Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - July 13, 2010
From: Beaumont, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Invasive Plants, Problem Plants
Title: Getting rid of bermudagrass
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
How do I get rid of bermuda grass in my San Augustine grass?ANSWER:
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), a non-native, is very persistent and invasive. Not only does it reproduce from seeds but also from stolons above ground and rhizomes below ground that, if broken off a growing plant, can take root and grow in another place—thus, it is very difficult to eliminate. Of course, you already know this and, I'm sorry, but we aren't going to be able to give you a magic silver bullet to get rid of it. The difficulty in fighting bermudagrass is increased when it is encroaching on other plants that you want to keep. You obviously can't stop watering it to kill it since your other grass would die also. You can't use plastic to solarize it and kill it because that would also kill the St. Augustine. You are pretty much left with physically removing it or using herbicides. You can read one of the best articles, How to Manage Pests in Gardens and Landscapes: Bermudagrass, on controlling bermudagrass from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Integrated Pest Management Program. This article gives in detail the whens and hows of applying the herbicides and which ones to use. There are herbicides that act against grasses but not against broadleafed landscape plants, but there aren't any, as far as I know, that will act specifically on bermudagrass and not also affect your St. Augustine. If you have concentrated areas of bermudagrass, you might be able to use the solarization or tilling method on those areas to kill it and then be diligent about removing any new plants that appear so that your other grass has a chance to cover the area. If you have small patchy areas scattered throughout your lawn, then hand removal will with careful herbicide application to individual plants will be the best method.
Here are some other articles on controlling bermudagrass:
Controlling Bermuda Grass by Donald Burger, Houston, TX
Bermudagrass Control from Utah State Universitiy Cooperative Extension
Bermudagrass Control from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service
More Invasive Plants Questions
Identification of yellow flowers in Wisconsin
June 19, 2012 - We have plants near Madison, Wisconsin that some call lanceleaf coreoposis however I believe they are some type of invasive species. They have yellow flowers, seem to spread by seed. and don't grown ...
view the full question and answer
Removing non-native plants appearing in Austin in early spring
March 14, 2012 - In order to know which plants to keep and which to remove, is there a source to look up and identify common non-native plants that are seen in Austin about this time of the year (late winter, early Sp...
view the full question and answer
Invasive horsetail in Etna NH
July 27, 2009 - I seem to have an increasingly "healthy" supply of Equisetum in ALL of my many gardens over the years .. it is not easy to get all the rhizomes (what is?) is it possible to control it some other way...
view the full question and answer
Invasive non-native mulberry and groundcover in Jacksonville FL
October 02, 2011 - Northeast Florida (Jacksonville) inland. My mulberry tree provides dense shade in the summer and filtered light the other seasons, leaving sand in its growing area. What fast growing ground cover woul...
view the full question and answer
Controlling sedge in vegetable garden in Mississippi
August 03, 2008 - I have a veg. garden surrounded by Purple Sedge. The nut grass has been contained/eliminated by replacing all dirt 1' down. Now the surrounding sedge is beginning to creep inward infesting the gard...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |