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How do I get rid of my newly seeded Bermuda grass lawn

jpoblete77
15 years ago

After just seeding my lawn about a month ago, I realized after reading the forums that bermuda grass is invasive and not good for garden vegetables. This is really bad news for me. Grass has already began to grow, but I put quite a bit of seeds down. I've heard of using round-up but does that kill the seeds? What do I need to do, and how long do I wait? I would like to eventually replace it with pallets of St. Augustine's please help!!

Comments (6)

  • hortster
    15 years ago

    I don't know where you are, but here the Bermuda lawns are only controlled well by glyphosate (Roundup®). Roundup doesn't kill the seeds. It is most effective if applied in late July or very early August in zone 6. DO NOT use more than the recommended rate; if anything use a little less. What has worked for me: begin in mid July to water the Bermuda heavily to make it happy and growing like heck. Sneak up on this happily growing Bermuda with a slightly weak solution of Roundup in late July. Repeat again twice at two week intervals, maintaining good water on the (dying) bermuda.
    The reason that this works well is that, in late July or very early August Bermuda is beginning to store food for the next growing season and takes the glyphosate as far down as it can. The reason NOT to use strong Roundup is that if you do, you will tend to burn off the top of the plant too quickly and not allow the product to reach its deepest penetration.
    Roundup never gets 100% the first try. Watch for re-emerging Bermuda in year 2, do the same thing at the same time but spray it out a couple of feet further that you can see it, and you may have success! Geez. You may just want to move to a new address and help the economy!
    Good luck!

  • Kimmsr
    15 years ago

    There are numerous reasons to not use any of the glyphosate products, the least of which is that many euporean countries, Denmark being the latest, have banned these products due to the environmental damage they do.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Toxicity of glyphosate products

  • jpoblete77
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Well is it really that bad to let the bermuda grass grow, along with my vegetable garden? What does it compete for..moisture?? Will my vegetable garden produce even with the bermuda grass? Thanks for the advice, as you can see I'm new to this.

  • hortster
    15 years ago

    Do you have a hoe and a lot of time? Go for it. Bermuda completes for both nutrients and moisture and when you rototill the garden invaded by Bermuda next year you only reproduce and thicken it from the "replanted" rhizomes. No one wants a lawn to mow in their veggies.
    To me, planting an invasive Bermuda grass lawn is as much of a man made environmental disaster as is the use of glyphosate.
    My yard doesn't glow at night. I believe that conservative use of Roundup will not destroy the home yard environment. My dog doesn't glow, either. Kimmsr, if you read this please enlighten me on your concept of the environmental damage aspect, seriously and respectfully. Please, don't refer me to a bunch of websites. I would like your own words.
    Hortster

  • padlnjones
    15 years ago

    Jpo:

    I started a garden last year, all organic. It was 16 x 32, and tilled up in a field of bermuda grass. It is done in raised beds. I grew a TON of veggies in it, but the bg would try to run into the garden, and grow up in the beds and pathways. I more or less ignored it until fall, and spent several days hand pulling (and cursing) it. It is impossible to get it all, as any little piece will start a new plant.

    This spring I doubled the size of the garden. It is sprouting up in the beds now (SC) and when I root it out I can feel mats of the roots down in the soil. It does compete with your plants, and will only get worse with time unless you spend a lot of effort to control it.

    My plan: I tilled a 3 ft band around the garden, installed 6" edging around the outside, dug out 3-4" of dirt, put down landscape cloth and then mulch over that. This is The Zone of Death. any bg that shows in the perimeter will get rounded up. The smart money is still on the bermuda grass.

    I will continue to pull by hand in the garden, but I have decided (a big decision for a long time organic gardener) to hand apply roundup in the garden. I am thinking of making an applicator from one of those foam sponge dish soap dispensers to caefully dab the bg. I hope that I can eradicate it in a year or 2, and not need the herbicide. good luck !

    david

  • JAYK
    15 years ago

    It is unfortunate that misinformation continues to be repeated about glyphosate. Denmark has not banned glyphosate, nor have "many European countries".

    Denmark at one point thought that some of the monitoring they were doing showed that glyphosate could move into agricultural field drainage water in autumn but once they looked at their data and related it to the methodology they used, they enacted no ban whatsoever. As the Danish Environmental Protection Agency specifically stated:

    http://www.egeis.org/home/main/Evaluation-GlyphosateDEPA.PDF

    "Against this background, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency believes that no unacceptable risk of pollution of the groundwater is associated with the currently approved agricultural use of glyphosate. The Agency thus does not consider that the updated state of our knowledge provides any technical grounds for the imposition of restrictions on the autumn application of glyphosate."

    Used properly, glyphosate will not pollute drinking water nor will it have adverse effects on humans. Once applied, it binds tightly to soil particles and is not herbicidally active. If it is applied to hard surfaces such as sidewalks it can move offsite of course. It can also move if there is active soil erosion carrying soil off site. It is of very low toxicity, and breaks down completely into natural constituents over time. It is of equal or lower toxicity than most household products such as detergent, soaps, shampoos, cleaners etc. and far less toxic than some of the "alternatives" often discussed such as bleach, kerosene, high strength vinegars and so on. There is so much misinformation being repeated on the web that it is difficult to get reliable information. This link provides an published overview of the available literature.

    Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
    Volume 31, Issue 2, April 2000, Pages 117-165
    Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment of the Herbicide Roundup and Its Active Ingredient, Glyphosate, for Humans
    http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1401479

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