Nick Christians
September 18, 2012
Since I put up the post on August 2 about bermudagrass in
Iowa, I have had several other calls about bermudagrass invading lawns and
sports fields. These calls have come
from Burlington, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Keokuk, Davenport, and Red
Oak. I have also been getting samples to
identify. I have had more contacts on bermudagrass
in the last 8 weeks than in the previous 33 years combined. The mild winters and hot summers are resulting
in this species becoming a significant problem in some regions.
The usual questions is, “How can I kill it?”. There is no selective control in cool-season
turf. You have to kill it with
Roundup. It is very hard to kill. It will likely take several repeat
applications of Roundup, and even then, its extensive rhizome system results in
regrowth. Complete soil sterilization
with methyl bromide may be the only sure way to remove it from critical areas
like sports fields and sod fields. Of course a couple of cold winters would also take it out. That is the reason it was not here before.
Here are some pictures that I received from Eric Van Ginkel
of the Iowa Cubs concerning the Dowling High School softball field. The sodded this field just 5 years ago with
Kentucky bluegrass and bermudagrass has spread extensively in the last couple
of years.
If anyone else has a major infestation, send me some pictures and I'll get them up on the blog.
Figure 1. The Dowling softball field. This are the biggest patches of bermudagrass that I am aware of in Iowa.
Figures 2 and 3. Eric wrote that these patches were discolored by an herbicide. He did not say which herbicide, but it looks like tenacity.
Figure 4. The extensive stolons of bermudagrass. This is what makes it spread so fast.
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