# Sprigging Coastal Bermuda



## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

I have known of people who took fresh cut coastal grass and disked it in the ground to establish it. Which came to my memory when looking at a roller-crimper. It is a roller with blades I think about three inches on it and could not help but wonder what kind of result you would get using that to press fresh cut coastal in the ground, then rolling the ground all in one step. Our count owns a roller-crimper that rent to farmers so cost would be small to try.

https://rodaleinstitute.org/our-work/organic-no-till/organic-no-till-roller-crimper/


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Palmettokat said:


> I have known of people who took fresh cut coastal grass and disked it in the ground to establish it. Which came to my memory when looking at a roller-crimper. It is a roller with blades I think about three inches on it and could not help but wonder what kind of result you would get using that to press fresh cut coastal in the ground, then rolling the ground all in one step. Our count owns a roller-crimper that rent to farmers so cost would be small to try.
> 
> https://rodaleinstitute.org/our-work/organic-no-till/organic-no-till-roller-crimper/


Why would you want to press fresh cut Bermuda into the ground on already established ground? Generally it is baled off of one field and quickly taken to another field where it is spread by either machine or man and then rolled and pressed into the ground. Ain't never seen one of them devices....say your county has one huh, strange indeed. They must have plenty of dollars........


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Palmettokat,

Are you talking about using the roller to establish a new stand in prepared ground?

Spreading the clippings, pushing them into the ground and packing the soil all in one pass?

BTW I have never seen one of those implements before. Never knew of such.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Tim/South said:


> Palmettokat,
> 
> Are you talking about using the roller to establish a new stand in prepared ground?
> 
> ...


Tim, I believe that is what Palmetto is referencing. That packer looks like it would do a very good job of making soil to plant/seed contact.

Regards, Mike


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## reede (May 17, 2010)

Those roller crimpers are used for terminating cover crops, and then most of the time, no tilling leaving the residue on the surface as a mulch. I think it would work for doing bermuda, I would think you would want to still prep the ground, have it smooth, scatter tops, and then roll.

So, tops into a manure spreader or something similar, scatter on the ground, and follow with the roller. Then pray for rain.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Should not have posted just before 1 A.M. I was so keyed up and needed to put this idea out there as I did prepare new ground for hay yesterday with my four year old grandson helping me. Great day!

I am talking about spreading it on NEW ground and not in established field, sorry.

As to the roller-crimper the only reason I knew of them was the county (yes, county owned) is kept by a friend of mine who has tractor garage and and is near the center of farming in our county. Only in last couple of months did I find out what it is for.

Reede, you described it better than I did. Thanks.

My friend who has the tractor garage also raises hay and he thinks it would work also. Will not cost much to try and plan to unless some major info on it will not work comes up.

I was thinking about using first cutting but also wonder if maybe late September because of heat. But need enough time to establish root system I think.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

We never planted clippings after August 1st. Later than that and they would not survive the winter.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

I like your idea Palmettokat, hope it works. I think it will. My 2 cents


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Make sure your ground is worked up good and LOOSE and that it's good and moist, and preferably do it all right before a good chance of rain... It's good if your tops or sprigs have at least 3 joints on them, higher probability of one "taking" (putting out roots) than shorter stuff.

Scattering tops is the biggest job. Manure spreader would work pretty good. Slow the apron down and keep the beater RPM's up.

Later and good luck! OL J R


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

With your encouragement plan to try it. I am not risking much to. Have to pay low rent on the crimper-roller and will use some grass that would have been baled. Will keep you posted.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

I have thought you could spread it well with a tedder. If you have access to one.

Scott


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Thank clowers, thought had access to manure spreader and it has been disposed of. Have friend who is doing my cutting and baling and he has tedder. Am sure he will help me as I need him to for he will also be interested in how well it works.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Good luck


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## Dan_GA (Dec 29, 2015)

Keep us posted!


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Well today was the trial in sprigging. Have about an acre we has as test plot. Ground was soybeans last year. Had been disk twice and left to rot betwen the disking and then rain field cultivator through it twice in about two weeks. Thought it was ready and then we got 1.7 inches of rain fast Thursday afternoon and it was packed. So Field cultivator back on it late yesterday in the driest part and then early this morning. Only tried about an acre mostly due to packing issue did not expect.

