Bermudagrass Establishment and Managment

M. M. Eichhorn, Jr.
Professor, LSU Agricultural Center
Hill Farm Research Station
email: meichhorn@agctr.lsu.edu

Hybrid bermudagrasses have been grown for pasture and hay production in Louisiana since the early 1950s. The following are the most commonly reoccurring questions posed by beef cattle and dairy producers along with their answers relative to hybrid bermudagrass establishment and management.

The grasses can be grown across Louisiana on any fields having well-drained soils. Plantings should not be made in fields where the water table throughout the winter is close to the surface or where the soils are subjected to frequent water-logging.

You cannot buy seed of any hybrid bermudagrass variety recommended for forage production in Louisiana. The grasses are vegetatively propagated.

Plantings are made with sprigs or with cuttings in hay stage development. Sprigs are under-ground stems known as rhizomes, which are found 1 to 6 inches below the soil surface. In the winter and early spring (preferably prior to spring green-up), the sprigs are dug up with a machine (sprig-digger) and collected in a wagon. Where a sprig-digger is not available, strips of the field are disked several times. The sprigs are dug up with a side-delivery hay rake to form a windrow, and, with a pitch fork, placed in a wagon. Sprigs are sold by the bushel.

Cuttings, sometimes known as long hay, are standing bermudagrass stems and leaves (culms) in a field that was cut in hay-stage development, raked into a windrow, and baled without drying. Cuttings are sold by the bale.

The price per bushel of sprigs or bale of cuttings is between you and the vendor. Sprigs normally sell at $2.00 to $6.00 per bushel. [World Feeder, a variety not recommended for production in Louisiana, sells for $50.00 per bushel.] Bales of cuttings normally sell at $3.00 to $6.00 per bale.

It depends on the amount of sprigs you have in a bushel and the method of planting. If at digging, the clumps of rhizomes were broken up into individual pieces, length 4 to 12 inches, hand planting one sprig spaced every 2 feet in the center of 4-foot spaced rows will require 10 to15 bushels per acre. Planted in 3- to 4-foot spaced rows, using a one- or two-row sprig-planter or tree planter, will require 25 to 30 bushels; a 2-foot spaced row, 6-row planter 40 to 60 bushels. Where broadcast on the surface of the seedbed by hand or with a manure spreader and disked into the soil, 50 to 70 bushels are required.

It depends on the size of the bale. Most bales of cuttings will be between ˝ and ž the size of a conventional bale of cured hay. Where the cuttings are broadcast on the surface of the seedbed and pushed into the soil with a disk, 25 to 30 large bales or 30 to 35 small bales are required.

What are the recommended varieties? When is the best time to plant? Should I plant sprigs? Can I plant cuttings? What are my chances (risk) of not getting an established stand?

Consider Table 1 as a planting guide and assume that the varieties will be planted correctly at a proper sprigging or cutting rate, in prepared clean seedbeds, limed and fertilized according to soil test recommendations, and that rainfall is not too limiting.

Table 1. Recommended hybrid bermudagrass varieties, planting material source, planting dates, and risk of obtaining an established stand the same year of planting.

	Planting material
	Sprigs			Long-hay cuttings
Variety	Use?	Dates	Risk†	Use?	Dates	Risk
Alicia‡	No	All	----	Yes	All	VL
Brazos	Yes	Varieties	VL	Yes	Varieties	M
Coastal	Yes	15 February	VL	Yes	1 May	H
Grazer	Yes	to	VL	Yes	to	M
Jiggs	Yes	15 April	VL	Yes	15 July	?
Russell	Yes		VL	Yes		VL
Tifton-44	Yes		VL	Yes		H
Tifton-85	Yes		VL	Yes		VL

†Risk rating to fully establish a stand the same year of planting: less than 10% for VL (very low); 25% for L (low), 50% for M (medium), 75% for H (high), and greater than 90% for VH (very high).

A prepared seedbed on a field normally requires that the soil be plowed, disked several times, and harrowed to smooth the surface. A clean, prepared seedbed is one in which all of the weeds and grasses on the surface of the field were buried during preparation of the seedbed.

This is the best procedure to follow, especially at today's prices for lime and fertilizer.

I am ready to plant now. How much fertilizer do I need? I will apply lime later.

Either way. You can broadcast the fertilizer on the surface of the field before harrowing and planting or right after planting. Where sprigs are planted in rows, a side-dress application of starter fertilizer at planting time would be best.

