# My Quest to Extinguish Bermuda From Lawn



## LawnNerd (Sep 2, 2017)

I want to document my experience with Fusilade II and how i rid myself my bermuda grass problem.

I started to really notice the problem (Do the warm season guys realize they are fertilizing and watering a weed?? :lol: ) summer of 2016. It comes from my neighbor and it covers about 1/2 the side yard, and a pocket about 750 sqft in the front. I didn't really know what i was looking for, or what to search, so my simple search yielded nothing last year. I had come to the conclusion that i would have to renovate the who side yard to kill it off. That was the plan until i found it in the front yard in the fall when it started to go dormant. It was then i decided i needed a selective approach. After some education this year on turf terms, i was able to locate Pylex as an option. It lasted about 45 seconds until i saw the price. I then found Fusilade II almost on accident while looking at pamphlet from Syngenta.

1st application went down on Saturday Aug. 26. Highs for the few days prior and after were mid to upper 70's and i recently had ample rainfall (2") a week prior from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. I watered a full 1" of water the morning of the application. I walked the yard with a can of spray paint, and painted off the areas that had the bermuda plus a good 2-3 foot extra for stolons i could not see. Per the label it's good to use no herbicides 14 days prior to application and to not mow 7 days prior and after. I did make 1 small goof however. Label says to apply at 40-60PSI, but i forgot to take the pressure control valve off my sprayer, so i ended up only spraying at 21 psi. It took about a week to really see the effects, but the bermuda started turning yellow, and all growth stopped, including the fescue. At about day 14, most of the bermuda was yellow or staw colored (dead). Some bermuda didn't turn yellow, but had the black spots from herbicide damage, and i believe i can contribute that to uneven spraying from spraying at such a low psi. Fescue still was stunted, and stressed. I saw signs of herbicide damage, and brown patch starting. I attribute this to the fusilade, because the areas that are adjacent to the sprayed areas were deep green and growing with no signs of brown patch and stress. I went ahead and applied a fungicide at day 14 to the areas to fight off the brown patch. Fescue growth and color returned around day 21. By this time, everything bermuda that turned yellow is fairly dead and brown. Lots of stolons just break now, and there is no green in them. However, the parts that were rooted well, were greening back up with new growth by day 30

Label then states reapplication at day 28, OR when leafy growth resumes. On day 25 I walked the section to inspect the for leafy growth of the bermuda and i saw none. I did finally begin to see growth from the bermuda around day 30. I luckily hadn't mowed in a few days, so when i saw the growth i made sure to not mow this past weekend. I put down the second application of Fusilade on Saturday Sept. 30th, and i made sure to not have the PCV on my sprayer.

Here is a macro picture of the side yard. You can see all the brown bermuda, and how heavily infested i was on the edge of the lawn. 


Here is a closer look of a section that i accidentally killed in the spring (remember boys, clean your sprayer properly after using glyphosate) You can see where the bermuda grew into it over the summer. You can also see some of the herbicide burn and brown patch damage on some of the older leaves of the fescue. 


2 things to really point out. 1. RTF fescue does spread as there are 2-3 new fescue plants growing in, but more strangely is the KBG is unaffected by fusilade. I have no idea the cultivar i have, and i suspect it's some Common (midwest) or other Non-Elite cultivar that was added by previous owner. You can see it spreading in and not affected around the edges. I was under the impression KBG would melt out and die, but this cultivar i have doesn't seem phased. As You can see it all around this hole. This whole area got a blanket in august, but we will see how it holds up after the second app. 


I'll take more pictures in a week to document the effect on both the desired grasses and the bermuda. It's a slow killer (slower than tenacity) so it might be a week till anything happens.


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## HoosierHound (May 1, 2017)

Great stuff! I'm planning on a similar project next summer using fluazifop + triclopyr to hopefully beat back the bermuda. Here is some reading that I have found very helpful:

Bermudagrass Control in Tall Fescue and Zoysiagrass Turf

Bermuda Control Advances

Selective postemergence herbicide control of bermudagrass in zoysia fairways


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

It would be great if you got a complete kill.

I would keep your product handy for next spring. If it does return, you'll have a better chance for a kill in the spring and summer.

Mine took at least 3 applications during periods of heavy growth of the plant. Other patches took four apps plus several glyphosate apps.

I plan to closely monitor any activity next spring since it is capable of hiding in tall grass. I've heard of it returning years after it has been "killed."

By the way I also experienced fescue damage in the process.

I used ornamec. I wonder if Fusilade II is more effective. They share the same active compound, right?


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## HoosierHound (May 1, 2017)

social port said:


> I used ornamec. I wonder if Fusilade II is more effective. They share the same active compound, right?


Yes, they are both fluazifop. Fusilade II is a higher concentration at 24.5% AI, while Ornamec is either 6.75% or 1.7% AI.


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## LawnNerd (Sep 2, 2017)

Yea, I plan on keeping it around. Went ahead and bought the 32oz bottle, and at .7tsp per 1k I'm not about to run out anytime soon. I figure it'll take atleast through next spring to really get it. Plus, it comes in from the neighbors yard, but he's an older (78) gentleman and he doesn't mind if I keep a 4 -6 foot buffer. Ill just throw over some fescue seed every year in that buffer so not to leave him with bare dirt.

The burn on the fescue was minimal. Biggest thing I noticed was the cessation of growth where I sprayed. It took it 14-21 days to start to grow again. Socialpart, did you notice similar growth stoppage?


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## LawnNerd (Sep 2, 2017)

HoosierHound said:


> Great stuff! I'm planning on a similar project next summer using fluazifop + triclopyr to hopefully beat back the bermuda. Here is some reading that I have found very helpful:
> 
> Bermudagrass Control in Tall Fescue and Zoysiagrass Turf
> 
> ...


Thanks for the great reading material! This will come in handy when the "inspiration" hits. :lol:


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

LawnNerd said:


> The burn on the fescue was minimal. Biggest thing I noticed was the cessation of growth where I sprayed. It took it 14-21 days to start to grow again. Socialpart, did you notice similar growth stoppage?


I can't say. At the time, my lawn didn't have enough grass for me to have a sense of an expected growth rate. The fescue that I did hit died, though. One app and it was pretty well done within two weeks or so. I was applying outside of the recommended temperature range, though. It was a calculated risk, and I lost.


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## LawnNerd (Sep 2, 2017)

I'll try and grab a picture this time of the line where i sprayed / didn't spray.

Also, i forgot to mention, Fusilade II SMOKED the Dallisgrass. I read a publication on dallisgrass from UT https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/SP642.pdf and it suggested a Fusilade program for dallisgrass.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

That's impressive. 
I am still thinking over my options for Bermuda control next year. 
If Plylex came in smaller bottles, I would probably go that route.

I have only a small quantity of Ornamec left. Fusillade II is sounding like a good alternative. I don't enjoy applying Ornamec. It smells like it belongs in my car...or a jet engine.


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## LawnNerd (Sep 2, 2017)

I noticed the same thing with the smell. I'm shocked the bottle doesn't have a "Warning: Flammable" label on the bottle.

I'd love to try Pylex. Maybe if we can get a few more guys (or gals) we can all split a bottle. With labeled rates of 1 - 1.33 Oz/ acre... 1 once for a person will go a LONG way.


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