I took some pictures and will try to post next week, could say need to do it from my work computer but that is hiding the fact need my assistant to load the pictures...lol

It did not work as good as I thought it would. I did not pull ruller on the crimper drum but still here and will do that before returning it. But what I call the blades look to be 3/8" think and about 4" high. Not enough weight even with roller filled with water to push the full depth. It did not pack it like I thought it would. Did not have time to round up any thing to pack the dirt when found out the drum on the crimper would not do it. So packed it driving at 90 degrees to the direction ran over the cuttings. Pulled the crimper slow or it would throw dirt and I assumed grass but at 10' long was much faster that spreading the grass. Tedder was not where could use it so we spread the grass from a trailer with two people tossing it out by hand. So spotty coverage.

As we all decided in two weeks or so will say success or failure.

My thoughts and some of this I really am asking as have no idea: I think rather than have cutters running the length of the roller if they ran around the drum they would work better. Running the length of the drum, especially at the height they are you have to run slow or instead of pressing it will throw the grass out much like a basket on field cultivator. In thinking that line have never used a pasture rejuvenation or the packer with disc on them for lawns and maybe fine seed.

My brother happened up after finished and he reminded me he used he disk with blade set straight and all other aspect same as we did. Said he set disk like two inches deep.

What I expect if some success but know will have some areas with no sprigs as the hand spreading machines did not (if you missed that was people) work 100% all the time.

Had second recommendation on using disk tonight.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

We live and we learn, everyday Kat......I have a newly sprigged field that I haven't stepped foot in since the sprigging.....health issue trumped grass issue. What's a man to do, we do what we have to....
Good luck, you may be pleasantly surprised......


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

I look forward to seeing your results. Good luck Kat!


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

A timely rain and you will be pleasantly surprised.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Bermudagrass is funny... the weather after sprigging is really more important than the sprigging job itself in a lot of ways...

You can put the stuff in "like a sewing machine" with a brand new Bermuda King sprigger and if you don't get the rain afterwards, have the whole thing be a complete failure... OTOH, you can just about throw dry bermuda hay on the ground and let the cows stomp it in after a 3 in rain and just look completely like h3ll and it take off and thicken up and make a beautiful stand... The rain and the soil moisture holding capability really has more to do with it than the planting methods or how it looks afterwards, in my experience...

The neighbor really *loved* Jiggs bermuda... he told me how he pulled a long runner out of a bale of dry hay he bought one year, left it laying on the floor of his pickup all winter and well into the following summer, and then dropped it at the edge of his garden, and lo and behold it put down roots and resprouted and took off growing again after a good rain...

Later! OL J R


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

luke strawwalker said:


> Bermudagrass is funny... the weather after sprigging is really more important than the sprigging job itself in a lot of ways...
> 
> You can put the stuff in "like a sewing machine" with a brand new Bermuda King sprigger and if you don't get the rain afterwards, have the whole thing be a complete failure... OTOH, you can just about throw dry bermuda hay on the ground and let the cows stomp it in after a 3 in rain and just look completely like h3ll and it take off and thicken up and make a beautiful stand... The rain and the soil moisture holding capability really has more to do with it than the planting methods or how it looks afterwards, in my experience...
> 
> ...


Yea coastal is very hardy crazy how you can feed a bale in the winter where no coastal was and in the spring its growing. 
Sprigging bermuda i would get the field ready and not even think about springing till there is a 110% chance of rain. That rain makes all the differnce. Rain the next day you very well may be baling it in a couple of months no rain and it might now even take. And i have never used a fancy sprigger. Once used a manure spreader but most was by hand and just disc it with discs as strait as possible and a roller/packer.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Still have pictures to post but looked at the area we sprigged late yesterday and right now have a beautiful area with brown grass. If there was any still green was under the dirt which makes sense. Did the work this past Saturday before noon, cutting and the sprigging attempt. Tuesday late we had near two inches of rain, and since then rain at least two other days and more expected today, could be heavy. One thing will say with the field is remarkable smooth with all the rain.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

You talkin bout the one u spread tops on? Patience, my friend, is a virtue......it's a painfully slow process. Sounds like good conditions for top planting.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Palmettokat said:


> Still have pictures to post but looked at the area we sprigged late yesterday and right now have a beautiful area with brown grass. If there was any still green was under the dirt which makes sense. Did the work this past Saturday before noon, cutting and the sprigging attempt. Tuesday late we had near two inches of rain, and since then rain at least two other days and more expected today, could be heavy. One thing will say with the field is remarkable smooth with all the rain.


Yeah, the tops themselves "die" but so long as the joints on the stems are underground in moist soil, they will most likely survive and sprout roots... Give it a few days and then pull up a few of the tops here and there and inspect the joints or "nodes" for new roots emerging... they will put down roots and then soon after will send out a new shoot (leaf) to the surface...

Later! OL J R


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