# Rough Bremuda Field.



## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

What would be the best way to smooth up a rough bermuda field? The stand is almost 30 years old and over the course of time it has become fairly rough. I really don't want to destroy the stand, however i'm pretty tired of bouncing over it too.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

If you plow it with a plowing type disk harrow then harrow(drag) & then it rains on the field you won't kill it. I utilized a Hay King pasture renovator & 6' rotary tiller on my 10 yr old 15 acre Coastal field . It's smooth & thick grass.


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## DLCC2 (Jul 12, 2016)

Tx Jim said:


> If you plow it with a plowing type disk harrow then harrow(drag) & then it rains on the field you won't kill it. I utilized a Hay King pasture renovator & 6' rotary tiller on my 10 yr old 15 acre Coastal field . It's smooth & thick grass.


I don't mean to steer this post off course, but you rotary tilled a hay field and it didn't kill the stand ? I own a renovator for breaking hard pans but I feel like a tiller would hurt a stand or bring dormant weed seeds to surface and introduce that problem. Please elaborate.

Tyler


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Getting sufficient rain is the key same as with sprigging. Do you know how a machine such as a Bermuda King sprig harvester gathers roots? It tills up the soil & gathers some of the roots for sprigging in other fields. Granted this task is performed in N Texas from Feb-May depending on weather conditions. I think it was Feb when I did my smoothing operation. My hay field is black soil with a little sand in it & tiller was the only way I could think of to get rid of clods.I will post a picture of my grass stand but keep in mind it needs a rain.This field was sprigged in '07 and has been utilized mostly as a pasture. This field has been fertilized only once this Spring with 300#s of 25-7-12 that contained K-mag.

Proceed at your own RISK!


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## DLCC2 (Jul 12, 2016)

Tx Jim said:


> Getting sufficient rain is the key same as with sprigging. Do you know how a machine such as a Bermuda King sprig harvester gathers roots? It tills up the soil & gathers some of the roots for sprigging in other fields. Granted this task is performed in N Texas from Feb-May depending on weather conditions. I think it was Feb when I did my smoothing operation. My hay field is black soil with a little sand in it & tiller was the only way I could think of to get rid of clods.I will post a picture of my grass stand but keep in mind it needs a rain.This field was sprigged in '07 and has been utilized mostly as a pasture. This field has been fertilized only once this Spring with 300#s of 25-7-12 that contained K-mag.
> 
> Proceed at your own RISK!


OK that makes more sense. Everything here is normally a clay loam. I think it would royal screw up a field here but might have to give it a try on an old field sometime for kicks and giggles.

Tyler


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

TJ Hendren said:


> What would be the best way to smooth up a rough bermuda field? The stand is almost 30 years old and over the course of time it has become fairly rough. I really don't want to destroy the stand, however i'm pretty tired of bouncing over it too.


Be aggresive in the spring....several attachments available, use what you have available, harrow works good....if you can get your hands on a ripper of some work for compaction would be a bonus...here most fields were row crops and as such still have furrows to try and mitigate, harrow will help but you need some help deep too....


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Our Extension Agent showed us pictures of a beautiful Alicia Bermuda field. He said about every 4 or 5 years the owner cut it deep with a main tillage disk. Did this after last frost date. Not sure how he smoothed it back down.

The point of his discussion was more to break up matted roots and stimulate the grass to regrow. He said the guy lost about 3 weeks before normal cutting date.

I thought it was an interesting approach.


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## bluefarmer (Oct 10, 2010)

Tx Jim got it right, just be sure roll/pack it hard enough to shoot marbles on it!!


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

Recon a Aerway set aggressive would work? Neighbor has one and I rent it from him, however I've not set it more than 2.5 degrees in the past. Other than that I have all the conventional tillage tools available. Spring would be the best time for me we can get well below zero in the winter here.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

What type of Bermuda TJ


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

My Coastal is not one of the newer varieties such as Tifton 85 or Jiggs but I wish it had been sprigged in Jiggs . The person that sprigged just called it Coastal Bermuda.


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

somedevildawg said:


> What type of Bermuda TJ


It's called Hardie Dawg. It was developed back in the 80s by OK State for our region, and so named because it would survive the winter as far as hybrids go at the time I sprigged it in 1990. Of course there are others now but changing Bermuda varities is expensive. My neighbor tries ever new one that comes out, however he has very deep pockets not something common folk can get away with. I'm 100 miles north of I-40 which is considered the line where a grass like Coastal ect. will make it through the winters. To be considered a southern state we can at times get very cold. Here in my neck of the transition zone it's a coin flip year to year which grass is going to do the best cool or warm season neither of which one could say excel to their full potential.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Gotcha....of the Tifton grasses, Tift 44 seems to be the most cold tolerant. If ya got a pic of that Hardie in the field give me a look see, don't think I've seen it before....


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

somedevildawg said:


> Gotcha....of the Tifton grasses, Tift 44 seems to be the most cold tolerant. If ya got a pic of that Hardie in the field give me a look see, don't think I've seen it before....


Maybe next spring before I can get one for you Dawg. I cut it a couple weeks ago, and now we a getting hot and very dry. It's not growing much right now, in fact it's turning brown.


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## hay-man (Oct 6, 2012)

I have found it helps to do harrowing, dragging, renovating a few days after I burn off the field around March 1. Best case is a light rain following the burn, your air filter will thank you or nose if open cab!


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