Carpet grass

[JLM]

In the backyard, we are having what im pretty sure is a carpet grass invasion. It started in a small patch in the yard and i never really thought much of it, but now it has taken over 3/8 of the backyard and is spreading rapidly. This is a major issue, because after it gets mowed one of my dogs has major allergy issues and her feet will get itchy and because she licks it to try and stop the itching, it becomes raw and it hurts her. This grass also traps moisture and keeps the ground wet under it, so it also causes issues with the mower. What can i do to get rid of this completely WITHOUT chemicals. This grass surrounds my dwarf cavendish banana, my bizzy seedling, and my large queen, so no chemicals whatsoever. I have read that a saltwater spray would kill this off, but i dont know how the palms and the banana would respond to an excess amount of salt.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, JLM said:

In the backyard, we are having what im pretty sure is a carpet grass invasion. It started in a small patch in the yard and i never really thought much of it, but now it has taken over 3/8 of the backyard and is spreading rapidly. This is a major issue, because after it gets mowed one of my dogs has major allergy issues and her feet will get itchy and because she licks it to try and stop the itching, it becomes raw and it hurts her. This grass also traps moisture and keeps the ground wet under it, so it also causes issues with the mower. What can i do to get rid of this completely WITHOUT chemicals. This grass surrounds my dwarf cavendish banana, my bizzy seedling, and my large queen, so no chemicals whatsoever. I have read that a saltwater spray would kill this off, but i dont know how the palms and the banana would respond to an excess amount of salt.

Picture(s)?  

If it is what i think it is you may be able to use a squirt bottle to spray salty brine or vinegar over it to burn it back, then pull what is left.. Wider leaves would make it stick better than trying to kill grasses w/ narrower leaves. Might add a drop or two of dish soap to the mix to help it stick even better.  Because you're only spraying the tops, don't think the salt / vinegar content would be strong enough to penetrate down to the roots of the Queen.  Bizzy / Banana? might be careful around those.. 

Could also pull any that has crept beneath / around desired plants ( say around the Banana / Biz. Seedling ),  spray any grass outside that  grass/ weed- free  " ring " w/ salt or vinegar, then cover w/ pieces of clear plastic ..something like 4 or 6ml thickness..  to cook it and push it even further away from the desired plants and lessen the chance that any rain that might fall after treatment would cause the brine to soak further into the soil below..  No need to cover the whole area w/ big sheets of the plastic, could cut pieces about 8-10" wide x say a foot long so you're killing strips of it at any given time, yet not sterilizing the soil in big areas.

Some ideas to research anyway..
 

[JLM]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Picture(s)?  

If it is what i think it is you may be able to use a squirt bottle to spray salty brine or vinegar over it to burn it back, then pull what is left.. Wider leaves would make it stick better than trying to kill grasses w/ narrower leaves. Might add a drop or two of dish soap to the mix to help it stick even better.  Because you're only spraying the tops, don't think the salt / vinegar content would be strong enough to penetrate down to the roots of the Queen.  Bizzy / Banana? might be careful around those.. 

Could also pull any that has crept beneath / around desired plants ( say around the Banana / Biz. Seedling ),  spray any grass outside that  grass/ weed- free  " ring " w/ salt or vinegar, then cover w/ pieces of clear plastic ..something like 4 or 6ml thickness..  to cook it and push it even further away from the desired plants and lessen the chance that any rain that might fall after treatment would cause the brine to soak further into the soil below..  No need to cover the whole area w/ big sheets of the plastic, could cut pieces about 8-10" wide x say a foot long so you're killing strips of it at any given time, yet not sterilizing the soil in big areas.

Some ideas to research anyway..
 

One issue with plastic is that it probably wouldnt kill the roots, which means it will come back eventually. Heres a couple pics.

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, JLM said:

One issue with plastic is that it probably wouldnt kill the roots, which means it will come back eventually. Heres a couple pics.

