Roundup will do the job but it might take a couple of applications to get every little piece that is hiding on your initial application.

You can't kill it by pulling it anyway. I wish... It has deep rhizomes that are difficult to kill. As Dmullen points out, RU will kill it with a couple of applications...maybe 3. But you have to be diligent to keep it out. Dedicated...If you till it, it'll just multiply. An herbicide is the best way I believe.

I'd mow then wait about 5 days for new growth. Use a spreader sticker w/the herbicide, that's crucial.> A "surfactant." For more info, Google a search on...ummm, "herbicide surfactant" or something like that. Bermuda grass + nuclear bomb...kiddin...

Now, I'm determined to get rid of this weed, even tho my neighbors have it. I'm presently attempting to shade it out along the property line. It doesn't like shade...which gives me hope.

Once you kill it, you'll be left with a thick mat of wiry runners. They're unslightly if you plan on reseeding a new lawn there. You could rake them if you don't have too large an area. Good luck~ Otherwise you might need some heavy machinery to get them out. I don't recall the name of the machine we rented but the rental places will know what you're talking about. (or I could just ask DH)

I hate bermuda grass.....

Here is a link that might be useful: The bad news is..

Getting rif of bermuda grass mixed in with a different type of turf i believe is a little trickier than just using roundup. A selective herbicide should be used if the other variety is what you want to keep. If the bermuda is invading a St. Augustine turf, then two or three applications of atrazine would most likely do the trick. They key is to identify the other variety of grass if this is what you would like to keep in your lawn. Otherwise you would be risking killing all of your existing grass using round up.
Take a sample of the grass you want to keep down to a local nursery or your county extention agent. They should be able to indentify the variety and recomend a safe herbicide to use.

A selective herbacide like Ornamec will take care of bermuda grass.

Ortho Grass B-gon will also do the job, if not, lay a black plastic to where your bermuda grass is growing and put 6 inches mulch on top of the plastic. Thats what i did on mine and it works! good luck!

But if the bermuda is mixed into his lawn, both the above products will also kill the lawn, right?

in southeast texas we obviously have 99% st.augustine grass. i have a (approximate) 300sqft patch of bermudagrass that is taking over my st. augustine. i have been watching this happen for 2 years now and don't know what to do. what you suggested-(ilovetabasco)-will this kill out bermudagrass and not harm st. augustine? i also have a patch of centipede. this dosen't bother me as bad but i would like a solid lawn of st. augustine. please, ANYONE, reply with any tips, suggustions, or product recommendations. thank you

neal westmoreland, orange texas

I don't have St.Augustine, but a fescue combo very popular out here called Marathon III. ( I'm in coastal Calif.)
But our issue is the same, I believe! I have not tried Ornamec, so I don't know if it leaves the desirable lawn grass alone. Currently, I'm trying Monterey Turflon Ester (active ingredient: Triclopyr) - - not sure of results yet. What really worked for me last summer was the ingredient Fluazifop. (It was in GreenLight's Bermundagrass Killer -- no longer available.)
As warned in above postings, Bermuda laughs at most weed killers, unless it is a total herbicide, which kills your desirable lawn grass, so you have to be careful and look for specific chemicals.

Did this work? Monterey Turflon Ester (active ingredient: Triclopyr)
Wendy

I have tall fescue but have (actually had) Bermuda grass infiltrating every flower bed and mixing with the more desirable grasses. I tried round-up in all flower beds to only kill everything. But the Bermuda grass came back. I found a selective product called "Ornamec". It is selective to Bermuda grass and will not harm fescue. You must identify which grass you have or want and read the label on this product to see if it will work for you. For me, this product has been wonderful and I am Bermuda grass free. Wish I had found this product sooner. Here is the product and where I purchased it. Hope the link works.

http://www.roxburyfarmgarden.com/products.php?pid=518&openparent=121

go get the product called named Poast--will not kill lawn grass--just bermuda--can also be used over most shrubs--as always READ THE LABEL--surfactant must be used!!

We have bermuda that came in when we did a remodel and had the water off for long periods. The real grass died out, but as soon as I started watering the lawn the bermuda came.

Now we want to fix the landscaping and get rid of the bermuda. The plan is to rototil in 2-3 inches of planting mix to help our clayey soil, then put in fruit trees, lawn, and flower beds.

I've removed the top 2 inches of soil already with a sod cutter, but I think this may have been a mistake, because while the thatch is gone, I still see plenty of runners.

What do you recommend to get this project started right? I can treat the bermuda, but that means I'll have to wait til it's hot and it starts growing again. By then, it'll be too late to get my fruit trees and flower beds started, and I don't want to kill the new stuff by putting chemicals around.

Are there any better options? TIA.

split an atom in the yard.

That response by joepyeweed really made me laugh! I'm about to kill my front yard of bermuda for xeriscape. Keep the good ideas & advice coming.

Matt

I have a lot of experience with wiregrass. I have about 2 acres of lawn and about half was infested with this opportunistic weed. People tell me the only way you can get rid of it is to move. I think differently. I now have about 99% control and am close to being bermuda grass free. Following is what I did.

Mid summer. Sprayed roundup over the entire area.
2-3 weeks later everything was brown
Next I control burned the brown mat of grass remaining (hoping to kill any seeds on top of the soil)
5-6 weeks later random spots of bermuda grass returned
Next I reapplied roundup to kill stubborn spots
In the fall, I rototilled about 3-4 inches everywhere, then planted fescue. someone told me that by cutting the roots into many pieces, I would have more bermuda than ever. They were wrong. What actually happens is that the roots were brought up to the top of the soil (because they are lighter than dirt) where they were killed by the cold winter weather. Bermuda grass hates cold weather and needs to be undisturbed deep in the soil to safely overwinter)
The following spring/summer, no bermuda (I patrol the yard every month or so)
August, I find a few isolated spots in the yard of wiregrass. (you can learn to spot bermuda grass at a distance if you are alert, it's ugly, in the fall after the first frost, it turns brown in an otherwise still green field of fescue) Don't bother trying to pull them out, you can't get the roots. I apply concentrated roundup with an artist brush to any bermuda I see (they really brown fast with this method). I know I sound possessed, but I will win. Even after that, stubborn well heeled rhizomes can reemerge.
I am in the process of the last stage, applying Ornamec. Just learned about it and I ordered some and read the label. It is safe on fescue if used properly and will control bermudagrass. So when the bermuda shows itself in the hot summer months, and it will, I'll spot it on one of my patrols and spot spray the area with Ornamec. I think this will be the knockout punch that can eliminate it for good. The key is to get it quick before the green leafy matter can make nutrients to store in the roots. I'll probably always have to be on the lookout for a rogue seed that gets started here and there and spot treat a few places from time to time. There is one thing I know for sure, roundup alone will not erraticate bermuda grass, unless you apply it constantly for probably 7 or 8 years (that's how long weed seeds can hold out) but if you are really determined to prevail, you can with a multi approach. Good luck (YOU'LL NEED IT).

Hey where can I get Ornamec from? I was also looking at Glyphosate, which I was told is a selective herbicide. I will get both or what ever I need get rid of the spotty outbreaks.

Tweez,
Glyophosphate is not selective. It harms just about anything green that it touches. Glyophosphate is the active ingredient in the original Roundup formula.

I just removed all grass from frontyard, now i have xeriscape. Like it, like it.

Please help me eradicate my Bermuda Grass (affected area covers roughly an 8'*8' square area) mixed within my tall fescue.... As such, I have a few questions;

1. I recently purchased Turflon Ester. Is this a good product to use to kill the Bermuda grass?
2. The label on the Turflon Eater products talks about Bermuda grass suppression although the label on the bottle mentions "Ornamental Turf Herbicide". Does this mean the killing of the Bermuda grass as I would like?
3. Can you recommend a good "over-the-counter" product (purschased at Home Depot and/or Lowes) that will kill the Bermuda grass?
4. I have read to wait until the Bermuda grass starts turning green and growning before applying the herbicide. If I start now, while the Bermuda grass is still brown, will it accellerate the killing of the Bermuda grass?
5. How will I know when the Bermuda grass is completely dead?
6. Once the Bermuda grass is dead can you recommend a method of removal (pulling up by hand, dethatcher, heavy rake, sod removing machine....)?
7. How soon can I start re-seeding (tall fescue) the affected area after the Bermuda grass is dead?

Please help...

Thank you

Here is how I did it. I had bermuda grass and dallas grass both of which I hated mixed in with my tall fescue.

I spot treated each place with Roundup which killed it. I waited for 2 weeks to see if it looked like it was coming back. The dallas grass still looked a little green so I shot it again.

I waited another two weeks and then I dethatched and airated my lawn really good. All this I did in September. In early October I reseeded by lawn using 200 lbs of Lesco Premium Fescue mix.

I then had my lawn service company do their thing which included fertilizer etc.

The secret is about February they applied in with their treatment a herbicide that kept the seeds that remained from sprouting.

That was year before last and I still have a beautiful fescue lawn and the same lawn service treating my lawn regularly.

I might mention that I also had a sprinkler system installed and water my lawn for 20 minutes every other day.

