Bermuda Grass OUT OF CONTROL!!!

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I have a grass nightmare on my hands, as do all my neighbors in this area. About 3 years ago I noticed a patch of odd-looking and not very attractive grass in my back yard that seemed to grow aggresively. It overran the flower bed on the south side of the house. I cleared it out and soon it regrew. I fought with it for awhile then deciced to rid my back yard of it once and for all.



I got a tiller and completely tore up the back yard last fall. I tilled and tilled 'til I pulverized the root system. This isn't ordinary grass, the roots travel thick, far, and deep. They grow to a thick, tangled mash as deep as 18". The larger roots were very fibrous and wood-like, the largest almost 1/2" in diameter!! Destroying the back yard was a huge job! I raked out the pulverized roots, making a pile 3' high and 6' diameter. That was from a small back yard. As soon as I could, around late Feb. , I replanted the back yard. It came up nice and had a decent yard by mid-April.



Lo and behold here comes the Bermuda grass! This spring it's growing like crazy! I guess what I did made the problem worse! My back yard is totally infested again Not only that but I see my neighbors have a bad case of it too. And I noticed it is seeding already



It seems to be widespread in this area. I see it on the golf courses around here. I was told this grass is typically found in the Southern states, but is sure likes here in SE Washington State. It seems to go dormant in the winter and turn brownish, but come March it resumes its mad growth.



I've asked around and am told it's darn near impossible to get rid of. About the best way is to cover the entire area in black plastic for a few months, then take the plastic off and sous it with weed killer. Great. That will look lovely. Yeah, Vaughn's place is the one with the green house and black plastic yard :{ After the plastic treatment, attempt to reseed a new lawn and hope it doesn't come back. Neighbors got it too? Then "You're screwed!" :{ :{ :{



Does anyone have any better news for me? Anyone else dealt with the Bermuda Grass Nightmare?

 

[Todd G]

Around here that's about all we have. It's some tough stuff. Your only recourse is chemical. I use RoundUp on the areas I don't want it to grow and it grows back in a few months. I don't know of anything that will kill only bermuda.

 

[illflem]

Bermuda Grass doesn't survive in climates where the soil freezes at all, unless it has mutated and adapted to the cold I doubt that is what you have. It also makes a ok looking lawn except that in turns brown when the soil temp drops below 60°, which would be eight months out of the year in your area. Many lawns in the southern part of the country are 100% Bermuda grass and look fine. Bermuda also doesn't make a deep root system like you decribe. Like to see a picture, but think you have Quackgrass. Rototilling only spreads it. I was able to get rid of Bermuda grass in Calif and Quackgrass in WA with Roundup and persistence for couple years, but Roundup will kill anything else growing with it, like your lawn grass. If the problem grass is growing taller than surrounding lawn you can soak a sponge attached to a stick (a sponge mop works well) in straight Roundup (not the premix ready to use stuff) and wipe just the offending plant without damage to the undergrowing or surrounding plants. If it's growing into flower beds you can use Ornamec 170 Grass Herbicide, it will only kill grasses. Persistence is the key.

 

[Champane Flight]

Is it?

Is it green? If it is, keep it. It doesen't use near the water.

 

[wcaldwell]

Grass???? What's that????



I only wish I could get Bermuda Grass to grow here in Central NM. We get sagebrush and tumbleweeds to grow here without trying. Otherwise our backyard is DIRT. Our front yard is gravel (you know you're from New Mexico when you think 10 tons of crushed rock make a beautiful yard.



And most of our trees (those that might grow 20 to 30 feet tall) are Russian Olives or Chinese Elm - at least they grow, live for more than a couple of years, are green, and provide a semblance of shade.



Wayne

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Originally posted by illflem

Bermuda Grass doesn't survive in climates where the soil freezes at all, unless it has mutated and adapted to the cold I doubt that is what you have. It also makes a ok looking lawn except that in turns brown when the soil temp drops below 60°, which would be eight months out of the year in your area.

I'm pretty certain it's Bermuda Grass. I've called 3-4 lawn care services in this area and they all say that's what it is. It matches the description given here: http://www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/bermuda_grass.htm



It says it survives down into the low 20s at which point the leaves die, but the root system stays alive if the soil doesn't get too cold so it can return in the spring, which it does. We only had a couple nights below 15F last winter, hasn't been below 0 in years. And as you know it is quite warm here May-September.



I want to get rid of this grass because I don't care for it and it's a mess.



Vaughn

 

[mcoleman]

I use 2-4-D to do total kills on my fescue fields. It will also kill bermuda if it is available in your area. It is sold in the farm stores around here. I can't remember the commercial name on the 2 gallon jug but 2-4-D is the chemical in it.

 

[RustyJC]

Down here on the Texas Gulf Coast, most yards are St. Augustine grass. Bermuda will try to invade these yards as well. Scott's has a product called Bonus S for St. Augustine lawns that will kill weeds and bermuda grass but not hurt the St. Augustine. Maybe if you talk to your local Scott's rep or agricultural extension service you can find out what the active herbicide ingredient is in this Bonus S and if it will kill the grass you're trying to cultivate in your lawn.



Rusty

 

[damon]

I have a yard full of gophers you can borrow - that is if I don't go Caddyshack style and get the TNT out first

 

[Forrest]

I'll bet I've got something like that. Long root system, can't kill it. That crap is spreading too, but it's way away from the lawn.



Roundup doesn't touch it. Neither does Diesel Fuel or Gasoline. I even put on a bag of rock salt, that kills everything else it touches, took it & smiled.



