Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[jinman]

Jim,
How much did you pay for the Bermuda grass seed this year? I paid $9 a pound last year.
hugs, Brandi

Wow Brandi, you got robbed a bit on that seed. I bought Pennington Sahara drought tolerant seed in a 15 lb bag at Sam's for $40.88. That's $2.73 lb. I bought two bags, so I spent some $$$. It looks like a small quantity of seed, but Bermuda is so tiny you can set your spreader the minimum and cover a large area. I used to think bermuda was very hard to start, but the keys seem to be getting it into good ground contact, weather temperatures above 70 so it will germinate, and keeping it very moist for 72 hours straight. Of those three, I think on large areas getting enough moisture to promote a good germination is the hardest to achieve.

A couple of years ago, I tilled up a large portion of my yard and prepped it perfectly for seed. I spread the seed and fertilizer I had bought and was proud of my job until I went to throw away the fertilizer bags and saw that it was 'weed and feed' fertilizer that inhibits seed germination. What a dope!:ashamed: I had seen a stack of non-weed and feed fertilizer in the store, but when I went back they had added a weed and feed type in a similar bag. I bought the wrong fertilizer and didn't even notice until I'd already ruined my seed. Almost no seed sprouted. I waited a month and went through the whole process again with the correct stuff. Like magic, the seed germinated and provided a nice new lawn. I guess that's my reverse version of a 2-fer-1 sale. Sheesh!:confused2:

 

[Western]

Well Jim, at least we now know the "Weed & Feed" works! Just an expensive "experiment" no mistake:laughing:

 

[bindian]

Jim,
What is the difference in the bermuda seed from the big box stores and the bermuda pasture stuff seed I buy from the local feed store...............besides the price? The $9 a pound price was from my local feed store where they sell it by the pound. I have always had excellant results with it, except where it got too much dirt on top.
hugs, Brandi

 

[foreman Etexas]

Jim,
What is the difference in the bermuda seed from the big box stores and the bermuda pasture stuff seed I buy from the local feed store...............besides the price? The $9 a pound price was from my local feed store where they sell it by the pound. I have always had excellant results with it, except where it got too much dirt on top.
hugs, Brandi

Was it the texas tough bermuda? It was about 450 for 50lbs last year...
Wrangler common bermuda was 275 for 50lbs

 

[jinman]

Jim,
What is the difference in the bermuda seed from the big box stores and the bermuda pasture stuff seed I buy from the local feed store...............besides the price?

Brandi, I wish I could tell you. It seems the most common attribute of everyone's seed they are trying to sell is that they all say theirs is the easiest and best. I have had good luck with the Pennington seed, but I'd bet the difference between your seed and mine is that yours is hulled seed and mine unhulled. The unhulled seed is still tiny, but may take 3 or 4 additional days to germinate. Hulled will germinate in 3-4 days in perfect conditions and the unhulled type takes 5-7 days for germination. Checking the package to see if it says hulled or unhulled is what I'd suggest. A web search will show you that prices are all over the place on the same sized bag of seed. You might actually find somebody at your feed-seed store who could tell you why their seed is so much more.

 

[CowboyRon]

Does anyone have an opinion on buffalo grass. I have heard it can handle droughts very good, but I was wondering if it is good enough for cattle grazing.

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[Western]

Ron, from my experience with BG, it grows slow, so rotational grazing my be in order, unless you have low head per acre. The little I had never grew over maybe 6"-8", but it is hardy grass if not overgrazed.

I have a friend that planted it for his yard and loves it, doesn't even mow it.

Jim, the way the radar is looking at this moment, you are in a pretty good little storm!!

 

[bindian]

Was it the texas tough bermuda? It was about 450 for 50lbs last year...
Wrangler common bermuda was 275 for 50lbs

I think it is Texas Tough Bermuda. It stays green most of the winter.....and through the summer rainless season. I do remember it was expansive for a whole bag, but the same price by the pound.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

Woohoo! Medium heavy rain with pea to nickel sized hail at 4:15 pm. More on the way.:thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

Does anyone have an opinion on buffalo grass.

I've heard it is very tough to get started and grows in clumps like little bluestem. It's also very expensive at around 3 times the cost of bermuda. It also is a tiny seed, so spread sparingly. Buffalo is extremely drought tolerant and hearty once established.

