Are you sickened by Bermuda grass invasion in flower beds and seeking a permanent solution to eliminate Bermuda grass from flower beds?
Then, you are in the right place. In this guide, I focus on the mechanical and chemical techniques to kill Bermuda grass in flower beds.
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) is a lawn grass and excellent pasture grass. But, it is a nightmare for gardeners as this tough grass becomes an invasive weed in flower beds and other grass lawns like St. Augustine lawns.
Controlling the bermudagrass is much difficult as it spreads with three means – by seed, by above-ground shoots (stolons), and by below-ground shoots (rhizomes). Once it is invasive into your lawn or flower beds, it gets challenging to kill it, even with multiple applications of herbicides.
But some technical approaches exist to get rid of bermudagrass in flower beds.
We will show you some practical strategies to kill Bermuda grass in flower beds, and you will love this guide.
Let’s get started.
Methods to Control Bermuda Grass in Flower Beds
There are many practical management approaches for controlling bermudagrass in flower beds. Some are least effective or temporary but are highly effective if used with proper care, like selective herbicides.
Similarly, some techniques are mechanical while others are chemical. Some organic methods for killing bermudagrass are also present. All of these methods have their unique effectiveness.
Here are some techniques to kill Bermuda grass in flower beds:
1. Use A Selective Herbicide – PBI Gordon – Ornamec Over The Top Grass Herbicide
- BERMUDAGRASS CONTROL: Selectively remove undesirable Bermudagrass...
- FAST TREATMENT: Reduces the need for costly, time-intensive treatments
- USE ON: Cool-season grasses such as Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass and...
- RAINPROOF PROTECTION: Rainproof in 1 hour
- COVERAGE AREA: Treats up to 5,000 square feet
This grass-selective herbicide is the most effective and less damaging to garden plants among the flood of selective herbicides.
Selective herbicides are used for more specific management in crowded beds. Such herbicides are safer to use near broadleaf perennials, shrubs, and trees.
PBI Gordon is the most effective Bermuda grass selective herbicide for controlling and killing grass species. Fluazifop-P-butyl is the active agent of this herbicide that is a ready-to-use formula for spraying over Bermuda grass.
According to UC IPM, To get maximum results, it is used in early spring before the Bermuda grass reaches 6 inches long. Reapplication can be done with seven days interval to kill grass completely.
2. Using Non-selective herbicides as a spot treatment – Roundup
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It is well known that non-selective herbicides are not picky for any specific type of plant. They kill every green plant it touches. Therefore, great care is needed when using them around ornamental plants in flower beds.
Glyphosate is the most commonly used non-selective herbicide on the market. It is correctly labeled as the “total vegetation killer” or “weed and grass killer.”
Roundup by various famous brands, like Bayer, has glyphosate as the active ingredient. Make sure not to apply it in windy conditions.
These non-selective herbicides are used for killing Bermuda grass in flower beds by applying the chemical as a spot treatment on the grass. It will gradually block the internal enzymes from producing proteins, and plants eventually die in days.
3. Using Vinegar as an organic killer
- CERTIFIED FOR ORGANIC USE — Completely eliminates and desiccates...
- KILLS WEEDS FAST — Eliminate any type of weed in just a matter of...
- POWERFUL FORMULA — NO cancer-causing chemicals. Glyphosate-free. 20%...
- SAFE TO USE ANYWHERE — Perfect for agricultural use only. Apply...
- This Product is Not Available for Sale in CA
Spraying vinegar is an organic method to kill bermudagrass. Applying a 10% solution of vinegar helps kill the weeds like tough Bermuda grass organically.
Vinegar is a non-selective weed killer, so it will kill all the plants it touches. That’s why special care is needed while spraying vinegar solution on bermudagrass in flower beds.
The spot treatment technique works great for spraying vinegar to weeds in flower beds.
4. Removing grass manually
Digging out the bermudagrass in the established beds of flowers and other plants is effective management. But the manual pulling of bermudagrass is not a simple task as the bermudagrass spreads by stolons and rhizomes that are hard to pull.
Removing the bermudagrass from flower beds is only effective if the grass is newly established and less in amount. Difficulty in eradicating the bermudagrass can be overwhelming.
When the soil in beds is tilted, the rhizomes can extend beyond 6 inches and become hand-pull futile.
If adopting the manual digging method, make sure to get all stolons and rhizomes.
5. Mulching the flower beds
Mulching is an old and effective weed controlling technique used commonly in many crops and garden beds. Similarly, bermudagrass gets killed by utilizing the high temperature created by plastic mulch in flower beds.
Aggie Horticulture recommends the control of bermudagrass. According to their research, mulching is the best method.
Flower beds can also be covered with plastic before mulching, which can be obtained from any garden center or hardware store. The plastic will trap more heat inside, gradually killing Bermuda grass.
Black polythene can also be used as mulching, and it is more effective for trapping heat during the hottest months of summer.
How to get rid of Bermuda grass organically?
Spraying vinegar solution is the organic method to get rid of bermudagrass in flower beds and lawns. It is a non-selective weed killer that is not picky for any particular kind of plant.
- CERTIFIED FOR ORGANIC USE — Completely eliminates and desiccates...
- KILLS WEEDS FAST — Eliminate any type of weed in just a matter of...
- POWERFUL FORMULA — NO cancer-causing chemicals. Glyphosate-free. 20%...
- SAFE TO USE ANYWHERE — Perfect for agricultural use only. Apply...
- This Product is Not Available for Sale in CA
The University of Maryland recommends Vinegar solution at least (10%) kills the bermudagrass by disturbing the enzymatic reactions occurring in the plants. But while using vinegar solution, keep in mind that it can also kill ornamental plants. That’s why the spot treatment is preferred for vinegar application.
How to stop Bermuda grass from spreading?
Edging the beds and mowing with a reel mower on a regular basis are the most effective techniques to prevent the bermudagrass from spreading. It will stop the spread of bermudagrass in flower beds and lawn areas. You can get rid of Bermuda grass from st Augustine and every other type of grass lawn using the same method.
Here are some other effective methods to stop Bermuda grass from spreading:
- Digging out the bermudagrass by locating the Bermuda stolons growing in flower beds. Grasp the ends of the stolon towards the direction it is creeping. Pull all the roots parts.
- Locate the rhizomes in the beds and did the soil with a shovel to locate rhizomes. Remove the rhizomes by pulling as much as possible.
- Make the solution of glyphosate by mixing 2.7 ounces in one gallon of water. Spray the glyphosate solution on the spreading ends of the bermudagrass and water the grass thoroughly.
- Spot treatment of glyphosate solution gives the most effective results. Make sure to overspray over the flowering plants.
- Place a borderline along the edges of flower beds. Any solid material like stones or wood can be used to create a border. It will protect the beds from the creeping weeds to spread inwards the flower beds.
To control the already existing bermudagrass, mulching on bermudagrass with a 2-3 inch layer is also effective. Choose the mulch material that is compliant with flowers.
Resources
- University of Maryland
- Bermudagrass control
- Aggie Horticulture
- Bermudagrass control as a best method for turf control
