# Bluegrass reno - removing bermuda



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

I may be a little nuts and that's fine but I am wanting to start planning a renovation for next year of killing off my Bermuda and going with a KBG. My head is spinning from reading NTEP trials, labels etc.

I am in NE OK, hot and humid transition zone. So cool season guys, which KBG seed would you recommend for this climate? I want the deep green look and some heat/drought resistant capabilities.


----------



## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

What's your reasoning to kill off a hot and humid heat/drought resistant lawn for one that is not?


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

Old Hickory said:


> What's your reasoning to kill off a hot and humid heat/drought resistant lawn for one that is not?


Because I've had Bermuda my entire adult life and want to try something different. KBG seems to be pretty heat/drought resistant based on some of the research I've done…. If you irrigate properly.


----------



## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

From what I've researched the ones that do good in the transition zone & are dark are Midnight, Mazama, Bluebank, Granite & Bewitched. The first four are the darkest. Here is a link from NC State in Raleigh listing their recommendations.
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/top-performing-tall-fescue-and-kentucky-bluegrass-cultivars


----------



## Lem855 (Mar 24, 2021)

Check out the warm season forum for SPF30 kbg hybrid for warm season turf. We have several of us using this seed down in DFW Texas at the bottom of the transition zone.


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

Lem855 said:


> Check out the warm season forum for SPF30 kbg hybrid for warm season turf. We have several of us using this seed down in DFW Texas at the bottom of the transition zone.


Thanks! I was wondering if some Texas folks would chime in


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> From what I've researched the ones that do good in the transition zone & are dark are Midnight, Mazama, Bluebank, Granite & Bewitched. The first four are the darkest. Here is a link from NC State in Raleigh listing their recommendations.
> https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/top-performing-tall-fescue-and-kentucky-bluegrass-cultivars


Those are the ones I've been looking at along with 365SS


----------



## White94RX (Jan 23, 2021)

I did exactly what you did, only here in the South. My lawn was absolutely stunning in April and May. Come June, it took a turn for the worst. Well, what do you do, except do it all over again this fall!


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

@White94RX what seed did you use? Even with irrigation in June it took the wrong turn?


----------



## Lem855 (Mar 24, 2021)

I would spend some time reading this posting from the warm season forum
You'll surely get some answers.
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9273


----------



## White94RX (Jan 23, 2021)

Beat Down Bermuda said:


> @White94RX what seed did you use? Even with irrigation in June it took the wrong turn?


I used BlueHeat from GCI Turf. I was watering every other day, but not quite sure how much (yes, I know I should have measured it).

In June we had about two weeks straight of high 80's and low 90's (no rain). Then this was followed by two weeks of raining every single day at close to an inch a day, sometimes more. My rain gauge was full in less than a week (I think it holds 6" or so). Then the next two weeks was at 90 or above with no rain. So I call it a combo of drought, drowning rain (maybe caused disease or fungus), and/or possibly some nitrogen burn from me pushing it pretty hard.

I've got Bermuda coming back up despite 5 or 6 apps of glypho last fall. I'm going to do a partial reno this year. I plan on spraying the bermuda spots again, and trying to keep the bulk of KBG that's left. Then I'll do the typical process of running my dethatcher over the whole yard to brake up the dead stuff and loosen the top layer of dirt. Then seed again.

If I didn't have a half a bag of seed left, and if it didn't look so damn good in the spring, I'd probably just give up and embrace the Bermuda. But wow was it awesome in April and May. I was reel mowing every other or every third day. The stripes were some of the best I've seen, and the dark color was amazing.


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

White94RX said:


> Beat Down Bermuda said:
> 
> 
> > @White94RX what seed did you use? Even with irrigation in June it took the wrong turn?
> ...


There was definitely a lot going on there at once. I'm just wondering how it will survive in temps like we're having now even with proper irrigation (98 with heat index of 105). I've seen some guys able to keep it looking strong through the hot summer with close to comparable temps, but they are professional DIY guys with almost unlimited resources lol. I'm worried about the Bermuda coming back and also creeping in from my neighbors. You mind sharing a couple pics of what it looked like in April/May and it's current state?


