Well, it is MOSTLY Bahia grass (Pensacola and Argentine), it is what is more commonly referred to here in Central Florida as “pasture grass” which has some mixture and small patches of other grasses and unfortunately a variety of weeds including clover, crab grass, and several other broadleaf weeds and even some thistles that spring up here and there. Our lot is a little under an acre and the house obviously takes up some of that but that leaves a good size front yard and a very large backyard with a drain field mound on one side of the property back there too. Hand pulling weeds with such a large yard while effective to help thin them out and where most needed, is time consuming and very much an uphill battle, even with spot treating with spray weed killer.

To provide some background, it is a new construction home that we moved into back in May 2020 and just having a hard time finding weed and feed type products that are not only effective and that I can broadcast with my push broadcaster, but available for purchase or order delivery here in Florida because there is some kind of restriction on the products that are allowed here. I also have to be careful because some products are not for use on Bahia lawns.

We had some recent freezes here that turned most of the lawn brown and actually killed off most of the weeds so want to take advantage over the next week or so and try and put out an effective product to help the weeds from coming back and also help the lawn come back fuller and stronger as spring rolls around. The Bahia grows well during the more rainy months of course but I would really appreciate on what else I can use to help strengthen the lawn and kill or crowd out the weeds.

I did take advantage now that the cold weather killed the weeds to overseed the entire lawn, especially some somewhat bare spots with some annual ryegrass which is already visibly growing in well in this cooler weather to hopefully end up with a Bahia and perennial ryegrass lawn going forward with as little weeds as possible, just wanted to experiment first with the annual ryegrass for appearance and effect.

Would really appreciate some guidance and recommendations on how to get my Bahia lawn healthier, thicker, and fuller which I know may include overseeding with some more Bahia seed this spring/summer, but I still need help locating and using the right products and intervals/timeframes I should be applying them for the best possible results.

Your best advise is to contact your County Agricultural Agent.I took a landscaping course from our local agent when we moved from the frozen tundra. He will have specific reccomendations for you. A soil test is the first thing you should do. It is a nominal cost and tells you if it needs lime and potash.

Weed and feed is a compromise. Typically weed control part is OK to keep a good lawn OK, but won't turn the neighborhood eyesore into a golf course.

Good, healthy grass will choke out weeds. Putting down the fertilizer with the nutrients that your grass actually needs means you need to find out what it needs. Collect soil samples and work with local county extension or your state's ag college (e.g. I just sent soil samples to Texas A&M). Grass will only grow as well as the limiting factor (soil type, watering, nutrients, and sunlight) allows it.

Here in Texas, the ideal N-P-K ratio is typically a 3-1-2 (e.g. 15-5-10, 6-2-4) or 4-1-2 (e.g. 16-4-8). In addition to N-P-K, turf needs secondary nutrients (Calcium, magnesium, and sulfur) and trace/micro nutrients (iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine ). Most of the fertilizer at big box stores is mostly nitrogen, no phosphorus, and barely any potassium, no secondary, and no micronutrients. Home Depot does sell Lesco which is a 15-5-10 and includes iron.

Your best bet is probably a liquid weed killer (e.g. Bonide Weed Beater Ultra), a granular weed preventer (e.g. Barricade), and then a fertilizer that soil testing recommends. Put your liquid weed killer on when ambient is above 50 deg but below 85 deg (some are 80 deg).

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
a granular weed preventer (e.g. Barricade)

for pre-emergent, I prefer a spray for better coverage.
Prodiamine
same active ingredient as what tatortodd suggests, but generic. I have never seen it in liquid - only wettable granules (the WDG). I have a couple sprayers, so not an issue. I use a pull-behind for the yard & a spot sprayer mouted on my mower for landscape. It leaves a yellow residue everywhere, so have fun cleaning (windex is a great spray tank cleaner, straight ammonia might be cheaper).
Domyown is where I buy when the local farm place doesn't have what I want. I use 'Kade' which is another generic & also my kid's name.

