions, not a viable option....
So, spray at your own risk, it's a good herbicide but I didn't tell you to use it....don't drink it. 
Now, if we could just have something to control that pesky crabgrass. (I did spray some Basagan a few days ago for nutsedge and interesting enuf, it burnt the tops....maybe enuf for it not to go to seed?..I doubt it) 
Hth...


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