Best Management Practices:
Common Bermudagrass
Common bermudagrass is used as a turfgrass and is a perennial, warm season grass with long rhizomes and wiry stolons (both underground and above ground rooting/budding parts). This means that it actively grows primarily from March through November and comes back from its root system each year, as well as from seed.
Controlling bermudagrass is no easy chore. Unfortunately, pre-emergent herbicides alone will not control this perennial weed. Remember, this plant comes back from its roots each year, so it will take both pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides to take out bermudagrass from your lawn.
Bermudagrass is unlike other weeds in that it can be extremely difficult to kill. Killzall 41%, Roundup Quik Pro Dry, or Ranger Pro, (All Glyphosates) are the best solution but using this product in other turfgrass sites means taking out your own turfgrass too. For those of you with zoysiagrass and tall fescue lawns, a good product that will not injury your turf is Ornamec 170 (Fluazifop-P-butyl). With both Roundup, and Ornamec 170, it will normally take several applications to obtain good control.
Unfortunately there are no post-emergent herbicides that are labeled for controlling bermudagrass in St. Augustinegrass. The ones that will control it can cause a tremendous amount of damage to your St. Augustinegrass. Another method that will benefit St. Augustinegrass more than common bermudagrass is to mow at a higher height (approx. 3” to 4”) and to not exceed 3-4 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year with your fertility program. Bermudagrass seems to be more aggressive when mowed at a shorter height along with increased amounts of nitrogen.
Best Management Practices courtesy of:
Bes-Tex Supply, LLC P.O. Box 664 San Angelo, Texas 76902 Ph. 325-653-1300