----------



## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

@Beat Down Bermuda Here is a thread to read through as it is mostly transition area folks discussing how to suppress bermuda in cool-season lawns. We all agree that removing bermuda is not achievable but you can suppress it enough to minimize its ugly return enmass.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21427&hilit=Bermuda+supression


----------



## Beat Down Bermuda (Jul 17, 2020)

Old Hickory said:


> @Beat Down Bermuda Here is a thread to read through as it is mostly transition area folks discussing how to suppress bermuda in cool-season lawns. We all agree that removing bermuda is not achievable but you can suppress it enough to minimize its ugly return enmass.
> 
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21427&hilit=Bermuda+supression


Thanks


----------



## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

I went from common bermuda to spf30/midnight in my backyard last fall.

With a cool season grass in our climate a fungicide regimen is paramount.

Equal in importance to the fungicide is a bermuda suppression regimen. Your beautiful tall standing kbg will become inundated with the lateral growing bermuda that is very noticeable. I plan to tackle this hard next year as this year I nonchalantly tried to minimize bermuda growth this year, but it came roaring back mid July. I had completely smoked the bermuda and didn't think it would rear its head for another year or two, sheesh was I wrong.

Overall this kbg grass is sooo beautiful. I will fight whatever fights I need to, for the time being, to keep and maintain my bluegrass lawns for as long as I can.

Here is the best my lawn ever looked after seeding it mid Sept of 2020. This was taken in late April of 2021. I tell ya, it does not look like this right now, not even close, and that is what you will have to endure June-first of Sept you have to survive with as little as damage as possible and then make repairs and strengthen the grass in fall. I'll take 9 great months with 3 average/bad months any time


----------



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

The issue with KBG in hot and humid temps is not the heat. It isn't drying as long as you irrigate. The issue is disease. Fungal issues will destroy the lawn without a good preventive program. I am of the opinion that if you are willing to irrigate and have a good fungal prevention program you can successfully grow KBG in the Transition Zone. We routinely get temps of 95+ for a week or more every year, and I still grow Bluegrass. If you have dry heat, you will do even better as the heat plus humidity is a huge driver of fungi.


----------



## White94RX (Jan 23, 2021)

I'm starting to think disease may have been a bigger part of my problem than I initially thought. Here's some April and May pics:





And here's now:


----------



## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

@White94RX Yup, I know what you mean. When this fungus hits, it hits so fast you don't know what the hell just happened lol.

I made a gif quickly going through pics of this one particular spot in my yard over several weeks and that section went from really good to bad in a matter of days. Grass has never really grown well there bc of my neighbor's tree roots. It's like a rat's nest of "CAT5-ish" like roots all meshed together under the ground. When this area got bad whether from fungus or lack of water when I applied Heritage G and lots of water you can notice it rebound somewhat.


----------



## Mdjamesd (Sep 5, 2019)

Why not go for a Blue-muda mix?


----------



## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

@Mdjamesd I think a bluemuda may work out if you are reel mowing the lawn. From what I see there is a distinct difference of the growing habits between the kbg and bermuda. The kbg, when mowed 2"-3" stands straight up, whereas bermuda grows laterally for the most part. It's very noticeable, to me at least, when the beautiful lush kbg was being invaded by the mat-like growing bermuda.

Perhaps there is a more lateral growing bluegrass strain that would pair nicely with bermuda, especially if everything is being reel mowed 1" and below (which this could be my future in the next couple years).

If anyone has an established bluemuda lawn I'd like to see pics in the different seasons. That topic has been thrown around the past year or so, but I have yet to see anyone's results.


----------



## Mdjamesd (Sep 5, 2019)

I dont know of any on here, and hadn't even really thought about it until Pete/GCI turf did that on part of his shop yard.


----------



## White94RX (Jan 23, 2021)

The biggest issue I have is the color difference. It's extremely noticeable in my yard right now.


----------



## zeroibis (Sep 28, 2020)

White94RX said:


> I'm starting to think disease may have been a bigger part of my problem than I initially thought. Here's some April and May pics:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Where you doing any fungicide applications or was this the result of no preventative application at all?

I live in Roswell and am looking at the possibility of planting Blue Heat. I keep going back and forth between it and Black Beauty Solargreen.

Very interested in your experience with the Blue Heat down here.


----------



## White94RX (Jan 23, 2021)

I did not do any fungicide at all. I probably should have. Being new to any real grass aside from Bermuda, or a Bermuda/weed combo, I didn't know how necessary it would be. Since I've got half a bag of seed, I'm going to do it all over again. I plan on using fungicide next year, and see how it fares. If it's the same, or not much better, then I'll be scrapping the KBG altogether and going back to Bermuda.


----------