Grr, lol ..yep, that's crappy carpet grass alright haha..

  Think the roots on this stuff are shallow, like St. Augustine, and don't dive deep like  Bermuda or Cogon can   so Solarizing w/ plastic should cook most.. of not all the roots on it.. ( You can always do a test spot before going all- in )  Add in applying the salt / vinegar treatment over the foliage before tenting, and you dehydrate all the living tissues faster. Majority of the roots will have a harder time trying to regenerate growth and will likely rot rather than survive.

Around this Bizzy, would dig out the grass around it to about 15".. The " open " space around it now is wayy too narrow.. Grass or other " weedy " stuff that grows near the seedling is competing ( likely out-competing  ) w/ it for any water/ nutrients you apply..

Atm, finer roots at depth ( ..below say 8" ) on that seedling probably stretch out further than the " trimmed to the ground " circle of grass around it.  After you get the grass pulled back,  apply home made killer/ any plastic covering it to the grass just outside the cleared out circle to push it back even further..

In other areas of the yard where there are no desired plants, you may have to go nuclear to keep the stuff in check...

[JLM]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Grr, lol ..yep, that's crappy carpet grass alright haha..

  Think the roots on this stuff are shallow, like St. Augustine, and don't dive deep like  Bermuda or Cogon can   so Solarizing w/ plastic should cook most.. of not all the roots on it.. ( You can always do a test spot before going all- in )  Add in applying the salt / vinegar treatment over the foliage before tenting, and you dehydrate all the living tissues faster. Majority of the roots will have a harder time trying to regenerate growth and will likely rot rather than survive.

Around this Bizzy, would dig out the grass around it to about 15".. The " open " space around it now is wayy too narrow.. Grass or other " weedy " stuff that grows near the seedling is competing ( likely out-competing  ) w/ it for any water/ nutrients you apply..

Atm, finer roots at depth ( ..below say 8" ) on that seedling probably stretch out further than the " trimmed to the ground " circle of grass around it.  After you get the grass pulled back,  apply home made killer/ any plastic covering it to the grass just outside the cleared out circle to push it back even further..

In other areas of the yard where there are no desired plants, you may have to go nuclear to keep the stuff in check...

Yea, i figured the ring around the bizzy was too small, but didnt know how big it needed to be. Luckily i have more mulch for when its all killed back.  I suspect i probably need to make the area around the queen and banana bigger as well. I will look into getting some plastic to experiment and see how it goes.

[JLM]

Havent done anything yet, it has rained everyday for the past week and a half. Gonna go with a salt/vinegar spray tomorrow or Sunday since rain chances are 40%.

[JLM]

On 7/4/2022 at 12:23 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Grr, lol ..yep, that's crappy carpet grass alright haha..

  Think the roots on this stuff are shallow, like St. Augustine, and don't dive deep like  Bermuda or Cogon can   so Solarizing w/ plastic should cook most.. of not all the roots on it.. ( You can always do a test spot before going all- in )  Add in applying the salt / vinegar treatment over the foliage before tenting, and you dehydrate all the living tissues faster. Majority of the roots will have a harder time trying to regenerate growth and will likely rot rather than survive.

Around this Bizzy, would dig out the grass around it to about 15".. The " open " space around it now is wayy too narrow.. Grass or other " weedy " stuff that grows near the seedling is competing ( likely out-competing  ) w/ it for any water/ nutrients you apply..

Atm, finer roots at depth ( ..below say 8" ) on that seedling probably stretch out further than the " trimmed to the ground " circle of grass around it.  After you get the grass pulled back,  apply home made killer/ any plastic covering it to the grass just outside the cleared out circle to push it back even further..

In other areas of the yard where there are no desired plants, you may have to go nuclear to keep the stuff in check...

Do you think that just fertilizing the grass may be effective? I have also read that carpet grass likes nutrient deficient soil, so im wondering if just lawn fert would kill it off.

