# How to kill stringy bermuda in Tifgrand



## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Had this posted elsewhere in this site and it was suggested to post in the warm lawn, perhaps to get more input.
3 weeks ago I had about 700sf of Tifgrand sod laid in the backyard, here in Mesa AZ. When the landscaper cleared what was left of the bermuda it was never totally eradicated and is now making its presence known again by coming up through the sod. Is there anything out there that will kill it without harming the sod? I tried Roundup for Lawns last night in some areas but it's to soon to see results.
1st 2 pix show what's happening. 
The 3rd one shows an area free of bermuda, cut with a rotary to about 1" hoc.
Open to suggestions. Don't really want to dig this up, old bones and all, but that will be the last resort.
Thanks for any input.


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## acegator (May 31, 2018)

well that doesn't look like bermuda growing through your tifgrand bermuda 

get a close up of the wider bladed grass which I believe you are referencing..


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## FranksATX (May 7, 2018)

Looks like St Augustine maybe? If it is that should be easy to take care of.

If it common bermuda, I am not sure there is any selective herbicide that will kill it. Painting on Glyphosate may be your only option.


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

I think it's torpedo grass


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

FlaDave said:


> I think it's torpedo grass


Yes, looks like torpedograss. Quinclorac with usually take care of it but may take several apps. I'm also not 100% sure it is safe on Tifgrand so check the label to be sure.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Looks like either goose grass or torpedo grass. The photos are too far away to ID. If torpedo grass, just know that most hybrids Bermuda are intermediate tolerance to quinclorac so expect the Bermuda to be unhappy.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Last pic is stuff I've pulled out, along with my hair. There's been longer runners that I pulled yesterday, some of which were replanting off the runner, like Bermuda. But if you think it's something else that can be killed I'm all for it.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Looked up pic of torpedo grass and I think you're correct. I'll try to find that quinclorac.
Thank you!


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

The white rhizomes are the dead give away. It's torpedo.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Went to a nursery and a knowledgeable attractive blond suggested...Fertilome weed-out.
Has 2.13% quinclorac, said doing it straight would burn the grass. To use half the bottle that hooks to hose in early morning, turn off sprinkler and reapply 2-3weeks. 
We attack at dawn!


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## aznick (Sep 24, 2019)

engineear said:


> Went to a nursery and a knowledgeable attractive blond suggested...Fertilome weed-out.
> Has 2.13% quinclorac, said doing it straight would burn the grass. To use half the bottle that hooks to hose in early morning, turn off sprinkler and reapply 2-3weeks.
> We attack at dawn!


I also live in Mesa and I think I might have torpedo grass in my lawn as well. Do you mind telling me what nursery you got the fertilome from? I know A&P usually carries their products. Thinking I might stop and pick some up on my way home.


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## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

I also had this happen to me but I think it was in fact common Bermuda. I'll have to dig up a rhizome.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

@engineear have you contacted the landscaper or sod farm? This likely came in, maybe they will help?


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

I've had this in my yard for years. The past 2 years I had some health issues and just let it go. About a third of the yard was this stuff. I finally said let's do sod after a landscaper friend came over to fix a sprinkler leak which turned into replacing valves, trimming trees...yada.

So she said we can clear the rest of this away for the sod. The guy just took a shovel and wicked off at the surface. I should've waited a week or two, sprayed and dug out what I could THEN lay the sod. 
So, it's coming up again.

Hopefully this stuff will work.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

aznick said:


> engineear said:
> 
> 
> > Went to a nursery and a knowledgeable attractive blond suggested...Fertilome weed-out.
> ...


A&P Nursery on Brown and Recker.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Thor865 said:


> I also had this happen to me but I think it was in fact common Bermuda. I'll have to dig up a rhizome.


That's the same stuff. Google torpedo grass and that comes up. The woman at A&P Nursery thought it was Bermuda too, guess they resemble each other.