With this rain shower we just had, I may be reseeding in some bare ground areas because the seed washed away. My 2nd bag is for reseeding where needed.

 

[CowboyRon]

Ron, from my experience with BG, it grows slow, so rotational grazing my be in order, unless you have low head per acre. The little I had never grew over maybe 6"-8", but it is hardy grass if not overgrazed.

I have a friend that planted it for his yard and loves it, doesn't even mow it.

Jim, the way the radar is looking at this moment, you are in a pretty good little storm!!

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too, we do rotate them. I was just wondering if anyone use bg for grazing

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[Western]

I've heard it is very tough to get started and grows in clumps like little bluestem. It's also very expensive at around 3 times the cost of bermuda. It also is a tiny seed, so spread sparingly. Buffalo is extremely drought tolerant and hearty once established.

Jim, it has runners and in a way, resembles the grow of Bermuda, but slower, I never saw any "clumps like blue stem" actually is a great sod grass. ( It's the sod settlers used when moving into the prairie) I had great luck with it following Texas A&M guidelines through my extension agent in Stephenville. If I had less shade in my yard now, I'd plant BG, lowest maintenance grass I bet in Texas.

 

[Western]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too, we do rotate them. I was just wondering if anyone use bg for grazing

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I planted it in a dry prone elevated area and it turned out super. I think our planting rate was somewhere near 20lbs per acre, let it grow 12 months then started rotational grazing,. Was a staple food for the great bison herds, but as you know , they grazed and traveled.

 

[Western]

WOW! have had very heavy rain for about 20 minutes no hail, just rain like hail, now at this moment heavy hail mixed with rain. Pea to nickle size. Almost 1" rain in the guage already!!

Took a "quicky on the front porch, most of it bouncing out to the yard.

 

[pacerron]

WOW! have had very heavy rain for about 20 minutes no hail, just rain like hail, now at this moment heavy hail mixed with rain. Pea to nickle size. Almost 1" rain in the guage already!!

Took a "quicky on the front porch, most of it bouncing out to the yard.

Dennis,
Is that the Texan definition of " a quicky on the porch"

 

[Western]

You got that right Ron!:laughing: Usually it's mosquitoes that run us back into the house

We ended up with right at 1":thumbsup:

 

[texasjohn]

mist this morning, barely dripped off of roof, cleared in the afternoon. Now an occasional noise on tin roof that runs off but no puddles yet at drip line. Radar shows thin line to west training to north. So if you happen to be under that, you are in luck. Prediction is for maybe .2 inches and 60% chance of precip. Hoping for more!

Buffalo grass is a superb lawn grass, amazingly drought tolerant, but not a visually stunning grass. It spreads, slowly, via both runners and seed. forage quality is very high but quantity is not high.

 

[NativeSon]

Radar shows a line of storms just starting to move in. They're saying it should last till about noon. We'll see.

Charlie

 

[rgamble3]

Just checked the weather station, got 1" rain a little while ago. Lots of lightning and thunder, no hail.

Roy

 

[jinman]

When the storm moved over, we had rain first and then hail as Dennis said. I think I had a bit more hail on my deck and yard than he did, but I didn't take pictures for proof. My grandson was about bouncing off the walls during the hail storm. He got several nickel sized stones and we saw some stuck together in the yard that were as big as quarters. They were clearly just small hail stones frozen together. The storm dropped 1/2" of rain and then overnight we got another 1/10" for a 7/10" total. Very nice! Some of my grass seed may have washed away, but I have a backup bag of seed.

I slept in this morning. It was 43 F at 9:00 am when I got up. The winds died down early last night but came roaring back so that this morning we have a steady 15 mph with gusts as high as 33 mph. I hate the wind because it brings in things that send my allergies over the brink. The last couple of days my eyes itch and the roof of my mouth is tender and itching/stinging. My sinuses are also draining like a maple tree during sugar season. It's all worth it though. I loved the rain and all my preparation, seed planting, fertilizing and hope for rain paid off. I may have to put out sprinklers to keep the areas moist though if this drying wind keeps up. The forecast is for some normally light breeze days next week.