[Silas_Sancona]

22 minutes ago, JLM said:

Do you think that just fertilizing the grass may be effective? I have also read that carpet grass likes nutrient deficient soil, so im wondering if just lawn fert would kill it off.

I'd kill what you can, then fertilize so that the grass you want to dominate can take over...  Is the idea anyway, Not sure how well it would work sine both types of grass will utilize any nutrients provided.

[JLM]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I'd kill what you can, then fertilize so that the grass you want to dominate can take over...  Is the idea anyway, Not sure how well it would work sine both types of grass will utilize any nutrients provided.

Just finished spraying with the salt spray, already seeing some pale splotches on it. Good sign? Hopefully. 

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, JLM said:

Just finished spraying with the salt spray, already seeing some pale splotches on it. Good sign? Hopefully. 

If it is hot, you should start to see the blades drying out within a day..  ..Clumps of the stuff pretty much dried out within a couple ( days )..  Think i mentioned you can add a drop or two of dish soap to the spray to help the salt ( or Vinegar ) stick better. Some people use stuff like Vegetable oil but you can cook the leaves on stuff you don't want to burn if you accidentally hit it while spraying.

You may still have to dig out the roots since the spray may or may not fully choke the root system ..At least around your Banana and Palms.. 

 

[Looking Glass]

2 hours ago, JLM said:

Do you think that just fertilizing the grass may be effective? I have also read that carpet grass likes nutrient deficient soil, so im wondering if just lawn fert would kill it off.

It’s probably the best thing.  The lawn is weak, the weeds are strong.   If you fertilize and water well, the lawn will thrive, and crowd out the weeds.  If you don’t, It suffers out of proportion to the weeds, and they take over.  Just killing weeds, makes more weeds.  

The best thing would be to figure out why the carpet grass was able to take hold.   Bad soil, wet/dry spot, or low sun, not enough fertilizer or water in general for the lawn?  

I’ve got mostly St Augustine grass, but in some areas Bermuda has moved in.  I like it better as it takes foot traffic much better.  It seems to need more water and fertilizer than St Augustine to look good at my place.  I actually bought a couple bags of mixed Bermuda-types seed.   And put it in the weak spots.  Even though many consider it less desirable grass here.  

 

 

[JLM]

55 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

It’s probably the best thing.  The lawn is weak, the weeds are strong.   If you fertilize and water well, the lawn will thrive, and crowd out the weeds.  If you don’t, It suffers out of proportion to the weeds, and they take over.  Just killing weeds, makes more weeds.  

The best thing would be to figure out why the carpet grass was able to take hold.   Bad soil, wet/dry spot, or low sun, not enough fertilizer or water in general for the lawn?  

I’ve got mostly St Augustine grass, but in some areas Bermuda has moved in.  I like it better as it takes foot traffic much better.  It seems to need more water and fertilizer than St Augustine to look good at my place.  I actually bought a couple bags of mixed Bermuda-types seed.   And put it in the weak spots.  Even though many consider it less desirable grass here.  

 

 

Soil is basically the red clay sand. Very nutrient deficient. Water is definitely not a problem lol

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, JLM said:

Soil is basically the red clay sand. Very nutrient deficient. Water is definitely not a problem lol

My lawn is a pain in the a**.   In spring and summer, it needs a ton of water.  In early summer, it needs grub treatment.    In late summer, it needs treatment for chinch bugs.  In late summer and early fall, when the storms hit, it needs anti fungals.  For fertilizer it needs a lot of N, K and iron.  

Last fall I overfertilized one time to get rid of some cheap fertilizer…… it was late in the growing season, and the lawn got patchy dead spots, as cold weather hit and slowed it down for winter.  Clover and dollar weed went crazy in the dead spots in the cool season.   I don’t use weed killer, so it took me extra watering, feeding and Bermuda seeding to crowd them out.  Now 8 months later it looks good again.   It was a long 8 months.  

The lawn is the highest maintenance plant I own.  The better I care for it, the more work it is.   My long term plan is to eliminate 75% of it in the upcoming years.  

[JLM]

2 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

My lawn is a pain in the a**.   In spring and summer, it needs a ton of water.  In early summer, it needs grub treatment.    In late summer, it needs treatment for chinch bugs.  In late summer and early fall, when the storms hit, it needs anti fungals.  For fertilizer it needs a lot of N, K and iron.  

Last fall I overfertilized one time to get rid of some cheap fertilizer…… it was late in the growing season, and the lawn got patchy dead spots, as cold weather hit and slowed it down for winter.  Clover and dollar weed went crazy in the dead spots in the cool season.   I don’t use weed killer, so it took me extra watering, feeding and Bermuda seeding to crowd them out.  Now 8 months later it looks good again.   It was a long 8 months.  

The lawn is the highest maintenance plant I own.  The better I care for it, the more work it is.   My long term plan is to eliminate 75% of it in the upcoming years.  

I have to keep most of the backyard as grass since we have 4 dogs, and they need it for obvious reasons. What brand of cheap fert do you recommend, we dont usually put much funds in the yard, and now its nearly impossible to put much extra into it. I will be using my own check to do this (I am 16 btw, just letting you know so the situation doesnt sound weird lol).

[D Palm]

How to remove weedy grass without chemicals…dig it up, throw it in trash can. Seed, Sod or plug new area before neighbors weedy grass moves in.

I have 2 acres, no sprinkler system. My yard use to be centipede, until Pool installation destroyed it. Now it’s Bahia with centipede slowly but surely reestablishing itself.

I prefer Centipede as it is the easiest to maintain but takes a while to spread from seed. It can also take a beating from dogs, so can Bahia. I have 2 dogs, St Augustine does not last.

[D Palm]

Don’t do the salt and vinegar unless you do not want anything to grow there for a while, like sidewalk cracks or something. It scorch’s the soil. Learned that the hard way a while back.

[Looking Glass]

3 hours ago, JLM said:

I have to keep most of the backyard as grass since we have 4 dogs, and they need it for obvious reasons. What brand of cheap fert do you recommend, we dont usually put much funds in the yard, and now its nearly impossible to put much extra into it. I will be using my own check to do this (I am 16 btw, just letting you know so the situation doesnt sound weird lol).

I just Scotts, but I use less than recommended, but more often.  I’ll also use Milogrinite every few months (this you cannot over apply this one).  Both are great for lawns, but not great for palms.   Every once in a while I’ll hit the whole lawn with potassium and palm fertilizer.  You could use many products, both cheap or expensive.   The lawn needs mostly N, K, and Fe, unlike palms.   I’ve had better luck going with less, more often, with most lawn fertilizers.  Lawn fertilizer is like steroid-crack for the grass, it works too fast most of the time.  

There is a real science to taking care of lawns.  Every grass type, in every soil, in every climate needs a different regimen.  

I have mostly St Augustine in fast drawing sandy soil, but it needs ICU level care to look it’s best.  It’s very fragile in my opinion.   Some areas I’m encouraging the Bermuda to grow in, it seems to hold up much better.  

 

[D Palm]

@JLM What type of grass was there before? Which type of grass do you want to grow? I have moved over to HD’s Vigoro and am very pleased. The lower price point was appealing. 
 

Also, Vigoro havs 2 types of weed and feed for Florida, make sure you get the right one for selected variety. It doesn’t kill most weedy grass sadly. 
 

The Vigoro fertilizer works well for Bahia, Rocket ship results for me.

Edited July 18, 2022 by D Palm

[JLM]

6 hours ago, D Palm said:

@JLM What type of grass was there before? Which type of grass do you want to grow? I have moved over to HD’s Vigoro and am very pleased. The lower price point was appealing. 
 

Also, Vigoro havs 2 types of weed and feed for Florida, make sure you get the right one for selected variety. It doesn’t kill most weedy grass sadly. 
 

