Dormant Seeding

Dang bermudagrass!  There are two things we are certain have survived since the dawn of man; cockroaches and bermudagrass.  Superintendents around the Midwest are inundated with the annual question, "What are you going to do about the bermuda?".

As many of you might have noticed, we were extremely proactive with the seeding this fall and we will continue doing this annually.  However, it is obvious we need to kill the bermudagrass in order to make the rough uniform throughout, but as many of you know, that's easier said than done.  For one; bermuda is a survivor and it physiologically withstands death much like a worm.  Cut a worm in half and both halves survive.  Totally squash one half to death and the other half is still wiggling.  This is what happens when you use a contact herbicide like Roundup.  The vegetative aspects of bermuda are so extensive a contact can't effect the entire plant.  Some of you may have experienced situations where you sprayed Roundup on an area, killed it, seeded, which resulted in a dense, beautiful stand of grass only to have bermuda reappear three years later.

What is the answer?  Well, the application that will insure bermuda not returning for at least six years, is a soil sterilizer.  Soil sterilizers if used properly in conjunction with aerification will fumigate the soil to a depth of six inches after it is watered in.  Of course this is an elaborate process and requires the services of a licensed pesticide applicator and falls under various state and federal laws regarding it's use.  This is something we may consider down the road, but it will require extensive planning.

In the meantime, we are going to do something we've never done before.  On holes, eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, we are going to attempt "dormant" seeding.  This requires us to seed after the soil temps are consistently below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  We will drill the seed with our seeder.

The rationale behind this type procedure is the seed will remain dormant because there isn't enough heat to germinate the seed.  In the spring, as temperature rise, the seed will germinate well ahead of when the bermuda breaks dormancy.  We chose holes eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen obviously because these areas have the most bermuda.  Granted, the bermuda will still be there, but at least will have increased fescue populations and the holes will look like the rest of the golf course earlier in the year rather than the blotchy appearance they typically have in the Spring.

We look forward to seeing the results.