Hi Vgkg, it's great to hear from you, my but you have been working hard.

I think you started that thread on the veg forum conversations but I'm pretty sure it's gone. That was a great thread too.

I do have mine under control in the veggie garden and flower beds. I did find a single plant (if there is any such thing) in the veg garden the other day. I dug it out carefully and followed the runner out of the garden. Mine is just waking up and the temps should be very warm by the weekend.

My next worst weed is quickly becoming wild violets. I tore 100's of them out last year and today there are a bazillion seedlings springing up ready to suffocate my little woodland plants...sigh..

Hey Peggy, yep hard at work as I'm sure you are too. I'm starting to feel a bit in control now after one season has passed. BG ain't so tough if one keeps after it the first year. Lots of plans ahead, just not enough time as usual...come on retirement!!! vgkg

uuohh??? Under control? Mine ain't nowhere close to be under control. Without an herbicide, I'd STILL be tearing my hair out after 4 yrs. You're digging it out, right? As you know, I got weak and for the 1st time in my life used an herbicide on the evil stuff. I use it to keep the BG from invading areas I've already cleared and I use it sparingly. I've cleared it from large areas but it was a lot of work, I just can't keep it from creeping back in.

I know I've said this before but THIS fall I'm REALLY gonna till and rake and rake and rake.

Keep it up and good luck to you~

Peggy, I've noticed that when there's a real good rain (like here recently) that those BG runners instantly LEAP forward about a foot and try their darnest to sneak back into a previously cleared plot. Not while I'm on guard, heehehe. chop-chop. vgkg

Hey Vgkg,

I forgot about this thread.

I'm gearing up for "the big kill". Now is said to be the time when it's most vulnerable. We'll see!

I HAVE noticed that the BG sneaks by when my back is turned. It's a devious weed. I've created many new beds this summer, 1st by spraying and then layering newspaper topped with a thick shredded hardwood mulch. DH is very happy about this because he has much less grass to mow.

Ressurecting this old thread.
Peggy, I got a new idea on how to stop BG from creeping back into the cleared plots. Last year I mulched my strawberry plants with pine needles and they did an excellent job of keeping all weeds at bay (still looking good now too). So I'm going to surround an entire BG free plot with a thick line (1' wide/6" deep) of pine needles to see if that stops the runners from creeping back in. My neightbor has about 20 pine trees and I caught him burning the needles last week, he said please do take all I wanted so I am. I got a few pine trees too but not enough to carpet the area I need too. Grass clipping did well last summer at this too butI had to keep refreshing them since they breakdown so fast. The pine needles last over a year so far without much deterioration. Will update progress later...vgkg

UMM???? is this the stuff that looks and feel like barbed wire?? Creeping along just under the surface? Sorta creamy white now with just the start of green growth at the nodes?? Really nasty sutff whatever it is. I am adding it to my list of really pesty plants )o:

yep, sounds like BG alright. Nicknamed Wire Grass too :

OK Peggy what is it suseptible too? I'm thinking there is no "real grass" in this yard. IT seems to be either the BG or some huge clumpy stuff that seems to be invulnerable to a herd of elephants or maybe buffalo. I can't put a shovel into it even jumping with ALL of my (comsiderable) weight. That is not a pretty sight but fortunately, there are no neighbors around. By digging all around it I am able to lift out bushel size clumps but then there are the craters. Perhaps I can put spears in them and use them for elephant traps.
Gardening here in sub tropical Maryland is quite an adventure. Waiting to see what is next on the weed list and thinking about buying stock in Roundup.

Update on pine needle barriers:
Working very well thus far and keeping BG runners at bay and out of the plots. Some other weeds try to pop thru the needle layer from below but these are easily plucked from the soft medium. To be continued...

Whoa, gone for a month and no updated forums at all?
Well, as for my BG/pine needle experiment - so far it's still working well. Many rains have tried to get the BG going again but the needles are a tough barrier to cross. The toughest part is maintenance due to the line of asst weeds on the outside of the needle barrier that is hard to mow without sucking up the needles. A once a month hand plucking of these "outsiders" keeps them under control ok. Still early in the season yet to judge long term...will continue to post results - monthly I hope. vgkg

Bermuda or wire grass here in the Richmond area is a large sized problem. To free large areas of the grass, you might try covering the entire BG area with clear poly-film(Polyethylene) and securing it so that the wind doesn't blow it away. When the sun shines upon it,the temps will rise to amazing levels and consequently kill all plant life under it. The film will have to be left in place for at least four days if the sun is intense; longer if the sun is weak. I really hate to pay the outrageous price for roundup since a quart of the concentrate contains about $0.87.worth of the active component.

Thanks for the tip taxonomist, but BG roots go pretty deep, might be worth a try though. As for my past summer's experiment....it worked to a point. Right now the pine needle barrier is as flat as the surrounding gound level so it will have to be renewed each season to still act as a "wall". The good news is that most of the BG was eradicated within the plots so hopefully next Spring will bring some follow up plucking as the BG rears it's head. The nice thing about BG is that it doesn't appear to spread by seed but only by it spreading roots. Still need to watch it or else it'll get out of hand as it trys to sneak over any barrier.