The Vigoro fertilizer works well for Bahia, Rocket ship results for me.

Trying to encourage the St Augustine grass to come back.

[Bill H2DB]

    It's an endless fight to maintain a mono species lawn . 

I gave up long ago .    My motto is :

      " Whatever grows ,  is  what  I  mows " .

[JLM]

5 hours ago, Bill H2DB said:

    It's an endless fight to maintain a mono species lawn . 

I gave up long ago .    My motto is :

      " Whatever grows ,  is  what  I  mows " .

If it wasnt for the dog being allergic to the carpet grass and the fact that the mower sounds like it wants to die everytime i mow it, i would leave it alone lol

[Looking Glass]

23 hours ago, Bill H2DB said:

    It's an endless fight to maintain a mono species lawn . 

I gave up long ago .    My motto is :

      " Whatever grows ,  is  what  I  mows " .

I’m a big fan of the mixed lawn.  I just ordered a triple blend of Bermuda hybrids to overseed a few areas.     Various spots in the yard work for different species and cultivars.  It all looks pretty good and fills in nice and green.   Everyone grows where they are most happy.  
 

In this shady, wet corner, there are two types of grass, transitioning to a weedy ground cover of some kind.  St Augustine can’t survive here.   St Augustine is mostly on the far right.  

St Augustine dominates “no man’s land” in the middle of the yard… hot all day sun.   Survives well if it’s dry, or it rains 20 inches in a month, and with a little less fertilizer.  But needs that sun.  Very viney and rough.  Dies if you walk on it a bunch.  

 

In this area you can see my neighbors St Augustine bordering this fine bladed invader.   This fine bladed stuff needs a bit more water and fertilizer, but you can stomp all over it and it doesn’t flinch at all.  Feed it well, and it starts to slowly take over.   Nice on the feet.  Very durable.   My favorite type.  ? Some fine bladed Bermuda?  Bahia?  I don’t know.  ……

Here I have to choose from southern warm-season grasses.  

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by Looking Glass

[D Palm]

St. Augustine has to be mowed at max mower height imo, fertilized and watered regularly in sandy soils or it will die in patches creating room for weeds. Dog pee nukes it too. If in part shade, do not water or it will rot. Chinch bugs are a nightmare too.

It costs me the same to upkeep St Augustine on a 0.45 acre lot years ago as it does to keep up 2 acres of Bahia and centipede mix on my new (6 years) home.

Im going to assume the dogs killed it in the first place, I would go with something else honestly. St Augustine is a beautiful grass to look at, not play, walk or anything else with grass.

[JLM]

The salt spray didnt kill it, but it seemed to have stunted growth for a few days. I will probably try plastic.

[Merlyn]

On 7/28/2022 at 11:39 AM, JLM said:

The salt spray didnt kill it, but it seemed to have stunted growth for a few days. I will probably try plastic.

That was my experience with soap and vinegar spray.  Weeds died back visually in a day...and 3 days later they grew back like nothing had happened.

[JLM]

35 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

That was my experience with soap and vinegar spray.  Weeds died back visually in a day...and 3 days later they grew back like nothing had happened.

In some spots where more spray ended up being applied, it turned light green to yellow. Didnt take long for it to start turn back to green though.

[Silas_Sancona]

 One application may not be enough, especially there where it rains more..  Seems applying Agricultural Lime may kill the stuff too ( see article below )

With vinegar, what is found at the Grocery store isn't strong enough.. Have to get " Horticultural Grade " stuff..  Same rule applies, if one application doesn't knock down most things, apply again.. and cover w/ plastic to keep rain off treated areas while the chemicals go to work.

 https://www.gardenguides.com/99120-kill-carpet-grass.html

[JLM]

8 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 One application may not be enough, especially there where it rains more..  Seems applying Agricultural Lime may kill the stuff too ( see article below )

With vinegar, what is found at the Grocery store isn't strong enough.. Have to get " Horticultural Grade " stuff..  Same rule applies, if one application doesn't knock down most things, apply again.. and cover w/ plastic to keep rain off treated areas while the chemicals go to work.

 https://www.gardenguides.com/99120-kill-carpet-grass.html

I had found some of this lime stuff near the lawn fert at lowes. Would it be safe to use around the palms and banana plant?

