Q. I have a small fescue lawn that is being taken over by
what appears to be Bermudagrass or some type of large blade thick dense grass
that is much greener and thicker than the fescue grass. What can I use in our
climate to kill the invading grass without killing my fescue?
green and is not dense in a bunch. It produces stolons so you can usually
identify it because it wants to creep along the surface of the lawn.
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| Bermudagrass stolon creeping on to the sidewalk |
If it is
dark green and in clumps, it might be a fescue or rye. Because bermudagrasses
will not grow in shade, if we keep the lawn mown high, do not use line trimmers
to edge the lawn, do not mow or line trim the grass next to sprinkler heads and
keep it dense and healthy, it usually keeps bermudagrass out due to shading of
the soil.
dark green and in clumps, it might be a fescue or rye. Because bermudagrasses
will not grow in shade, if we keep the lawn mown high, do not use line trimmers
to edge the lawn, do not mow or line trim the grass next to sprinkler heads and
keep it dense and healthy, it usually keeps bermudagrass out due to shading of
the soil.
Once you
have bermudagrass it is tough to get rid of. You should get it when it first
invades if possible. This would be with spot sprays like Roundup in these
locations and reseed.
have bermudagrass it is tough to get rid of. You should get it when it first
invades if possible. This would be with spot sprays like Roundup in these
locations and reseed.
You do
this in the fall. After one week you cut or remove the sprayed grass from those
locations and reseed it or cut small pieces of sod and resod those areas. Keep
it wet the first two weeks as it starts to root into the soil. You gradually
back off on the frequency of irrigation and increase the amount on those spots.
This forces it to root more deeply. Finally, after about 8 weeks, you revert to
your sprinkler system.
this in the fall. After one week you cut or remove the sprayed grass from those
locations and reseed it or cut small pieces of sod and resod those areas. Keep
it wet the first two weeks as it starts to root into the soil. You gradually
back off on the frequency of irrigation and increase the amount on those spots.
This forces it to root more deeply. Finally, after about 8 weeks, you revert to
your sprinkler system.