He must have planted them too deeply, if he planted good sprigs, that is, sprigs that had not dried out or had gone through a heat. Ideally, half of the sprig should be inserted into the soil and the other half is left exposed on the surface. This type of planting can be achieved only by hand-planting. When planting with a machine or following broadcast planting procedures with a disk, try not to bury the sprigs deeper than 2 to 3 inches. A 1-inch depth would be better.

My neighbor made a broadcast planting of long hay and he has a pitiful stand!

If the material had not dried out or gone through a heat, he buried the cuttings too deeply in the soil. After broadcasting the long hay, he should have set his disk-gangs at the least off-set position so the cuttings are pushed into the soil with about ˝ to ž of the stems and runners inserted in the soil and the remainder exposed on the surface.

By the way, did your neighbor pack the soil after planting the sprigs or long-hay cuttings?

No way of knowing. Be sure to pack the soil with some sort of cultipacker after planting. This practice will prolong the life of the planting material and conserve soil moisture that will be available for the production of new growth from the planting material.

What herbicide should I apply over my planted sprigs or long-hay cuttings for weed control?

No herbicides have an approved US-EPA use label for preemergence weed control. For several years, under an annually renewed approved US-EPA emergency use label known as a Section 18, we have been able to use Zorial Rapid 80 for preemergence weed control of annual warm-season grasses. If approved for use, broadcast .75 pound of Zorial Rapid 80 mixed in 10 to 30 gallons of water per acre right after cultipacking the field of planted sprigs or long-hay cuttings. Do not apply Zorial Rapid 80 on long-hay planted cuttings of Brazos, Coastal, or Tifton-85 bermudagrass. When the long-hay planted cuttings of the varieties begin to grow, most of the new growth will turn white and die.

For postemergence broadleaf weed control, use either 2,4-D amine or 2,4-D low volatile ester (LVE). Broadcast either at 1.5 to 2 pints mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre in the early part of the growing season. In the latter part of the growing season, broadcast either Grazon P + D or Weedmaster at 1.5 to 2 pints mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre.

Where the hybrids have been planted in a field that was used for bahiagrass pasture or hay, broadcast Ally at .33 () ounce mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre at least 60 days after planting for post emergence control of seedling and emerged rhizome bahiagrass.

A non-ionic surfactant is a liquid substance, somewhat like soap, that will make the droplets in the spray spread over the surface of the weed and stick to the plant. It ensures contact of the herbicide with the weed and provides a higher degree of control. Do not use household detergents. The household detergents may react with the herbicide in solution and cause it to be ineffective or it will not stick the spray to the plant.

Hold on a minute longer! You have one more fertilization procedure to follow. Apply 250 to 300 pounds per acre of ammonium nitrate when your planted sprigs or long-hay cuttings green up and start runner production. This fertilization practice is the key to rapid stand establishment and producing sufficient forage for a hay cutting.

Plantings made with sprigs should be ready for the first hay harvest sometime between July 15 to September 1, depending on the amount of rainfall that occurred.

Plantings made with long-hay cuttings, with adequate rainfall, should be ready for a first hay harvest within 90 days after planting.

Yes. Provided the first cutting was made before September 15 and rainfall is not limiting. After the hay of the first cutting has been removed, apply 500 to 600 pounds per acre of a 17-5-20-5 blended fertilizer.

Figure conservatively on 1.25 tons per acre on the first harvest and 1.5 tons per acre on the second harvest.

How much standing forage do I need to have on the field to protect the stand from winter-kill?

A coverage of forage to protect the planted stands over the winter is not required for any of the recommended varieties.

I may need to graze the planted fields. When can I start grazing my cattle?

Delay grazing until after the first harvest of hay has been removed from the field and regrowth from the stubble has attained at least 6- to 8-inch height. Graze the field with a light stocking rate, one cow for 2 to 3 acres. We do not want the cattle to pull up a lot of runners and immature rhizomes.

Everyone tells me that I need to cut my hay field every 28 days. We have not had a rain in three weeks. When should I cut?

Cutting the field every 28 days is a good general rule of thumb, but, as you noted, it does not take limited rainfall into consideration. Producing high yields of high quality hay is an art each producer must develop. The time to cut bermudagrass depends on the stage of growth. Hay yield increases as the grass matures, while hay quality (protein, total digestible nutrients, minerals, etc.) decreases. After the first application of fertilizer in the spring, check your field(s) closely as growth develops. About 5 to 6 weeks after application of fertilizer in late March or early April, the grass will show what is known as flag-leaf growth stage development. At that time, check your harvesting equipment and plan to cut the grass within the following week. The grass you will cut will be in early seedhead development. After the cutting has cured and the hay has been removed from the field, apply fertilizer again, and cut the field when the grass has grown to early seedhead development. Depending on rainfall, the second and subsequent harvests made during the growing season may require from 28 to 42 days to attain early seedhead development.

Figure on 2 tons per acre per harvest when the weeds have been controlled and the field has been limed and fertilized properly.

Yes. The hay you produce will contain from 10% to 14% crude protein. TDN content will vary, depending on variety, and will range from about 52% for Alicia to 60% for Tifton 85. The mineral content of the hay (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur) will be at levels adequate to meet the nutritional requirements of most classes of livestock.

The winter grasses are getting bad in my hay field. Last year my first hay harvest was not fit to sell and hardly fit to feed my cattle. How can I get rid of them?

Broadcast Gramoxone Extra at ˝ to 1 pt mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre mid-January to mid-February for control of little barley, rescuegrass, ryegrass, and sixweeks three-awn (Aristida sp.) grass. You will also get some broadleaf weed control.

Your neighbor is breaking the law. These herbicides are not labeled for use on pastures and hay meadows any more.

I am told that you can use Zorial Rapid 80 for peemergence control of winter grasses.

The label is pending. It may be that the herbicide was purchased when the Emergency Use Label was in effect, but it is not legal to use it now on bermudagrass hay fields or pastures.

I have a field that I cut for hay in summer and use for pasture in the fall. It has a lot of dock and henbit, and turns yellow during the spring with some kind of buttercup. What will get rid of them?

Broadcast either 2,4-D amine or 2,4-D low volatile ester (LVE) at 1.5 to 2 pints mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre in mid-October through November or in February through March. If you wait until April, you will need to double the rates of 2,4-D to get control.

I used 2,4-D last year and it did not kill the cypress weeds (dogfennel). What can I do?

Broadcast Weedmaster at 1.5 to 2 pints or Grazon P +D at 2 to 3 pints mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre in late March and April. Spray before May for a high degree of control.

I cannot use 2,4-D. They grow cotton close by. Is there anything I can use?

Broadcast Ally at .2 to .3 ounce or Remedy at 1 to 2 quarts mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre. Besides broadleaf weeds, Ally will control wild onions and garlic while Remedy will control berry briars and Chinese tallow.

When is the best time to apply Ally and what rate should I use? The stuff is expensive.

The label recommends a broadcast use rate of .33 oz mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre after greenup in the spring. For the best control, apply Ally at the labeled rate on bahia that has grown to 6- to 8-inch leaf height after harvesting hay in late June or July.

We do not have any herbicides labeled for pre- or postemergence control of these grasses where a use rate can be broadcast on the field. You can spot-spray with Roundup or apply Roundup with a wick. If you choose to use Roundup, be sure to read the label for spot-spray and wick use rates.

We do not have any herbicides labeled for pre- or postemergence control of these weeds.

The horse people would not buy my hay because it had too much crabgrass in it. What can I use to get rid of it?

We do not have any herbicides labeled for pre- or postemergence control of crabgrasss. Princep and AAtrex are not labeled anymore for preemergence use. We hope the label for Zorial Rapid 80 use will be approved by EPA in the near future.

The pigweeds and tread-fast (night shade) are beginning to be a real problem. What can I use to get rid of them?

Broadcast Weedmaster at 1.5 to 2 pints or Grazon P +D at 2 to 3 pints mixed in 10 to 20 gallons of water containing .25% non-ionic surfactant per acre in early summer. Be sure to apply the herbicides before the weeds begin to flower. Better yet, read the label and follow directions.

After applying the herbicide, how long do I need to wait before I can make hay or put cattle on the field?

Every herbicide that is labeled for use on hay meadows and pastures has a section on the label devoted to grazing restrictions and/or feeding restrictions. No one can remember all of them, so please read the label.

No. I don't have a soil test. Can you just tell me the amount of lime to apply?

No, not really. If your soil is very strongly acid, you may need 3 or 4 tons of lime per acre. If your soil is slightly acid, neutral, or alkaline, you do not need lime.