For post-emergent, Trimec is cheap & effective against a large number of weeds. Similar to what tatortodd suggested, but main ingredient is 2-4D.

I checked labels for both & bahia grass is OK. Looks like not too many restrictions with bahia - St Agustine & centipede is what are usually spray dope susceptible.

quote:

Bahia grass

You need something specific to Bahia. so you don't kill it.

I had about 200 acres of bahia grass in my hayfields. Specifically Tifton 9 Bahia. I also had about 70 acres of Argentine. I found 13-13-13 at 350 lbs per acre to be a great fertilizer but you may have different requirements based upon soil tests. Talk to your ectension agent-they can have your soil tested and dial in the proper mix and rate. Also do not use a pre-emergent herbicide on bahia as it will retard germination and harm the seedlings. Don't use a herbicide on bahia until the plants are about 6 inches tall. Mowing is the best method of weed control until the plants are established. You will need to disturb the sod for the grass seed to take hold. We had great luck with 2-4-D plus dicambia mixes in control of broadleaf weeds. If you have slopes on your property consider using a fast germinating annual as a nurse crop mixed in with the bahia seed. Something like pearl millet. The bahia sprouts very quickly and will hold the world together while the slow growing Bahia is getting started. The millet will die off and make room for the bahia. UF Extension service has many publications that are very informative.

Fills all criteria.

I don't know about Florida, much less Bahia grass, but is this really the right time of the year to do this? Herbicides need to be applied during the growing season, otherwise you're just throwing them away.

FWIW: It has been my experience that liquid selective herbicides work better than granular.

Depending upon the types of weeds you have: It may take the application of more than one product. E.g.: To get all the weeds out of our lawn, as well as the bent grass and knock back an over-abundance of clover, I had to use three different herbicides (Ortho Weed B Gon, PBI/Gordon SpeedZone, Syngenta Tenacity).

Caution: When using multiple products you have to spread the applications out over weeks. While it's true they target specific non-turfgrass vegetation, they do stress the turfgrass.

There is a forum in which a lot of lawn care pros hang out: LawnSite®. Might not be a bad idea to check/ask there.

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
For post-emergent, Trimec is cheap & effective against a large number of weeds. Similar to what tatortodd suggested, but main ingredient is 2-4D.

Trimec is less effective than weed and feed down here in Texas Gulf Coast and that was a paraphrase from our local talk radio lawn guru. Florida grows most of the same warm-season grasses and has most of the same weeds as my area.

I’ve had cool season grass lawns in Upper Midwest, Canada, and Alaska. Herbicides and diseases are the biggest difference between warm season grass and cool season grass. My lawn is excellent now, but I had to change most of my fertilizer, herbicide, and disease control practices that worked on cool season grassses.

Thank you so much for all the replies everyone (even the goat sigmonkey ). I found the local exception office for our county and their website so am doing some reading there and will contact them as needed as well. I have also been looking to do a soil analysis and will hopefully get some guidance from them and others in the area on sampling and analyzing our soil. I had the feeling with the kind of sod our builder provided and the nature of the grasses and weeds we are dealing with that it would probably take 2 to 3 years to really get it at least most of the way to how I want it so I do have some patience in getting it there, just hopefully sooner rather than later.

I grew up in the Daytona Beach area. In 1979 we had a home built in a new subdivision, and my father selected the less expensive Bahia sod instead of the more expensive Saint Augustine sod. It looked nice, and most of our neighbors had gone the same route. However, our next-door neighbor subsequently replaced his entire lawn with Saint Augustine after a few years. Within a few years of the neighbor re-sodding, the Saint Augustine grass had invaded our entire lawn and we now had a very beautiful, lush, carpet of green. So our “new” lawn didn’t cost us anything! (Of course, that was in the late ‘70’s - early ‘80’s, so I have no idea about the cost of sod these days.)

Here in Tucson most people don’t have grass lawns; it’s mostly decorative rock (a.k.a, gravel). Still have to spray for weeds, though!

Many of us install a small patch of artificial turf for color and effect. If you want to see real grass we have a ton of city parks and 35 golf courses.