# Crabgrass in Vaughn's No 1 Bermuda



## dthomason (Oct 20, 2017)

Who has tried Prowl H2O and what results did you get?


----------



## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

Haven't tried it in Vaughn's but have in Alicia. Worked well for the first cutting and then gradually it came back. I applied it with my fertilizer at a quart/ acre. I believe I'm going to try it again this year but will probably spray it on.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Purty much a waste of money for me....like Lane I had decent results early but reapplication apparantly needs to be done and I'm not sure I want to keep throwing money at it.....Alicia/Tift 44


----------



## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

Here are some tips from a crabgrass grower. What follows is from the last 5 years of learning to grow it.

1. You have to realize that Bermuda and crabgrass are both equatorial grasses. Bermuda from India and crabgrass from Africa, this alone makes fighting crabgrass hard to do.

2. Try your best not to let it go to seed. Unlike Bermuda, crabgrass will not survive the winter a hard frost will kill it. It is an annual and propagates from seed alone.

3. Your best chance to kill it is in the spring right when it germinates, from that time until it get 3-4 leaves its very tender and easy to kill, which is also about the time Bermuda breaks dormancy. A good dose of nitrogen (80 + lbs) will more than likely burn it up especially liquid nitrogen, sometimes not always, I have to fertilize two weeks before it germinates or wait until it has five leaves or risk killing it. This is also the best time for chemical usage. Later in the summer (90+degrees) MSMA will smoke it or pastor if your Bermuda can take it.

4. When mowing the hay set the mower to get under the bottom leaf of the crabgrass. Unlike Bermuda, fescue etc. crabgrass does not store any regrowth energy in its roots and getting under the lower leaf leaves a "toothpick" which if it does not get any moisture will die in a couple of weeks.

Understand these are things I have done by trying to grow it and accidently killed it. The most important thing for you is to never ever let it go to seed.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

All good tips TJ....

For the record...I've had no success with N, msma, or Pastora here in Georgia.

As you're growing crabgrass, you do let yours go to seed don't you TJ?

What kind of Bermuda do you guys grow there TJ....msma and Pastora don't stunt my Alicia, Tift grasses very much at all....just curious


----------



## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

Yes Dawg I let it go to seed after the first cutting. If I can catch it right the first cutting is almost wheat hay quality. After the first cutting the seed heads come on rather quickly. The biggest drawback to me is if it turns dry it will stop growing, this is where Bermuda outshines it. Do wish I could justify a pivot on 30 acres, oh well.

As far as killing it, can't really say anything other than that I said earlier. I've done it accidently but not on purpose.

Most of what Bermuda around here is some form of common or greenfield. That is all that was available when the old timers got it going in these parts. Our ground is a really tight and sticky black gumbo that doesn't take well to tillage to change to different kinds. My neighbor who is the largest hay producer here, I know has Ozark and a Tifton, I wanna say 44 though I'm not sure, and Greenfield.


----------



## DKFarms (Aug 11, 2008)

Prior to Prowl H2O, regular Prowl was used for years in my area off-label (don't tell!!) as a pre-emerge on dormant Bermuda if we had a dry enough spell during the winter to apply it. As long as the spring wasn't extremely wet, it did a decent job of suppressing the first germination of crabgrass. If it stayed wet, you wasted your money. The mid-summer germination was not affected. Pastora at a 1oz rate seldom kills crabgrass outright down here, but it does seem to stop it in from growing any more.


----------



## dthomason (Oct 20, 2017)

I just sprayed round up and 2 4D on my Bermuda. 
I had an infestation of milk weed and various other things.
I hope this winter burn down helps this coming spring.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

dthomason said:


> I just sprayed round up and 2 4D on my Bermuda.
> I had an infestation of milk weed and various other things.
> I hope this winter burn down helps this coming spring.


Was your milkweed and others still green? Last week killed all of the warm season varieties here.

Regards, Mike


----------



## dthomason (Oct 20, 2017)

Yes


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

2-4d won't kill milkweed, but it does control it. It takes something pretty hardcore to get those long rhizome roots.

Regards, Mike


----------



## dthomason (Oct 20, 2017)

I used round up and 2 4-D


----------



## dthomason (Oct 20, 2017)

Mike
What do you suggest to spray that want damage the Bermuda?


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

dthomason said:


> Mike
> What do you suggest to spray that want damage the Bermuda?


I am not as well versed on Bermuda as others on here.....some of the Georgia and SC fellas would know what you need for this region.....like somedevildawg(GA) and reede or broadriverhay(SC). if they do not respond in a day or so, send either a PM(personal message) and they will definitely respond to you.

Regards, Mike


----------



## reede (May 17, 2010)

How much roundup and how much 2,4 D per acre? Has your bermuda gone dormant?

I actually haven't had to worry about milkweed, so I don't have an answer there.

Trooper P+D label calls for 4Q/acre at bud stage for milkweed control. Of course, if this is a hayfield, there are notification/time concerns there for selling the hay.

Remedy label says to apply basal or to dormant stem.


----------



## Randy Litton (Jan 21, 2018)

We have had a infestation of crabgrass that went to seed after a botched stem maggot control in which the Bermuda grass did not recover for hay but the Crabgrass took over and went to seed.

We have approximately 5" of standing dormant Bermuda, we plan to burn chemically while dormant to kill all weeds before second tiller; two weeks later burn with fire.

Applying Prowl H2O @ 3 qt/A, no surfactant, will cost $39/A, and I am not sure of the effect before physical burning because of Bermuda residue deflecting pre-emergent from crabgrass seed bed at ground level. If the physical burn destroys seeds, why pre-emergent? If physical burn does not destroy seeds at ground level we may be left with post emergent control before Bermuda canopy shades all.

The whole intent is to do no harm to the Vaughn's Bermuda.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I don't think a physical burn will get all of the seeds....perhaps a good many, but.....


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I would do the fire burn first and then wait for a couple of weeks for the early green of weeds and then do the herbicide burn.

Regards, Mike


----------



## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

I would follow what Mike said. Burn first and allow the flush of weeds or apply prowl just before green up. You want to apply prowl as close to germination ad possible since it will only work for a given amount of time. My experience with 2 at a controlled crabgrass into the second cutting but that was it.


----------

