How to Kill Bermuda but not zoysia

Pilldoc90 – posted 20 May 2012 20:55

Stripped yard of all grass and weed last summer. Added topsoil, leveled yard, added irrigation and drainage. Seeded 2lbs per 1000 ft with Zenith zoysia. Having issue with common Bermuda trying to overtake the slower growing Zoysia. How do u kill Bermuda without affecting zoysia ?

tommy – posted 21 May 2012 12:37

‘Ortho grass B gone’ will offer control, but probably not total elimination. It will injure the zoysia, but injure the bermuda even more. Don’t spray it mid day, do it when the sun is low.

seed – posted 24 May 2012 05:40

Two herbicides were reported by University of Georgia’s BJ Johnson and by University of Maryland’s Pete Dernoeden to control and/or suppress bermudagrass in zoysia, fluazifop (active ingredient in Syngenta’s Fusilade II), and fenoxaprop (active ingredient in Bayer Environmental Science’s Acclaim Extra). Using either herbicide can cause injury to zoysiagrass, will require followup treatments and possible replanting, and there are restrictions so read and follow the EPA registered labels on the herbicides.

Scott McElroy and Greg Breeden described injury that can occur from these herbicides and method of safening by tank mixture with triclopyr (active ingredient in Dow AgroSciences’ Turflon Ester) “Controlling Bermudagrass in Zoysiagrass and Tall Fescue Turf,” first published The Journal of Applied Turfgrass Science:

Click to access Controlling%20bermudagrass%20and%20turf%20grass.pdf

Here is a link to the label for Bayer Environmental Science Acclaim Extra Herbicide (click where it says “Download label”):

http://www.backedbybayer.com/lawn-and-landscape-management/herbicides/acclaim-extra-herbicide/label_and_sizes

The label on Syngenta Fusilade II Turf and Ornamental Herbicide (fluazifop-P-butyl) says, “For the suppression and/or control of Common Bermudagrass, Hybrid Bermudagrass and other grass weeds in Zoysia and Tall Fescue.”

It says it is “For . . . residential areas” and “Not for use on home lawns.” (Not sure how to reconcile those two statements.)http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld63N010.pdf

ManoNegra – posted 05 June 2012 18:29

I have a similar experience.I tilled, raked and prepped my lawn and threw Zenith Zoysia seed. Part of the lawn used to have Bermuda and sure enough it started coming back with the Zoysia.

What I did/am doing is using an eye dropper filled with Round Up and applying it carefully to the Bermuda runners.I’ve been doing this for the last couple of months since I laid the Zoysia seed down and it has worked for me.I spend ~10 – 20mins every weekend looking for traces of Bermuda to attack.

You can see the dead Bermuda runners on the bottom right of the picture among the Zoysia.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/392522_10151014105333764_1865341831_n.jpg

[This message has been edited by ManoNegra (edited 05 June 2012).]