whats the best method to killing off grass permanently? there is this grass in the backyard that spreads like wildfire through the root system. i don’t like using herbicides. digging doesn’t seem to help remove it. someone told me to just pull it out manually.
i planted a nectarine tree few years ago and the grass literally surrounded the rootball and didn’t allow the tree roots to grow. i had the tree for several years and no growth at all. when i finally decided to dig it out… the grass roots covered the soil. twas was a sad fate for the tree…
could try removing the topsoil and bringing in some new stuff but that seems crazy considering it only needs a small piece of root to spring back up
Hope others have the answer. I don’t know any permanent method of elimination with a grass that spreads underground as you describe short of using something like round-up. Even round-up is not permanent if it can also spread by seeds. Good luck, Bill
Absent a herbicide I think your only option is complete shade. Like covering the entire area with two layers of high quality weed barrier. Even that can be ineffective on Bermuda grass since it can grow thru most weed barrier materials. More effective would be some solid material like two layers of old metal roofing. Bermuda can be killed roots and all by 2-3 yrs of 100% shade. Anything growing thru cracks needs immediate removal.
Nothing is permanent as there will be a seed bank in the soil and fresh seed coming in by air, water, and critters. The best way to prevent weeds or any sort after initial clearing (herbicide, smothering with cardboard, manual removal etc) is to deny the seeds what they need to germinate, which is moisture, air, temperature, and often light. The easiest is light, so mulching or weed fabrics will keep to soil dark and reduce weed germination.
The biggest problem I have is weeds growing in from the sides, especially creeping charlie!
Bermuda grass actually comes back thicker if messed with, it’s very difficult to dig out. I know you don’t want to spray but I use Poast or Select from our farm. It only kills grasses and won’t hurt any of your broadleaf plants. Our Ace Hardware carries Vantage which is the same thing but already has the oil premixed, works very well.
When I want a part of my lawn to be my garden next year, I just put a piece of area rug, 8X10 on the lawn. Soon, no grass is growing underneath. Nice and easy. You can get free area rug from craigslist.
I have mostly fescue grass in my yard and just a light mulch will kill it out. I also have some wild Bermuda grass and no amount of mulch seems to kill it. Digging it up slows it down but doesn’t stop it. I hate the darn stuff.
If its bermuda, and from your description it sure sounds like it. Ill echo Fruitnut and c5tiger…its as nasty as can be. Near impossible to eliminate. Here in Phoenix its really all we have. Most other turfs wont deal with the heat, but bermuda loves it. Trying to non chemically control it is a exercise in chasing your own tail. The stuff is too hardy, too persistent. Mulches less than solid plywood or metal sheeting wont work. And as soon as its removed its going to come back.
Our method is a combination of roundup and poast/vantage until the tree gets large enough to shade the ground. Only then is real control possible. Note I said control, not permanent kill. Im all for organic methods but in the case of bermuda, its a foolish waste of time.