How to kill everything and start over?

[Baymule]

Why do yo want to kill off the bermuda grass? It is a good grazing grass.

 

[Coolbreeze89]

Why do yo want to kill off the bermuda grass? It is a good grazing grass.

Honestly, I don’t want/need to. The burs are an issue all by themselves. The Bermuda is about work: DH is fed up fighting the mowing (because of gopher holes, LGD digging, mild pig rooting, etc it’s gotten to be quite difficult. We bought a new Scag zero-turn with the “extra comfy seat” this year, hoping to reduce the jarring and back pain, but it really hasn’t helped). I figured if I could find a way to “start over” with a bur-free (ok, reduced-bur), lower ground cover, it would be optimal for my marriage and the longevity of living in the country.

The area in question is technically ‘the yard’ around the house, not fenced-off pastures. My 20 goats, 7 sheep, 4 pigs, and 3 LGDs have the run of it during the day (they’re all penned up at night in shelters with small corrals), but they don’t keep it from growing to the point of needing mowed. My muscovies and chickens free-range a couple hours in the early evening, but the two younger LGDs aren’t QUITE trustworthy enough that I can leave them unattended with the birds out all day. I don’t have a way to set up intensive grazing areas without DH’s help (the animals are “my” thing, and I need to manage as much as I can on my own). There is not hay available during the day in order to encourage grazing, but they get alfalfa hay when penned at night (and some sheep/goat pellets morning and night - 2 scoops spread across everyone, so not a big portion).

Trying to balance the needs/comfort of all parties!

 

[Hipshot]

Not sure if I read it all .First know your enemy. Is it a annual that reseeds it's self or a perennial with a massive root system? If annual keep it cut don't allow it to make seed .If preinnel keep it in the dark .Or working with small areas ,till it deep and plant something like winter wheat.It will take a few years .Try spreading a heavy tarp over the burs. If you keep it covered long enough it will kill anything but threes .Me I spot spray thorns and polk weed .Then mow it with my disc mower and feed it to my goats.T If you have male dogs that urinates on the bushes, anamals will not eat them .

 

[Mini Horses]

The sandburrs do not plan to die!!!

I use a flame weeder and while it kills that one I hit, seeds lying dormant emerge. Black polka dot yard! I walk with a bucket and cut the seed heads, burn the plant, again. On 15 acres it's always somewhere. Animals will eat some of these leaf before seed heads...but. Miss one and you have a hundred more to grow!

Yard mowing into an attached catcher, burn it. Burrs you get on wheels merrily ride a while and jump off in a new spot. I have seen less regrowth in thick grass...since the emergent plant looks a lot like grass, tough to decide. I sure hate the darned stuff!!!!! Just not wanting to spray chems. I have a patch I have hit heavy with granulated lime this fall to see if a pH factor makes a difference.

I do see far fewer spots on the grazed fields than my less grazed areas....but I do not have the bare sandy area as in your pictures. I suspect some of the newly emerged gets eaten.

I tried letting a few goats graze my yard but, being browsers they found the holly bushes more attractive!! All leaves disappeared on bottom 5 ft of tree that day.

 

[Missing_Peace_Farm]

let me assure that in my experience there is no kill it all and start over!

an old farmer's adage is "one season of weeds, seven seasons of seeds". let the weeds produce seeds once and deal with germinations for the next seven years.

I deal with weeds by digging them, spray with vinegar & salt, let the donkey eat them, and let the chickens eat them. It still takes seven years to get rid of them, (some of them 3 years some of them 10).

Patience (and work like H*** while you wait) is the only thing that works.
Good luck on your journey.
Howitt