It depends what the weeds are. If you know they are annuals that arrive on bare soil all you need to do is set the mower a little higher and cut them before they come to flower/seed.

If you recognise any of your weeds as being woody types, or persistant perennials with invasive roots particularly - either dig them out or spot treat with an applicator and herbicide. (One of those gel types would probably suit.)

If i were you, I would get that contractor to re- do the yard. There is no way bermuda will choke out weeds! Especially the seeds you find in Walmart! Bermuda is actually a terrible grass. It only looks good at golf courses because they have an army of maintanance workers. Sounds like you contractor is ripping you off. Personally, in hawaii with our birds, rain and non stop weeds, grass seeding is an inferior way of starting a lawn. Its better to use cuttings or stolens. Hydromulching is another way to start a lawn.

My contractor definitely ripped me off. He totally messed up my backyard. Now I have tons of weeds growing over the grass. I dont know the weeds so i cant id them and way too much to pull out one by one. They're too short to mow right now and I dont think my contractor is coming back since he wont take my calls. Should I wait until they grow enough to mow? I really cant afford to hire someone else to do the job over again! Should I poison everything and do it over myself? or can i try mowing it later and see what happens? There's definitely grass growing in between the weeds. Mahalo for your help!

Is the guy a licensed contractor? Is he a landscape contractor? If he is, dont do it yourself! Leave messages and let him know that if he doesnt take care of the problem, you are going to file a complaint with the state. If he doesnt have a license, you will have a harder time. Dont re-do unless its the last resort. Regarding mowing, I dont think it will work because bermuda(especially a walmart seed) wont overtake the weeds. Your better off using a better variety like seashore paspallum.

The contractor I got was not a licensed one nor a landscape contractor. I know, my bad! I tried to get the licensed ones but no one would give me the time of day, seems like they're booked up for months or just isnt interested in small projects. My yard is about 3,000sf so I guess it wasnt interesting enough for them. I have left tons of messages and finally left a message that I would bring him to small claims court. He finally called back and said that i got a good deal and too bad, he just wasnt going to finish the work because he didnt have money anymore to finish the job! I cant believe the nerve of this guy! I really dont know what to do anymore. I made the mistake of paying him in full and he has collected on that last check so I cant even stop payment on it. I know i paid him more than enough to do the job and he gave me a contract stating the scope of work, so if I do decide to bring him to small claims court, I have something to show and claim breach of contract. Unfortunately, i doubt that it will do any good since he does look like he is such a loser and really out of money.

Yeah, i think Kekoa's idea is good. Get some of those seashore paspallum flats at Home Depot and cut them into littler squares and plant and water. Or see if you can get cuttings from a golf course after they have verticutted their greens and/or fairways. Often times they will let you come fill up your truck with the cuttings. Pull the weeds, sprinkle the paspallum and then water the hell out of it. Should take over and choke out everything, and to kill the weeds that do grow in you just put salt on them, the paspallum is salt tolerant. You agree Kekoa ? Only thing I don't know is how fast the paspallum squares would fill in from the home depot flats, but I know the paspallum will choke out all other grasses and weeds cause they've done it on a lot of courses on Kauai I would still threaten the guy with small claims court action just to mess with him !

I agree pueokai! The paspallum will choke out the weeds. Dont expect your yard to look awesome overnight. But if you start now, by next summer, your lawn should be looking better!

Thanks soooo much for the info! I will see if i can get my hands on paspallum. I will see if i can also get my hands on my contractor! Around his neck would be nice!

I found paspallum in home depot. How many trays do i need to cover about 3,000sf? Should I dig out the weeds before I put the paspallum down? Thanks again for you help!