Please Identify and provide tips for removal

Greenthumb – posted 10 September 2001 14:53

I am in Chesterfield VA, and have purchased a home with what I think is wiregrass, Wild Bermuda grass.

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ELJefe – posted 03 October 2001 17:42

Looks like common bermudagrass. It will be difficult to fully eliminate this grass without applying herbicides and cutting out turf.

The existing lawn should be chemically killed and removed. Make sure that the existing lawn is well watered and growing vigorously. Apply an herbicide such as Roundup(glyphosate), or a similar product, to the entire lawn. Read and follow all label instructions.

A second application about two weeks after the first will catch those areas missed and generally insure a complete kill of turf and weeds. Should the existing lawn contain bermuda grass, kikuyu grass, or other warm season grasses, chemical control will only be attained from April through mid-October.

(Be aware that Roundup (glyphosate) does not control the seed of common bermuda grass, kikuyu grass, or any other weed seed.)

Check with a local nursery for a recommended pre-emergent to control invasive weeds and seeds. When the turf is completely brown and dead, the old lawn can be easily removed with a sod cutter. Be sure to cut thin! All you wish to remove is dead vegetation, not a thick layer of soil. After removal of the dead turf, clear the ground of all remaining debris.