I have a few spots that came under the fence from my neighbors yard which I treated with Ornamec and it took care of that. Just keep watch on any shoots that might try to come over on you and shoot it with Ornamec.

Worked for me.

Tom

After lots of research I came up with 2 possible solutions to bermuda grass that won't kill the fescue/ky bluegrass. Ornamec is one but it is hard to find and ont the web sell for about $60.00/gal, one site advertised pints, bu when I ordered they emailed back that pints were no longer available. I could not find Poast or Greenlight at all, but finally did come up with Bayer Advanced Bermuda Grass Control, which is selective and can be used over fescue and bluegrass.

I finally found it at Lowes, 2 of the 3 stores within 50 mi of me carry it. Of course the closest one doesn't, but after an email to lowes headquarters the mgr of that store called me to say he is trying to get it approved for his set.

It's about $16.00 for a quart which you attach and spray with you hose. I have a rather small yard; if you have a large area the Ornamec concentrate may be woth it as I understand you use only a little each time.

But with the Bayer you need to repeat applications monthly as bermuda is very tough grass. I first applied to my back yard (about 20'x40', used 1/2 bottle) in the end of June. BONUS... it kills many other weedy grasses too including the dreaded crabgrass! In about 5 days most of the wide leaf weedy grasses looked very sickly, ind of laying flat and turning yellow and redish. Within 2-3 weeks a lot of the were shriveled and brown and the bermuda grass did not look too healthy, certainly not compared to my fescue which now looked much better not being covered and smothered by weedy grasses.

Last week I did a second spray in the back yard, and this time the front too, the entire yard used 1 bottle. This week I see more weedy grass kill in the back and the front wide blade grasses look pretty sick. The bermuda grass in the back definitly is starting get a redish tinge and looking thin. I also have a side yard section that hasn't been sprayed at all and the bermuda is thick and green there. So far it seems to be working pretty well. The lable does say to eliminate bermuda apply monthly for 1-2 seasons. But for me, I'm happy with the other weedy grass kill even if it is going to take some time on the bermuda and my fescue is fine.

Weedwhackers are very good at getting your dead wiregrass loose after killing it. Then just either rake it or use a blower. Water the area to make sure you did get all the wiregrass before replanting the area. If you spray the wiregrass well enough (coating all the leaves, etc) you shouldn't need a 2nd or 3rd application, especially if you use the recommended amount in your water mixture.

I started getting a patch of bermuda in my lawn about 4 years ago. Over the past 2 years I sprayed with roundup in an attempt to kill everything in the entire area. Last year i tilled it up and planted Scott's Heat Tolerant Blue, as well as overseeding the entire yard.
This spring the bermuda is back full force. I really think tilling was the wrong thing to do.
Tru-Green told me the only way to get rid of it was to kill EVERYTHING. That there was no herbicide that targeted bermuda. But then I looked online this week and found this forum and have ordered ornamec. I also found that Bayer makes a product that targets it also. But nothing is available at any of our local home stores.
Btw, I cancelled TruGreen the year before last.
I will post after trying the ornamec for a few months and let you know how it turns out.

I hate to see products used incorrectly and wasted, pumping more stuff into the environment for nil. Before reading this thread please read "My page" for whatever credibility I can muster. Sincerely, I will go through this again, hopefully so that those that may read this thread in the future will read it and accept what is proposed here in order to get the best kill on Bermuda.
Whatever product you use for Bermuda control:
It is NOT ONLY the product you use, it is WHEN you use it. If you apply Bermuda controls in spring and early summer you are basically wasting your time and spraying unnecessary chemicals on your yard! This is TRUE. The reason for this is that Bermuda grass is drawing carbohydrates UP from its root system in the first half of the season. Spraying it now with whatever only TOPKILLS it, as it does not take the product to the roots.
OK. Having said this, using whatever product in the month or month and a half before first FROST gets that product to be taken down as deeply as possible because Bermuda is STORING carbohydrates in the roots for next season. Even so, a second attack on the Bermuda will be necessary next year as you can NEVER, with any product, get 100% the first time.
Another trick is to water the heck out of the Bermuda a couple of weeks before you intend to apply the product, so that it is happily growing and storing carbohydrates BEFORE you apply your product.
Sincerely hope this helps to eradicate the Bermuda and lessen the amount of products doused onto the lawns!
hortster

I also had very good luck with Bayer Bermudagrass control.

I used it (relatively) selectively by placing a shutoff on the end of the hose, and applying only to the active patches. No need to cover the entire lawn with chemicals.

Also, Bayer told me it's root systemic -- spraying the leaves is much less effective. Quick blast at the roots of each patch was very effective in a couple of weeks. Also Johnsongrass and St. Mary's (all are active here in SE Penna).

