A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Word of advice....

I was doing errands today and i stopped by a shop that makes countertops for kitchens and bath (i had to pick some up). The fellow that owns the shop lives next door. I was very impressed with his perennial flower garden. I saw a plant that i didn't know the name of and i had to ask him what it was. Anyway, i complimented him on his flowers, but he kind of shrugged, and said that this might be his last year growing perennials. I asked him why. He said the wire grass (bermuda) has taken it over. I took a closer look.... sure enough! The grass was growing heavily amongst his flowers. He said u can't get rid of it without plowing it all up! That spells death for most of his flowers. What a shame.

It is true, bermuda grass is a curse, Don't allow it to get in your garden! Do what ever it takes to keep it out! I've layed down that black landscaper's fiber that's supposed to keep weeds out, and bermuda will grow right thru it!. I finally killed it all after 2 doses of round-up!

Bob -

Boy, do I know what you're talking about! I have Bermuda in my lawn, fine with me if it grows there, but there are a few spots where it constantly tries to creep into my beds! It's an almost daily battle with me pulling it up and getting runners that go halfway across the yard!

I've got a daylily bed in the back that suffered years of neglect before I bought the house. The roots of the bermuda there are so thick that you can barely get a shovel into it. I don't know how the daylilies manage to grow and bloom so well every year. I'm going to have to tackle it in the fall, I'm going to dig all the daylilies, 2 rose of Sharon, and a small sprout of a maple tree, and try to clean out all of the roots without resorting to Roundup. (don't know if it will work tho...)


Nikkal

Don't even get me started on the horrible nightmare of Burmuda. Like I said many times before and I swear by it "ROUND UP...then water and let it really get lush again.....ROUND UP...then water and let it really get lush again......then zap it again with ROUND UP!!!!!!! I have pulled it, hoed it, dug it up, vinegared it, cursed it, ROUND UP now after the second spray there is still a few coming up. If your neighbor has it or anyone in town you will get it. Birds and wind spread the seed for long distances.

Remember Bob when I first came on the forum how upset Weezie was with me for using Round Up. I will hoe my brains out with other weeds but that darn Burmuda Sorry Weezie but with roots going as far as 10 feet I am not going to dig that far down in my granite/clay nightmare. When all else fails "Round Up".

Bob you knew I wouldn't be able to pass this topic up without commenting. Catlover.

Catlover,
I knew it too as soon as I read it!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know the roots went that far into the ground!!!
Have you looked further into the corn meal?
Although that stuff is a seed emergent deterer.
Weezie

Roundup will work on bermuda, but u may have to hit it several times to kill the last hold out. Once u get it under control, put up some sort of barrier such as landscaping timber or rocks to keep it from creeping back in your flower beds.
The man at the countertop shop said that he had a huge pile of mulch and that bermuda still was able to comeup thru the middle of the pile.
Don't let bermuda in your flower beds!!!

By the way tell him if he tills it...it will just break up all those pieces and plant them individually and each of those pieces puts out about 3-5 new runner. ROUND UP!!!!!! My whole north hill was infested with this cr*p and other weeds that got to be 3-4 feet high. Waited til there was a good rain and literally pulled up all the large weeds by hand but if you pull or mow over the top of burmuda those 5 runners spreading out will each put out another 3-5 each. Get the point. NIGHTMARE!!!!! I would not till at all until he has RU at least 3 times and then he will probably get more after the till. Catlover

O.K., I don't want to sound stupid, but what is bermuda grass?? What does it look like? Does anyone have a link I can go to? Sorry, but I am still learning about the evils of gardening....
slugs (check)
squirrels (check)
rabbits (double check)
bermuda grass (check)


--Bunny T.

Karen and Bob and Nikkal,
Found this,
Let me know whatchya think???
Weezie
http://cekern.ucdavis.edu/Master_Gardener/Removing_Unwanted_Bermuda_Grass.htm

Bunny
Here's a link to a photo of Bermuda grass

Bermuda Grass

It's not the best photo, but the only one I can find right now!

Nikkal

Weezie -

Well, between the site you posted (thanks!) and what Bob and Catlover have said, I guess it's Roundup for me!

Now I'm wondering, tho, what would be the best process? The website you posted talks of how the roundup must be absorbed into the roots by the foliage. Since I'll soon be cutting back the dead foilage of my daylilies, should I not dig up and remove all the bulbs, and just spray the Bermuda grass? Would the bulbs be okay?

Or...

Should I dig all the bulbs (which will break up the Bermuda grass roots, causing new shoots, as Catlover mentioned), let these new plants grow, and then begin treating w/ Roundup? (alot more work, but the bulbs would be out of the bed)


Anyone have any opinions, or other ideas?


Nikkal

p.s. Bunny - I think we'd better put a TRIPLE check next to Bermuda Grass!

Nikkal
I'll be honest I don't know about the bulbs. If it were me I would probably dig all the bulbs up first if the top growth has COMPLETELY DIED back. I personally wouldn't take the risk to the bulbs unless you don't care about them. My GUESS is they would probably be fine to spray over "IF" the top growth of bulbs is dead beyond dead.

I would still spray and later on wet the area thoroughly and then spray again when you have really lush burmuda popping back up.

FYI--- The patton for Round Up is over.... so the product I used which is a lot cheaper is called Remuda. It is still costly but considering it is a life saver I would do it again in a heartbeat. Sometimes it takes awhile to notice death of the weeds but it will be there soon enough. From my experience I spray on a good hot day and keep the animals out of the yard for a few hours. If it is cool out keep the animals out for 24-48 hrs. Check the label to be sure. Don't spray if it is going to rain or you'll just waste your time and money.

Let us know the step by step process update. And what you decided to do with the bulb. Curious Catlover

If you read that post on the site I sent,
it said to water your lawn really good one week before you want to do the round~up and get the grass good and tall, so there is alot of the blade for the exposer..........
Then something about it'll carry it all the way down to the bottom to the roots.
It said to do this at fall time....????....
Then to excavate the dirt with like a sod cutter......


I'd take the bulbs out too!
Cause it goes to the roots.....
Wouldn't take the chance!!!!!!!

Weezie

Weezie I personally wouldn't use the sod cutter and just cover the nightmare up with a compost layer. It will decompose and it is not hazardous to plant in. I just don't see any point to cut it out unless it is going to be an eyesore. Too time consuming for me to do that in such a large area.

Another point I want to express: Don't use a stronger dose than they recommend or you will kill the plant but not the root system. Catlover

Thanks for the education everybody. Bermuda Grass (triple Check!)

I don't think I've ever seen that stuff before, probably because I'm from Northern Illinois. (One good reason to live here!)
Good luck everyone, go get the bermuda grass!
--Bunny T.