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, JLM said:

I had found some of this lime stuff near the lawn fert at lowes. Would it be safe to use around the palms and banana plant?

Since you're only applying it where the grass is,  and just enough to help kill it, vs in heavy amounts over a long period of time  i don't think it should hurt the Palms / Banana.. especially if you have cleared out a circle around the plants themselves before applying ( don't want to put anything up next to the trunks / base of the plants anyway )..  Both Bismarcks, Queens ( and Bananas ) handle soil that is consistently alkaline here and in California, so i can't see there being any problems.

Could always do a test run somewhere else in the yard to see how effectively it tackles the grass,  just to be sure it will work..

 

[D Palm]

I use lime pellets to raise PH. You have to do it once a year. Helps the good grass over the weeds. Lime has Never been great at killing invasive grass imo.

You could rent a roto tiller from HD and go that route. But be ready to plant grass or it’ll be for nothing.

[JLM]

I put down a small sheet of clear plastic, carpet grass dead within a week. Unfortunately i only had the one sheet of this plastic and due to constant sun exposure it ripped :/

I have a large tarp that i can spread out and leave in place for a while to kill a huge portion of grass at once. Although ill have to go smaller on the side of the yard where all the palms are.

[JLM]

Drought killed the carpet grass....for now.

[JLM]

So because February was so warm, the carpet grass is making a quick return earlier than it has in the past. Our rainfall has been about average so far this year, but we have been pretty wet recently and now its coming back in full force. So, i need to figure out something now instead of later. I may look into the roto tiller idea and do it now so itll have time to recover nicely before temps get too hot.

[JLM]

Ive done my research, i think ill buy an electric tiller (cheaper), then buy an 8.75 lb bag of Bermuda grass seed, which covers 5,000 sq ft, which is plenty. It has fertilizer in the seed mix, but i may still buy the Scotts 3 in 1 turf builder later on. The 3 in 1 stuff kills some weeds, kills and prevents fire ants, and fertilizes the grass. Apparently it also does other insect control as well. It may be a worthwhile investment in about a month or so once the grass is getting better established.

Im trying to get this done for as cheap as possible, while still making a good investment. With buying a tiller, ill not only have it for this project but also for future projects where i need to pull up grass, maybe for a planting bed somewhere. Also, it sounds like Bermuda grass may be the best option for my situation. Im hoping i can get this stuff tomorrow morning and get the yard tilled and seeded tomorrow as well, if things work out. I want this carpet grass gone for good. 

If i dont end up getting Bermuda grass seed, ill get centipede grass seed, despite the fact that itll take longer to establish. Im in no hurry to get a reestablished yard, i am only in a hurry to get the damn carpet grass out.

Edited April 30, 2023 by JLM

[Silas_Sancona]

53 minutes ago, JLM said:

Ive done my research, i think ill buy an electric tiller (cheaper), then buy an 8.75 lb bag of Bermuda grass seed, which covers 5,000 sq ft, which is plenty. It has fertilizer in the seed mix, but i may still buy the Scotts 3 in 1 turf builder later on. The 3 in 1 stuff kills some weeds, kills and prevents fire ants, and fertilizes the grass. Apparently it also does other insect control as well. It may be a worthwhile investment in about a month or so once the grass is getting better established.

Im trying to get this done for as cheap as possible, while still making a good investment. With buying a tiller, ill not only have it for this project but also for future projects where i need to pull up grass, maybe for a planting bed somewhere. Also, it sounds like Bermuda grass may be the best option for my situation. Im hoping i can get this stuff tomorrow morning and get the yard tilled and seeded tomorrow as well, if things work out. I want this carpet grass gone for good. 