Well, it's green, so the photosynthesis thing is happening. Probably right that the black plastic thing would work.

 

[illflem]

Vaughn, is this what it looks like? Seed head is the give away.

http://www.wes.army.mil/el/pmis/plants/html/cynodon0.html



Could be that if this is a recent problem in your area it's due to the milder than normal winters lately



Here's Quackgrass http://www.wes.army.mil/el/pmis/plants/html/elymus_0.html



Scott's Bonus S (Atrazine) isn't supposed to be sold in the northern states due to the damage it causes in cooler climates

http://www.troubleshooter.com/data/columns/fertilizer.html



2,4D doesn't work on grasses



You could also contact Ellen Bentley, Plant Pathologist, WSU Prosser 509 786-9271. She'll know if indeed Bermuda grass has found it's way into your area and what folks are doing to control it.

 

[Elite1]

Here is my advice (landscape contractor for 25 years): turn off all irrigation, get the bermuda good and dry, when it is thirsty for water, it absorbs the poisen better. Buy some roundup at a farm supply store, it is higher strength then at a hardware or home depot type store. Make sure you wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, I recommend an inhaliant mask, and eye protection. Mix it about 3 times the recommended strength. ( I believe it calls for 2 ozs. per gallon, I would use 6oz. ) Mix in a hudson sprayer, I usually add an agricultural dye to see where I have sprayed. Give all the bermuda a good spraying. Within a week it should all be turning yellow if some isn't, give it a second dose. after the second week it should all appear to be dead. Now irrigate for a week see if any comes back. Usually some does, let it dry out and repeat this procedure 3 times... . I know it is a pain in the rear, but it is the only way I know of... . BTW I have seen bermuda rooted 6 ft. deep!

BTW: we used to use a very effective product called Vapom, spray it, then cover with platic sheeting for a week. Watch out though, it is very toxic! In fact with any of these chemicals you really have to be careful, for most people it isn't a problem, but everybody is different and some get violent reactions to herbicides and pesticides.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Bill, thanks for the links and phone number

Yes it looks like the stuff in the first picture. Doesn't look like Quackgrass at all.



Elite I will give your methods a try. With it being in the 90s now it won't take long to starve it of moisture. But what do I do to keep it from growing back in from the neighbors? Their lawns are full of it too. About 75% of one neighbor's lawn is Bermuda. A friend of mine tried putting in 2' wide landscaping with rocks and black plastic at his place. The stuff grew under the landscaping into his lawn from his neighbor's. What does one have to do for a barrier? I thought about pouring cement edging down about 18" but that doesn't seem to be foolproof.



Thanks again for the thoughts and suggestions everyone.

 

[TowPro]

Down south they have this amazing plant that will choke out the Bermuda Grass. Give some a try, It will get rid of you Bermuda Grass in a couple weeks.



click here for more info

 

[mcoleman]

Kudzu! :--) :{ That crap takes over everything. Thanks to our highway department and their bright ideas I have to fight this stuff constantly. It is a noxious hard to kill PIA My mules won't even eat it and they are like goats when it comes to eating.

 

[illflem]

The vine that ate the South

In Georgia, the legend says

That you must close your windows

At night to keep Kudzu out of the house.

 

[MMeier]

I thought in Georgia that you must close your windows at night to keep your NEIGHBORS out of the house!!

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Scott's Says

I sent an email to Scotts and they say to use their grass killer and then reseed the lawn:



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -





Thank you for your interest in Scotts and for the opportunity to help you with your lawn and garden endeavors.



Mr. MacKenzie, Bonus S is registered for use on St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, and Carpet grasses only.



Mr. MacKenzie, bermudagrass (also known as wiregrass) is one of the most widely used lawn grasses in the South. It has a very deep root system and is both drought and heat tolerant. And while it is a popular lawn grass, when growing in an unwanted area, it becomes a tenacious and challenging lawn weed. Its vigorous, creeping growth habit makes it a weed that invades non-bermudagrass lawns and flower beds. As a weed, patches of bermudagrass appear as fine to coarse textured grass

growing in the lawn. The slightly hairy, gray-green stems, or stolons, creep along the soil surface and are 6 to 18 inches long. Leaf blades are 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. This grass turns brown in the winter if subjected to temperatures below

50 degrees F.



Since bermudagrass is a grassy weed, there is no chemical that will selectively control it without also killing your desirable lawn grass. Scotts has no control for bermudagrass.

Instead, we recommend spot treating the bermudagrass with Roundup Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer or

if not in the lawn, Ortho Grass-B-Gon Grass Killer anytime the grass is actively growing, up to 2 to 4 weeks before the first killing frost. After 1 week, mow the treated grass as close as possible, and reseed. The grass will still be green

when it is mowed, but roots will die in 3 to 4 weeks and will not resprout.





If regrowth occurs in the spring, spot treat with the same herbicide. To prevent bermudagrass from

invading your lawn from other lawns, mow higher than 1 and 1/2 inches, spot treat as needed each summer, and water the lawn adequately during the summer.



Again, thank you for your interest in Scotts. Please feel free to contact our company anytime we may be

of assistance.



Elizabeth Schroeder

Consumer Response Representative

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

www.bermudagrass.com

Scary, there's even a website for it

http://www.bermudagrass.com

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Just bumping this up this old thread for someone asking me about Bermudagrass. Since I started this thread I sold my place where it overtook my lawn and don't have it where I live now, although I just discovered a new patch of it the other day. . . gotta eradicate it asap!



I found out Bermudagrass is listed as the 4th most noxious weed in SE Washington.