Centipede(?) encroachment in Bahia pasture

jmreynolds – posted 31 March 2002 19:39

A centipede type grass is gradually taking over our bahia pasture. As we use this pasture to supplement the feeding of our horses, we try and keep the pasture free of weeds and other grasses. Although we have centipede in our lawn, the strain of grass encroaching into the pasture does not look exactly like centipede sod. Outside of disc harrowing and beginning from scratch, are there any chemicals or other pasture management practices that can be used to get rid of it?

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– posted 07 November 2003 13:27

We, too, are having the same difficulty with a type of centipede taking over our bahia pasture in Alachua, Florida. We graze cattle and horses on our 20+ acres, and over the past five years this centipede variant has usurped perhaps three or four acres in total, with numerous scattered patches ranging from 30×50 to 50×80 feet. Each successive year these patches appear to expand two-fold, and we figure on losing our pasture in another five to seven years. We purchased an herbicide (Dow’s equivalent of RoundUp) which we used to spot-treat several patches. We’re reluctant to kill huge sections of our pasture without knowing what the bahia recovery-rate will be. What have you found out thus far? We’re getting pretty nervous about it. Please get back to me on this; your input will be much appreciated! Susan at

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– posted 09 November 2003 06:37

CENTIPEDE V. BAHIA & BERMUDA:

Found an excellent solution to this common problem, thanks to Kevin Campbell at the Madison County (Florida) Agricultural Extension Office. To access the very informative July 2003 newsletter on this topic, go to:

madison.ifas.ufl.edu/Agriculture/ newsletters/julygrazing2003.PDF

Definitely beats losing your pasture, and doubly beats using herbicides! Send this man a thank-you letter!

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 17 November 2003 10:06

A slight typo in that posted URL makes it not work. Here’s the working version

http://madison.ifas.ufl.edu/Agriculture/newsletters/julygrazing2003.PDF

Basically the article says to apply lime to bring up the pH and later on (60-90 days later) apply fertilizer. Centepede likes acid soils and doesn’t particularly benefit from fertilizer like the “real” grasses do. So you’re setting up the soil to grow your preferred grass rather than the centepede.