OT:Bermuda grass DIE

[dpb]

It'll depend on how high and wet and how warm you've been...it's probably a little early.

But, if you've had Bermuda, you're doing the proverbial relief action up a rope unless you also have sterilized soil and don't have any neighbors, etc., etc., ...

Even if you did kill all the growing rhizomes (almost certainly not done), there's seed from previous years that will germinate over a period of years and in a few years you'll have Bermuda again, anyway.

Plant and spot treat is probably only practical solution. I tried to get rid of Bermuda while we were in E TN and it was a miserable failure.

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[Tony Miklos]

OK, late last summer I poisoned all the Bermuda grass that was taking over everything. Now in those areas I have numerous weeds here and there nice and green. I wanted to wait until the Bermuda grass greens up again so I can kill any I missed but I don't recall how long it takes it to green up again so I don't know if it's dead for sure. I surely don't want to plant a new lawn and have the Bermuda grass come back again. I'm in east TN with a perfect southern exposure. Zone 6b according to this map.

that is the same zone I was in in PA and things grow much sooner and longer down here. Anyone down here with Bermuda grass growing?

[dilbert firestorm]

why do you want to kill off bermuda grass?

[aemeijers]

On this, I think we agree. As long as it is green and holds the dirt down, I don't really give a damn what it is. Unlike my neighbors with their dayglo-green-not-found-in-nature lawns, I don't feel that a lawn that looks like carpet is a sign of my worth as a man. Of course, the downside of a lawn that DOESN'T smell like a chemical factory, is that all of God's little outdoor creatures prefer to hang out at my place. I spend a lot of time stomping down mole trails.

[dpb]

On 4/3/2011 12:42 PM, dilbert firestorm wrote: ...

Don't know about OP, but primarily because it takes over everything--it's as bad as kudzu including going thru foundation walls.

[Tony Miklos]

I'm not done fighting. I did find some grass growing but it wasn't Bermuda. Right now I'm on break from spraying it all again, I've got some nasty little weeds that really spread, when they go to seed which I think is soon, one bump of the weed sends seeds flying up to 18", more in the wind. Oh, no neighbors lawn gets near mine. Lots of woods between us. If it does come back I will use the kill now fix lawn later method so it doesn't have time to spread much. BTW roundup didn't kill my bermuda grass, I had to go to the nasty stuff. :-(

[Vic Smith]

hehe. A man of my inclination there. I get anthills sometimes. I just spray something on them when they get bad. Think it's ant poison, but not sure. Probably have about 7 types of grass out there. Clover too. When a patch needs reseeding because of the dogs tearing it up or clover taking over too much, I just use whatever seed is available and cheap. Not Bermuda though. More like "Kentucky Blue Grass" or whatever else sounds pretty to me. It's all pretty much the same green. I do use fertilizer sometimes, but only if it contains weedkiller. First time I fertilized I bought a drop spreader. Lawn ended up striped like a zebra. Tossed that and bought a wheeled broadcast spreader. It's in the garage rafters because I found a little handheld broadcaster is all I need to aim where the weeds or clover are taking hold. Looking forward to tossing some topsoil and seed on the bare patches soon. I like some new grass every year. Cycle of life or something.

--Vic

[dilbert firestorm]

just wondering, is it a type of weed? I thought it was a valid lawn grass like St. Augstine & Centepede grass.

[JimT]

"It is also highly aggressive, crowding out most other grasses and invading other habitats, and has become a hard-to-eradicate weed in some areas. This weedy nature leads some gardeners to give it the name of "devil grass"."

I call it a "weed" if it is fast growing and I don't want it there. :-)

Jim

[krw]

Is it wanted? If not, it's a "weed". ;-) Bermuda is grown, intentionally, around here. My current house has Zosia, which is another aggressive grass that some hate.

[dpb]

Certainly can be.

A much better lawn alternative for summer jointed grass is buffalo--much less aggressive, also drought tolerant and a finer texture as a lawn.

How well it will do in E TN red clay I don't know; the High Plains are quite sandy. Really wasn't any need for such there where it rains; the Bermuda we had there was a product of being in the neighborhood; it cannot effectively be prevented from spreading.

It is one of the few things that will survive out here on its own; that's both blessing and curse.

[Robert Green]

Get out your Bible and start preaching to it. (-: Drive out the devil grass with prayer!

-- Bobby G.

[JimT]

Tried it. Didn't work. Got some strange stares. I may need to call the church. Maybe it's because I'm Protestant.

Jim

[Tony Miklos]

Why kill it? Because it spreads like wildfire taking over gardens and what ever is in it's path. Plus, if it stayed green all year it wouldn't be so bad, but it turns very brown over winter and in wet spots they become very muddy. I prefer real grass that here will most always stay green all year and doesn't spread by roots and rhizomes.

[Tony Miklos]

It doesn't stay green and hold the dirt down and in the summer it takes over gardens.

[Tony Miklos]

It's used mainly in Florida, especially on golf courses.

[dpb]

...

I certainly wouldn't say "mainly" in FL given that it's the native grass on the High Plains.

As far as for ornamental purposes east of the MS, FL might well be a preponderance given the sandy nature of the soil there as well if that's the intended scope.

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