Turflon Ester works for bermuda in fescue

atoner – posted 14 September 2006 21:22

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These pictures show where I’ve used Turflon Ester in my yard vs. my neighbor’s yard where the bermuda thrives. My yard used to be that bad. My yard looks even better than the pictures show (the brown spots were fungus and/or fertilizer burn due to runoff from up the street.)

I’ve been using Turflon Ester for about 2 years now to fight bermuda in my fescue lawn in North Carolina. I was the last new house in the neighborhood 4 years ago, and some of my neighbors had already been doing battle, mainly with Roundup. For the first 2 years I was just happy to have grass. During that period the bermuda took advantage of my thin fescue and hot/dry summers to fill up big spots in my yard. I dislike how it goes brown/yellow/white in the winter, sucks water from the fescue in the summer, and makes the turf thick to cut.

I read a lot of articles on the internet and did a test with Roundup and Turflon Ester 2 years ago this fall. I killed a patch of my lawn an re-planted with fescue while also spraying Turflon Ester on another patch. Neither was a complete solution, but the Turflon Ester made a big enough difference to keep me using it.

Based on my experience over these past 2 years and observing my neighbors I’ve concluded:1) Roundup (or other broad spectrum killers) will certainly kill the fescue and will temporarily kill the bermuda, but won’t totally kill the bermuda. My neighbor 2 houses over killed his whole yard last fall, re-planted fescue, and this summer he was worse than before with a yard full of crabgrass and bermuda. If you want to kill bermuda with Roundup, I’d plan on a whole summer of spraying and tilling. Then you have to keep out new seeds and rhizomes.2) Bermuda can effectively be controlled by applying Turflon Ester on a regular basis. I’ve had to keep an eye out for new bermuda sprigs and spray them, especially since the neighbors still have some bermuda. The amount I’ve had to apply and the residual bermuda has steadily decreased over the past 1.5 years. I’ve probably spent about $200 total on Turflon Ester to bring the bermuda under control on my 0.3 acre lot.

In addition to the Turflon Ester, I’ve been aerating, seeding, and fertilizing on a schedule that favors fescue. I mow to 3″ and water when it gets really dry in the summer. I mulch all clipping back into the turf. The fesuce actually does much better in the summer when the bermuda is knocked down and the fescue isn’t harmed by the Turflon Ester.

I get Turlon Ester from these shippers and mix 3 oz per 1.5 gallons of water in a pump sprayer. Lately I just spray new bermuda when it shows up.http://www.yardlover.com/products.php?pid=3949http://www.montereylawngarden.com/products/lawn/

The Turlon Ester produces visible results within a few days. I’d say bermuda is almost eradicated from my yard – if I really pay attention I can find some sprigs. I think the amount of bermuda will continue to decline if I stay on top of it. However, I’m sure that if I stopped spraying the bermuda would come back in a few years. I’m willing to spend $100/year and some time to keep it under control

seed – posted 11 November 2006 08:10

Very impressive results!

Phil

evans1 – posted 01 July 2007 12:29

Thank you so very much for your extremely informative and helpful report on what worked for you and what failed also.

I had been looking for the directions (3oz per one and a half gallons)and got a lot more.Very generous of you!Megan

Les – posted 20 July 2007 17:34

One thing you have to keep in mind is that Turflon Esther doesn’t kill the bermuda grass it suppresses it. It is a lifelong battle.

nick7nc – posted 02 November 2007 10:14

I bought 1pint turflon ester from the same shipper http://www.yardlover.com/products.php?pid=3949 but it didn’t work at all !I also bought 1/2 pint from my local hardware store and it did work perfectly but was more expensive.

MSkyBoys – posted 24 August 2011 08:05

Great info … Thanks! My lawn is overtaken by Bermuda so I plan to start applying Turflon Ester. Just wondering, has anyone used a garden hose type sprayer rather than a pump sprayer? If so what mixture rate did you use?

ChristineBBD – posted 18 September 2011 16:25

You don’t want to use a hose send sprayer with Turflon-ester. It’s extremely potent. I think 3 oz. per 1 1/2 gallons was an error. The label on the bottle states 1/3 oz. per gallon. I’ve used turflon-ester many times. It is works beautifully on my fescue. But you must use it according to the label to have good results.

1/3 oz/gallon = 1-1/2 Tbs per gallon per 1000 sq. ft.

This means 1 gallon should be sprayed on 1000 sq. ft to get the full effect.

Or use 1 tsp in one quart and spray the entire quart onto 100 square feet.

You will kill your fescue if you use a stronger solution than what is listed on the label.