If i dont end up getting Bermuda grass seed, ill get centipede grass seed, despite the fact that itll take longer to establish. Im in no hurry to get a reestablished yard, i am only in a hurry to get the damn carpet grass out.

LOL   ...X's 100!   Bermuda?   You think getting Carpet grass under control is bad?  Ohh boy..  I just spent ~roughly~ 2 hours out front yanking new areas of Bermuda trying to re-invade one of the planting beds.. And still have a lot more to go. That's digging down ...wayy down  into the soil to get out any and every bit and piece i can. 

Bermuda will sink wire-like Stolons 6-24" deep in the soil, then pop up in unexpected places. I don't think Bermuda would completely eliminate the Carpet grass either ( all sorts of stuff comes up through it in both yards here ), just make it harder to get at patches that pop up..

Could offer me ownership of  2 continents, for free, if i planted it.. and i still would not ever  intentionally plant Bermuda.  Haha.  Worst- " Pain- in- the- Grass "- Ever-.

[JLM]

12 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

LOL   ...X's 100!   Bermuda?   You think getting Carpet grass under control is bad?  Ohh boy..  I just spent ~roughly~ 2 hours out front yanking new areas of Bermuda trying to re-invade one of the planting beds.. And still have a lot more to go. That's digging down ...wayy down  into the soil to get out any and every bit and piece i can. 

Bermuda will sink wire-like Stolons 6-24" deep in the soil, then pop up in unexpected places. I don't think Bermuda would completely eliminate the Carpet grass either ( all sorts of stuff comes up through it in both yards here ), just make it harder to get at patches that pop up..

Could offer me ownership of  2 continents, for free, if i planted it.. and i still would not ever  intentionally plant Bermuda.  Haha.  Worst- " Pain- in- the- Grass "- Ever-.

Im not exactly sure what i need to do then. What do you recommend? Im lost at this point. Bermuda is the most widely available seed around here. Its in just about every seed mixture, and its probably most of what ill find in any store. Should i try for bahia? Pensacola Bahia is available in 3 lb bags, which only covers 600 sq ft for almost $10 a pound. Ill probably have to buy at least 5 bags to cover the area needed. I can do centipede grass seed, although it sounds like it takes a long time to establish. Thinking about it now, i would hate to take these measures and spend this amount of money only for the weeds to grow back in because the centipede is coming in so slowly.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, JLM said:

Im not exactly sure what i need to do then. What do you recommend? Im lost at this point. Bermuda is the most widely available seed around here. Its in just about every seed mixture, and its probably most of what ill find in any store. Should i try for bahia? Pensacola Bahia is available in 3 lb bags, which only covers 600 sq ft for almost $10 a pound. Ill probably have to buy at least 5 bags to cover the area needed. I can do centipede grass seed, although it sounds like it takes a long time to establish. Thinking about it now, i would hate to take these measures and spend this amount of money only for the weeds to grow back in because the centipede is coming in so slowly.

The trouble with going the seed route is ..since all are grass,  Carpet ..and whatever other unwanted grass  ( ...and other plant ) seed is already in the ground, and brought to the surface when you disturb the soil surface to sow the desired grass will germinate, so you'll be fighting the weedy / unwanted stuff, while trying to get the desired grass to take / not be out competed by the weedy stuff.. 

If it were me, i'd figure out exactly how much area ..within an overall area of a yard  absolutely needs to be lawn grass, then go the sod route, if possible..  and leave the rest to being turned into landscaped areas over time, or to go natural, cutting it only when it gets too tall.

I remember trying to start seed in Bradenton when the grass in the " regularly used " area of the back yard at that house became nothing but weedier stuff.. An absolute nightmare and a waste of $$ i could have bought more plants with. I would have been better off just letting the ground hugging weeds, and what lawn grass was there be the " lawn " haha. 