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## Chippydips (Aug 1, 2019)

I think I was having thr same issue making the distinction. I always assumed it was coarse bermuda. I reseeded with different cultivar and left a few patches of this stuff. Maybe torpedo on the left and common on the right?


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Torpedograss has white roots when you pull it up.


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## engineear (May 13, 2020)

Sprayed about a 1/3 of the bottle on roughly half of the lawn where this is sprouting. Will watch, says to reuse 2-3 weeks.


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## FoldsPocketAces (Mar 16, 2019)

@engineear please update us, I think I'm having the same issue on my lawn. Not sure if this is common Bermuda or torpedo.


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

FoldsPocketAces said:


> @engineear please update us, I think I'm having the same issue on my lawn. Not sure if this is common Bermuda or torpedo.


I don't know what that is but it doesn't look like bermuda or torpedograss.


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## FoldsPocketAces (Mar 16, 2019)

FlaDave said:


> FoldsPocketAces said:
> 
> 
> > @engineear please update us, I think I'm having the same issue on my lawn. Not sure if this is common Bermuda or torpedo.
> ...


... well sh*t


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

@FoldsPocketAces I have no first hand experience with it but quackgrass comes to mind when I look at that. @Spammage has a great eye for grass id.


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## clutchfans110 (May 17, 2020)

I posted my torpedo grass a week ago in this thread https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18113

That day I popped it with quinclorac and these are the results 7 days later. I plan to apply again in 7 days.


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## FlaDave (Jul 10, 2018)

clutchfans110 said:


> I posted my torpedo grass a week ago in this thread https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18113
> 
> That day I popped it with quinclorac and these are the results 7 days later. I plan to apply again in 7 days.


In your case it looks like torpedo up top, very strange looking knot in the rhizome but I see it. In his case it looks like torpedo rhizome but nothing like it on top I guess.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

FlaDave said:


> In your case it looks like torpedo up top, very strange looking knot in the rhizome but I see it. In his case it looks like torpedo rhizome but nothing like it on top I guess.


That is exactly what I thought as well. The green part is a little funky and wilted but the rhizomes sure scream *TORPEDO* to me.

EDIT: I was talking about @FoldsPocketAces photos.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@FoldsPocketAces is that Kikuyu grass?


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## GARoss (May 23, 2020)

Hi. New to this forum & have issues with what looks to be the same weed / grass.

We just moved to Florida last August & replaced the lawn with Zoysia grass sod in early February. That vine/stringy stuff is growing all over the new lawn. I've attached some photos. We do have a company (Regal Pest Control - Ocala, Florida) who has been spraying the new lawn & they identified it as a weed-type of Bermuda. It is difficult to kill & their treatment results have been slow at best, maybe because they prefer to use an organic product.

I sent the same photos to PBI Gordon Company in Missouri to identify/recommend treatment. Their response was it "resembled" Bermuda (not exactly total assurance  but worth purchasing what he recommended, Ornamec 170, that's okay to use on Zoysia lawns. The product should arrive soon & I'll post results when available.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@GARoss he was right, it's bermuda.


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## GARoss (May 23, 2020)

Spammage said:


> @GARoss he was right, it's bermuda.


I received Ornamec 170 & applied some in a small just to test at about 5PM EDT yesterday. We're expecting rain off & on today & night so I hope it doesn't wash away. It should be, the guy at Gordon said 6-8 hours to dry before rain would be good. Hope to see results. :thumbup:


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## FoldsPocketAces (Mar 16, 2019)

Spammage said:


> @FoldsPocketAces is that Kikuyu grass?


@Spammage not sure what it is. So I followed this stuff back to my neighbors lawn. Here it is larger, hopefully this helps. He has (what's left of) a fescue lawn and has this all mixed into it.















If I pull back a leaf, it has small white hairs from where it comes out.

Any idea?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@FoldsPocketAces it isn't Kikuyu. I'm not sure what it is. Torpedograss is as good a guess as I've got.


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