If the soil test shows you have a very low level of magnesium, use dolomite lime. If not, use calcitic lime. If your lime vendor can obtain what is known as a high-mag lime, use the high-mag lime every time.

I applied lime last year according to soil test recommendations. This year the soil test recommendation calls for the same amount of lime to be applied. Do I need to apply lime again?

No. An application of lime at a recommended soil test should be sufficient for 4 to 5 years of bermudagrass hay production.

I have been told that I need to lime the field. I do not have the time to take a soil sample. What do you recommend?

On hill land, apply 2 tons per acre of dolomite lime. On river bottom land, apply 1 ton per acre of calcitic lime. How often? Every 4 to 5 years.

All of the work in Louisiana shows that the most economical rate of nitrogen to apply is 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre per cutting. Units? Pounds. Or, about 300 pounds of ammonium nitrate containing 34% nitrogen per acre per cutting.

Ammonium nitrate. I can buy urea or liquid forms of nitrogen at less cost per pound of nitrogen.

That may be true. In some areas of the state, these sources are cheaper and readily available. If you use urea (prilled) or nitrogen solutions containing urea, expect to produce 20 % less hay via nitrogen loss through volatilization. Therefore, at least 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre from these sources will be required to produce the same amount of hay as 100 pounds of nitrogen as ammonium nitrate. If you use urea containing 46% nitrogen, apply 260 pounds per acre per cutting.

Yes. Ammonium sulfate per pound of nitrogen is as efficient as ammonium nitrate. But, it will require 500 pounds per acre of ammonium sulfate containing 21% nitrogen to produce the same amount of forage as 300 pounds per acre of ammonium nitrate.

How much hay can I produce per acre using 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre per cutting?

I hope to harvest hay at least three times this summer. Can I apply all of the nitrogen at one time?

Better not! Bermudagrass hay heavily fertilized with nitrogen is harder to cure after cutting. The yield of the third cutting of hay will be 25 to 40 % lower than that obtained with split applications of 100 pounds per acre of nitrogen. Furthermore, in a drought, you may not have an opportunity to make a third harvest.

March 15 to April 1. Then apply again after each cutting of hay is removed from the field, with the exception of the final cutting of the season or when your hay needs are met. September 1 should be latest date in the season to apply nitrogen for a fall cutting.

You can apply all of your phosphate and potash in the spring before or after making your first application of nitrogen. Or, you can divide the recommended seasonal rates by the number of cuttings you will make, and apply this amount with each application of nitrogen as a blended fertilizer.

For 2 tons of hay per acre per cutting, you will need 25 to 30 pounds of phosphate and 100 to 120 pounds of potash.

Yes. Apply 600 pounds per acre of a 16-4-20 blended fertilizer for each cutting of hay desired.

The soil test showed that my sulfur level was low. How much sulfur do I need?

Apply the sulfur at the same time that you apply the phosphate and potash in a blended fertilizer to save a trip over the field. Or, apply the sulfur as a blended nitrogen fertilizer using ammonium sulfate as the source of sulfur. Your fertilizer dealer will be pleased to assist you.

Apply 550 to 600 pounds per acre of 17-5-20-5 on April 1 and after each hay harvest except for the final harvest of the year. If you have good stands going into the season, figure on producing 2 tons of hay per acre per harvest.

The ability of hybrid bermudagrass to produce feeder roots throughout the soil profile ( roots as deep as 6 to 8 feet in the soil are not uncommon) has allowed the grass to absorb all of the micro nutrients required for hay production. At the present time, the application of micro nutrients for bermudagrass hay production is not recommended in Louisiana.

My neighbor did real well where he applied chicken litter on his hay field. How much do I need?

Our work with broiler litter shows that you can produce about 3 tons of hay per acre where 2 tons of litter was applied in April. From one cutting? No, from two cuttings, 1.5 tons per acre on the first and second harvest.

The armyworms are stripping my field, what do I need to do to get rid of them?

Broadcast Lannate LV at .75 pint mixed in 20 to 30 gallons of water per acre or Methyl Parathion 4E at one pint mixed in 20 to 30 gallons of water per acre.

Be sure to read the label for grazing, harvesting, and environmental restrictions on the use of these insecticides and Sevin WP 80 as well, in the event that it can be purchased locally.

No, if you plan to feed all the round bales you produce to your livestock stock during late fall, winter, and spring and do not mind experiencing some hay loss.


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