Good luck.

Does any know if you can use Ornamec on a St. Augustine lawn? It didn't see it anywhere on the lable.

I see that you can't use Bayer Bermudagrass control on St. Augustine, but there's soooo little left I might just use it anyway. And then lay some sod over it after its all gone.

I read somewhere that sesbania used as a cover/smother crop smothered out even Bermuda grass. I'm looking for that reference. I found that there are a couple of dozen different kinds of sesbania and some are very invasive. I need to contact the researchers in the MidWest and find out which they used.

I have Bermuda grass in a streetside island where I have woody perennials. I've tried Roundup, but since I can't spray into the interior of the bushes the results are pretty insufficient. Has anyone used Ornamec, Bayer Advanced, Grass-B-Gone, etc. in this kind of situation? If so, what kind of luck did you have?

Help ! I used roundup several years ago and sprayed my whole yard several times in the summer killing everything in the yard. Tilled the soil in the fall and planted falcon grass. It looked great for a seson then the bermude came back. The bermude grass is covering about a fourth of the lawn which is about half an acre and in other areas there is spots. What do I now try. Is Ornamec good and what are the results?

I would say I have just about given up on tryin to rid this horrific weed. It is the velociraptor of the weed world. Apparently this weed came from Africa just like the killer bee. My recommendation is to destroy your lawn entirely with all known herbicides or napalm then spray paint your lawn green...and then I would advise you to drink heavily!

I have put 12" of mulch on top of a weed patch last year. The only thing coming through is the Bermuda Grass. I am now applying RU to anything coming up. So far it is sketchy as to how well it is working. The nuke option is possibly the best.

Many, many years ago one of my neighbors found the way to kill Bermuda grass for good. He decided that if a little fertilizer did a little good, a lot of fertilizer would do a lot of good. He applied (this is an estimation) about 10 pounds of actual nitrogen (20 pounds of urea) per 1,000 SF. His mentality was that he wanted the greenest lawn on the block. He got the BROWNEST, DEADEST, TOASTIEST lawn on the block. He also killed all of his shrubbery, both street trees (Siberian elm, so not too big a loss), and had almost no lawn for two years even with constant watering and leaching to flush the nitrogen through. THIS IS REAL "NUKING!" But, by God, the Bermuda was gone from his yard several years later when he finally got a lawn back. Too bad HIS NEIGHBOR didn't do the same - the neighbor had Bermuda...
Folks, my honest belief is that Bermuda is a no win - nature's nemisis to the monocultured cool season lawn. Live with it, Roundup and overseed annually, or move.
hortster

Thanks, to all that have taken the time to post. I am off to the store to rid my flower bed of bermuda as we speek.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding removing Bermuda grass from centipede grass including products? Thank you kindly.

Beware of Ornamac. I found a article on it and suggested to my friend. He bought it and couldn't help himself and sprayed on his front yard (instead of a test section). It ended up killing about 2 pallets worth of sod and had him watering his yard like a mad man for about 2 months. Bonus to all this was it didn't kill ANY bermuda. He has a fescue mixed yard.

So make sure you test the stuff before you go full steam.

I used "Turflon ester," last year in Southern Oregon, to rid my lawn of Bermuda grass. One oz. in a gallon of water, sprayed on the lawn. Two weeks later, no sign of the pesky stuff. Just moved to Arizona and I have been trying to find Turflon without success. Guess I will have to buy it online.

I realize this is more of a garden forum, but I figure this will work for "big gardens."
I have a big (5-10 acre) pasture that is established Bermuda/coastal hay grass. Being both into organic stuff and native plants, I'm hoping to get rid of the Bermuda as organically as possible to plant a crop of eastern gamagrass. Everyone around my area in NC feeds their animals coastal hay (Bermuda) and has Bermuda lawns. One property next to us (separated by a creek and pines with scrub oak) has coastal, but the property to my other side has weeds (I guess a century of growing tobacco on it didn't help it much...). I think we have 25 acres of bermuda, but I'd like it all to go into eastern gamagrass. No, leaving it Bermuda is not an option.
Can anything be done by early April to get rid of it short of removing all 18in of nice topsoil? Gamagrass is usually planted by April, so I gotta move quick.

Tempus...Did you read all the posts above yours? LOL!!

Mail it to me. I need the most invasive and the most aggressive Bermuda I can find. Preferably tetraploid bermudagrasses (e.g., common bermudagrass). None of that wimpy triploid stuff. I am serious. Your problem is my lawn's solution. If you really have to use nuclear bombs to rid your lawn of Bermuda, then that is exactly the kind of Bermuda I need -- Bermuda with an attitude. I am tired of wasting money on second-rate Bermuda seed that will not germinate. I want your problem. Send me Bermuda sprouts or sod.

