Wire Grass

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Oh man, the conservancy has "parties" to gather wiregrass seed and your looking to kill it


I am unaware of the product your looking for
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It is similar .....but far from the same thing.... My yard would look like a golf course if it were the same!!
 

para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
Thus my question to clarify exactly what the OP is talking about. Common names are just that, common and used for several different species. No doubt another grass could easily be called wire grass.
 

Winnie 70

Ten Pointer
Berumda common name is wire grass....been that long as can remember, grew up on farm and if it got in fields would spread when cultivating the crops...hard to get under control. Can call it bermuda if you want, but ask an old farmer what he called it.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
it's got lots of common names,,,,,,some that can't get posted,,,,,,we called it devil grass,,,,,,,

I spend a lot of time in longleaf pine areas,,,,,wire grass to me is native wire grass,,,,,,,,,

back to OP,,,,,,from what little I mess with weed control it's tough to selectively control Bermuda,,,,,nuke the area and start over,,,,,,or starve it of water this summer,,,,,,
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Wiregrass is a slang term often used for Bermuda grass. However, there is an completely different plant, commonly found in long leaf pine savannahs that has the common name of "wiregrass". Being that the OP has referenced it in association with fescue, I think we can safely assume he actually means Bermuda grass.

Unless something has come out in recent years that I am not aware of, there is no herbicide that will kill Bermuda, and not fescue. In my experience, here is what you will need to do. Wait until about October, and spray the area of concern with Roundup. Wait 2 weeks, and spray it again. Give it 2 more weeks. By that time, the Bermuda should be dead. Till up the area, remove the old dead turf, and reseed with fescue, or turf grass of choosing. This is what I did to remove the Bermuda from my mom's yard some years ago. You have to make sure you, kill ALL of the Bermuda or it will be back. If it is running in your neighbors yard, you will need to trench in and install 4-6 inch deep plastic guard between the properties, or be VERY diligent in continued spraying of roundup between the properties...which usually isn't desirable or feasible.

The reason I suggest waiting until October is, fescue is a cool season grass, and has a decent chance of taking hold and growing if planted in the fall. Planting it in the spring, well, you may as well flush the money down the toilet. It seldom is able to survive the summer heat at such a young stage.

The other option is, to encourage the Bermuda and let it take over. If you gotta have green during the winter, over seed with perennial ryegrass. It will die out during the summer.
 
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Winnie 70

Ten Pointer
My son owns spraying business...will ask him if product to use to control it without harming fescue. To my knowledge, Woodmoose probably correct...roundup will kill it but also fescue and other grasses as well.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Never knew wiregrass was anything but a pest that got in the garden and mama's flower beds. I have to spray around the garden a couple of times a year to keep it out. Is that the same thing you are talking about as Bermuda?
 
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