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ken404_gw

Need help identifying this weed/grass growing in Bermuda

ken404
9 years ago

Hi, can you help me to identify and eradicate this pesky type of grass or weed? It appears to be gaining traction amongst my Bermuda. I was hoping the Bermuda would over run this but I don't think it is.

Comments (15)

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's an additional photo of this culprit.

  • forsheems
    9 years ago

    Looks like Dallisgrass to me and that stuff is really hard to get rid of.

  • joneboy
    9 years ago

    Tall fescue. Use Monument as a selective herbicide or Roundup as non selective if there is just a couple of plants. Your bermuda looks a little hungry in those areas this would be a good time to fertilize if needed.

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh yes thank you. I've just received my soil test and have another thread about fertilizer and Milorganite so, I've just started the Bermuda Bible regimen. So Monument it is. I was thinking it was tall fescue but wasn't sure. I've just started cutting 2-3x per week and this Fescue seems to pop up again and again. Thank you for your help.

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Although I'm wondering if the Bermuda will choke it out once it becomes stronger?

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I just pulled this grass up and what type of worm is this and do I need to kill it? Is it damaging my lawn?

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's another photo of the worm.

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's another pic of this worm thing in my lawn.

    {{!gwi}}

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    That bermuda is barely alive. It is certainly not overrunning anything. How much do you water and how often?

    Even healthy bermuda has trouble competing with broadleaf weeds and coarse grasses. At first I thought that was St Augustine grass, but could not be certain because the tips of the blades are mowed off. If the tips are rounded, then it is St Aug. If they are pointy, then likely dallisgrass. The fact that the bermuda is in such poor shape leads me to believe it could not be St Augustine because it would have been long dead.

    Don't worry about the caterpillar.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    as long as you have bare soil ... weeds will occur ...

    IF you grow the grass .. thick enough to cover the soil ... then you will significantly reduce the weeds ...

    consider that most weed seed is airborne ... and it will find the soil ... so grow the grass ...

    increase fert properly.. and increase water ... and you should be all set ...

    all the brown in your grass ... indicates to my eye... water is severely lacking ....

    two thumbs up on the soil test ...

    ken

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay guys. I know the Bermuda looks terrible but I've just started the regimen. Thank you so much for all the help. I just recently received my soil test and started to really get into and face the cold hard facts that my grass is in bad shape so, I'm on the wagon now, the lawn wagon. I understand that dallisgrass is hard to kill. I just started doing the 36-0-0 fertilizer with Milorganite. I'm thinking of getting the alfalfa pellets next week for it.

    Dchall I guess I'm putting the cart before the horse thinking overrun. I'm just glad I've found this site for the help you're all giving me. I've been getting a better understanding of how this Bermuda works from reading these threads. I don't have a reel mower but bought a new blade. I hope to one day be able to show you before and after pics of my yard. Let me know if you recommend anything else outside of what I just named to apply to my lawn. I'm open for suggestions. This soil test says to do these applications monthly. I wonder if I could do it every 2 weeks until it looks better. What say you? 36-0-0 every 2-3 weeks?

  • sherm1082
    9 years ago

    You said 36-0-0 milorganite but that is not the milorganite ratio so I'm not quite sure what you're referring to. Could you specify what you mean?

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh sorry Sherm I meant 3 pounds of 34-0-0 as per soil test results. Not 36-0-0 ...... Anyway, I was wondering if I went with the recommendation in addition to Milorganite more frequently than the 1 month would I achieve better faster results as far as density is concerned coupled with mowing at least 3x per week during the growing season since my lawn is in need of Nitrogen. I was reading somewhere else Morpheus' site that said you can't overdo Milorganite due to it being organic.

    Or, would it simply be a waste of product to apply more frequently in an effort to achieve faster/stronger results?

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    Morph will likely admit to wasting a lot of product during that experiment. Using organics on a non-bermuda lawn can speed up the spreading and maturing process during the summer. Why? Because non-bermuda lawns cannot tolerate chemical fertilizers in the summer, but they can easily tolerate organics. So if you want to fertilizer one of those other grasses during the summer, you have to use organics. With bermuda, since it can tolerate chemicals in the summer, there is no speed-up effect by using organics. The purpose of using organics on bermuda is to prevent the collapse of the soil biology from years and years of no food. The microbes have to have food, and they get it from organic fertilizer. That is why I suggest using organics on bermuda (all grasses actually) at least once a year.

  • ken404
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay understood. Thx for the information. WOW!! Superb explaination Dchall.