Burn the yard? Till the yard? Spray herbicide on the yard? Ya....

Bermuda doesn't do well in shade, so cut your grass as high as possible. St. Augustine and most other grasses grow up (towards the sky). Bermuda grows out (via runners). Water and fertilize your grass and cut it high, the Bermuda will eventually die out.

Also, use a bagger when cutting your lawn. You will probably notice that Bermuda has little seed sprouts that grow up out of the grass. If you mow without a bagger attachment, you're spreading that seed like crazy.

If you have Bermuda in flower beds, you need to dig down deep to get the whole root. For every inch you can see above soil, there's at least two inches below the soil.

Spring is here, it's finally quit snowing, and time to dig in the dirt! I arm myself with bucket, shovel, clippers, and a handy little three prong digger. Off I go in to the great outdoors!

Flower beds! Yes! I need flower beds! Hmmm...previous home owner must have moved some things around, I spy some things coming up in odd spots. No problem, I have digging implements!

Dig, dig, shift, shift, mulch, mulch. Ahhhh....the daffodils look much better in a flower bed instead of a foot out into the yard. A nice brick border would look great along that bed as well. Dig, dig. Tug, tug. Scratch, scratch with my three prong digger. Dig some more. Grrrr...what IS this stuff????

Back inside to the handy dandy internet.

OMG! O..M..G!!! I have BERMUDA GRASS!!! Horrors!!!

Two backbreaking days later, I have the brick border down, and have moved on to the rather pathetic little flower bed out by the corner at the street.

Oh Dear Lord, what kind of people lived here before I did? Not only is there bermuda grass growing in that one, it's LOVING the black plastic trash bags they saw fit to put down, and then put several inches of dirt on top. The roots of the bermuda grass have formed a nearly impenetrable mat under the plastic. And because it's plastic, it's doing what they say plastic won't do, breaking down. Bits are sticking up above the dirt. There's holes in it that the grass has grown thru. A nearby tree has woven it's roots in the plastic.

Another day of digging with that three prong digger. Scratch the dirt loose, dig out the roots, scratch some more. Easily have dug 20 gallons of bermuda grass out of a flower bed that's about 2' x 3' and I'm not done yet.

God bless whoever made that little three prong digger. When I'm buried, I want it with me. Just in case I have to dig thru some bermuda grass.

Ok I thought I would post 2 ways to selectively kill bermudagrass in a fescue lawn.
1. there is a new product that will kill only the bermudagrass called pylex though it is 400.00 for a small amount I have heard.

2. Here is a method I use that was given to me by a horticulturist friend:

1. Ornamec 1/2 oz. per gallon
2. Turflon ester 3/4 oz. per gallon
3. Tenacity .125 oz. or 3/4 tsp. per gallon
4. surfactant(non-ionic) 1/3 oz per gallon

There are also several uses for the above 4 ingredients like using the tenacity for broadleaf weed control. Use the formula exactly as written. This does work and you will see brown bermudagrass amongst live fescue. Mix in a small sprayer and spot spray any area that needs it. No need to go real heavy just spray over the entire sprout once or twice. Two days later you will see the change. Have been using this for 5 months now with good success. I have read SEVERAL other posts online and these are the only methods to choose from as far as actually killing the bermuda short of glycophosphate(roundup) of course which will kill everything. On that note you may try to put on a rubber glove and then a cloth glove over that, spray roundup on the cloth clove and rub onto the bermudagrass without dripping onto the surrounding grass. Hope this helps save a lawn or two.

This post was edited by turfnut on Fri, Sep 5, 14 at 21:15

to all bermuda grass haters, they make a selective herbicide to get rid of it called Pylex, it cost 400 dollars for 8ozs

Most people have a designated burn area in their yard to get rid of limbs and various other things we like to burn. Comitt your future garden area to be the designated burn spot for several months. Each time you burn limbs, leaves, sticks, ect. work your shovel all over chopping and loosening the burned Bermuda grass loose and rake it out until you have just a smooth dead area that is grass free. After a winter season of burning and working the ash into the soil you may proceed with making that grass free area your garden site. I like to dig a trench around this site and lay heavy grade plastic (thickest you can find) on top of the ground and lay red bricks around the edges on top of the plastic and tuck the plastic around the bricks like folding the edges of a pie. I then place my above ground planter box on top and fill with top soil. Haven't had problems with the grass invading my beds. You have to maintain the edges well and keep runners out.