[JLM]

4 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

The trouble with going the seed route is ..since all are grass,  Carpet ..and whatever other unwanted grass  ( ...and other plant ) seed is already in the ground, and brought to the surface when you disturb the soil surface to sow the desired grass will germinate, so you'll be fighting the weedy / unwanted stuff, while trying to get the desired grass to take / not be out competed by the weedy stuff.. 

If it were me, i'd figure out exactly how much area ..within an overall area of a yard  absolutely needs to be lawn grass, then go the sod route, if possible..  and leave the rest to being turned into landscaped areas over time, or to go natural, cutting it only when it gets too tall.

I remember trying to start seed in Bradenton when the grass in the " regularly used " area of the back yard at that house became nothing but weedier stuff.. An absolute nightmare and a waste of $$ i could have bought more plants with. I would have been better off just letting the ground hugging weeds, and what lawn grass was there be the " lawn " haha. 

I see what youre saying, its definitely a risk. Honestly, im fine with weeds as long as theres no carpet grass. Most of the backyard is weeds right now, but they dont choke up the mower and they also dont get super thick and dense. The dogs also arent allergic to them either. If it wasnt for the fact that this carpet grass spreads so rapidly and establishes itself in the yard, i would just take the time to pull them up by hand. At this point, theres so much popping up in the yard that itll be impossible to hand pull all of it without missing a bunch. It seems like its all blowing up at once instead of slowly coming in. Seems like theres new patches everyday. I guess for now i could try spot killing with a vinegar and salt mixture and hope we get somewhere.

[Silas_Sancona]

Just now, JLM said:

I see what youre saying, its definitely a risk. Honestly, im fine with weeds as long as theres no carpet grass. Most of the backyard is weeds right now, but they dont choke up the mower and they also dont get super thick and dense. The dogs also arent allergic to them either. If it wasnt for the fact that this carpet grass spreads so rapidly and establishes itself in the yard, i would just take the time to pull them up by hand. At this point, theres so much popping up in the yard that itll be impossible to hand pull all of it without missing a bunch. It seems like its all blowing up at once instead of slowly coming in. Seems like theres new patches everyday. I guess for now i could try spot killing with a vinegar and salt mixture and hope we get somewhere.

Unfortunately, if there is Carpet Grass in any of your neighbor's yards / within a couple miles of you, you're always going to have it.. Wind / critters, rain runoff will bring seed back / bring dormant seed in the soil to the surface,  Even after you think you've killed it off.

Any way to designate a specific area / sized area where the dogs / humans in the family hang out the most and lay sod?  then keep other areas nearby, where the Carpet grass is really bad  and the dogs pass through  weed whacked to ..almost dirt? ..until something else that is tougher takes over / chokes out the majority of the C.G.?

 

[Looking Glass]

I had a few patches of messed up area and some weedy spots before all of the rain the past 2 weeks.   I got a bag of triple species Bermuda, plus some other kind of pasture Bermuda, and some Bahia seeds, and spread them all over the place.   The Bermuda pops up quick when it’s hot and wet… within a week.   It’s been rainy a lot, so my timing was perfect.   The Bermuda is growing in the weak spots as desired, with me spot hand watering 1-2x per day if it’s dry, to get it established.   

The Bahia takes a month+ to sprout, haven’t seen it yet.   In a good, sunny spot, St Augustine still smothers all competition In my yard.   Bermuda takes the edge in bad, dry spots, or higher traffic areas.    It is a wanderer though.   

St Augustine can be a PIA, but the layering vines choke out a lot of other stuff.   I find it has little tolerance for traffic though.   

I mostly subscribe to the “choke out, shade out” method for controlling weeds and wandering grasses.  I combine that with some good ole fashion “survival of the fittest”.   Looks great after a mow….  Wait too long and they all grow at different speeds, so can look a little scruffy in week 2 if you slack on mowing.    All is green though.   Best I can do without using herbicides.