...Adding to the mix, I too have a brand new pond threw down millet seed mixed in with the Bermuda. Millet will germinate almost over night when it receives any rain. Now my entire bank is completely full of the two grass. The millet instantly popped up creating the root system for the Bermuda to follow behind.
Pat, next time im out there I'll take a picture you won't believe the results.
Caviler's advice about millet interested me, so I gave it a shot.
Here's my situation, and here's what I did. The lower half of my dam is covered in weeds, and the top half is maintained Bermuda. IMO, turf is better than weeds, but weeds are better than dirt. Both help with erosion, but turf is more maintainable. Because of this, I waited to kill all the weeds until I was ready to over seed with Bermuda.
So, the weeds were sprayed with Roundup and I waited 2 weeks to burn this area off. An application of 13/13/13 fertilizer was put out at half the recommended rate. It was approximately 9' from waterline to existing Bermuda.
The burnt area of the dam was drug with a chainlink fence and the surface tension of the soil broken up. 4 areas were set up using driveway markers to test different methods.
One area was left bare (for a control area), one was Bermuda only, one was Bermuda and Millet, and one was clumps of Bermuda planted 6" above the waterline. All the seed was mixed with a course ground corn meal to make it easier to tell if the areas got uniform coverage.The whole area was watered twice a day for 3 days, then only once a day at dusk for 45 minutes since.
These are pics after 2 weeks.
Bermuda only
Millet and Bermuda in the background, Bermuda only in the foreground.
At least for me, here is what I found.
1) The areas that weren't drug with the chain link fence had reduced sprouting of both Millet and Bermuda.
2) The areas that were burnt, and rich in Potash, had the best results.
3) Caviler wasn't kidding. The Millet was up in less than 3 days. That turned out to be almost a week before the Bermuda sprouted.
4) The later in the day you water, the longer the ground stays wet. The dam was still wet each morning, so I'm assuming the seeds stayed wet for the same length of time.
5) In the area that had the quick sprouting cover crop, the Bermuda coverage seemed to be more uniform. The Bermuda in the non-Millet areas came up just as quick, but was more in clumps.
6) The existing Bermuda that was transplanted to the waterline is still growing, and has required no watering. The water absorbed by the dam has kept it growing.
Right now, the only variable is the Millet. I'm not sure what it'll look like in a month, but I know it will need to be mowed to keep the Bermuda growing.
Also, I choose the reduced watering schedule to see if it was possible to grow Bermuda in TX heat, and not have to babysit the seeds for an extended period. I have no doubt that a more regular watering schedule would benefit the sprouting, but I wasn't inclined to water that often.
Here at least, the middle of September is usually the latest Bermuda seed can safely be put out and still survive the winter. So, I'll sow rye grass soon, and let that be the cover crop for the winter until I can sow more Bermuda next spring.
However this turns out, at least the weeds are gone, and the Bermuda's growing.
yum
