When is the best time to kill Bermuda grass?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I have Bermuda grass shooting up in a few places in my fescue lawn. If I want to keep my fescue lawn, do I need to kill the Bermuda now, or can I wait a few months?

If I take care of it now, is it possible to get rid of it by digging it out, before it sends runners everywhere?

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Comments (3)

dchall_san_antonio
8 years ago
You can try digging it out NOW. If that doesn't work then the sooner the better, because you'll have to kill off some fescue to get all the bermuda.
Chemical Lawn
8 years ago
I have killed massive amounts of Bermuda while keeping the fescue alive. It requires three chemicals tank mixed and applied 1 time every 30 days in the peak Bermuda growing season (15 Jun, 15 July, and 15 Aug). Those chemicals are Acclaim Extra, Tenacity, and Turflon Ester Ultra. There is no other way to keep fesuce alive and remove Bermuda. It took me two years to do it, and I will always have to maintain its suppression. This all depends on where you live though. If you are in the south just keep the Bermuda, but of you in the transition zone (hell) like me kill that crap.
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It seems that there are many recommendations for eradication. The one that worked for me, and allows me to plant immediately - dig it up, filter the stolens out, and plant. Bermuda can grow deep, survive drought and neglect. I overhauled a very large front yard with a simple tool - a square shovel (called an Irish shovel, don't know why)after enough rain to soften the soil. My lot is impenetrable ancient marine terrace of silt, clay and sand. It's fairly easy to sift the stolens from the dirt via a wire mesh on a frame that fits a wheel barrow, or you can simply throw out the grass layer. Yes, you can do solarization, you can do round-up, you can do rototilling for however long it takes... but imho the prep is everything. Fighting resprouting grass is miserable, neverending work. Spend the time up front sifting the bermuda grass out and spend zero weeding time fighting it later. My neighbor did not bother to remove the bermuda, and it comes back every year, even with mulch. Many of the previous posts are spot on - rototilling will not eliminate bermuda. The comment of 'tilling destroys the soil structure' is highly subjective to the type of soil. If I had not completely turned and amended my garden then nothing would grow. It would be helpful if you posted your soil type or did a 'jar test' so that others can make recommendations. Hope this helps ... diana
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montel (CA US 10b/Sunset 16)
8 years ago
I tried to kill some small amounts in my front yard where I had 2 fescue lawn sections - but it eventually took over both of them!

I spent time soaking the runners in a cup of roundup - selectively spraying sections with roundup and it still completely took over our full sun lawn, and has taken over 3/4 of the other one.

I am in the process of getting rid of the full sun lawn. The other small lawn I am thinking of spraying and scalping - then seeding with something more agreeable to me in the fall. It is part sun part shade on the east side of our house or I might try some buffalo grass in that spot. We are right now trying to plan for a new back yard lawn.

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When is the best time to kill Bermuda grass?

Comments (3)

dchall_san_antonio

Chemical Lawn

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montel (CA US 10b/Sunset 16)

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