How do i kill tall fescue

Is there any way to kill the fescue without damaging the bermuda? Will planting bermuda seed help speed up the transition from a mess to bermuda?

Sounds like a tricky situation. Unfortunately, this situation is not uncommon. Lowering your mowing height as you suggest is one of the best ways to take out the fescue and encourage the bermudagrass.

One reason you may not have had much luck yet is simply the weather. We have had a cool, relatively wet spring which the fescue loves and the bermudagrass does not. As we get into summer you will likely notice the fescue start to thin out and the bermudagrass begin to take over. You can spray clumps with glyphosate, sold as Roundup, as they first green up in spring. The bluegrass may be relatively unharmed if it has not yet started to turn green. When using any pesticide, read and follow label directions carefully.

Re-seed or re-sod after removing dead fescue clumps. You can spray fescue clumps with glyphosate anytime they are green and growing, but this also will kill the intermingling bluegrass. If you spray the chemical in a rectangular pattern, you can easily cut out the resulting dead grass, including fescue, and replace it with a new roll of sod. It can selectively kill fescue without harming the bluegrass. What helps your chances of keeping Tall Fescue away is by making sure your yard is healthy and densely planted with turf.

Store Finder. Cart 0 Item s You have no items in your shopping cart. Pest Control Pest Control. Pest Control Resources. Need Help? Lawn Care. Lawn Care Resources. Product was successfully added to your shopping cart. Print This Page. Tall Fescue Control How to Get Rid of Tall Fescue Grass This page is an expert guide on getting rid of Tall Fescue from your yard using the products and methods suggested by our experienced lawn care specialists.

Identification Make sure that before you carry out treatment applications that you first properly identify the plant and confirm that it is Tall Fescue. Tall fescue is a dark-green grassy weed with thick blades and starts growing during the cool seasons. It spreads quickly via by seeds and stems.

The stems of fescue can produce new stems, making it harder to remove from the roots. The extensive root system can range between 2 to 3 feet in depth making it a tough grass to kill where it is established. Tall fescue does not have the essential nutrients that livestock needs to survive and reproduce.

Fungus thrives on fescue; thus, the more that fungus grows, the more fescue flourishes and spreads to the rest of the garden. Fescue is toxic to plant health because fungus yields chemicals on the strands of fescue. See Table 2 for examples of herbicides and products to control broadleaf weeds, grasses and sedges. When choosing an herbicide, make sure that it will control the weed and that it is recommended for your turf.

Before using, read the entire label and follow it precisely for rate and timing. The following tips will help you achieve optimum control.

It should also be noted that there are precautions for new lawns with regard to preemergence use. A new lawn must have time to become well-established, as preemergence herbicides can inhibit lawn grass root growth.

Always read the label thoroughly for specifics regarding seeding. On fescue lawns, preemergence herbicides should not be applied in the fall if the lawn is to be over-seeded.

If over-seeded by October, any preemergence herbicide application would have to be delayed until spring. March for summer weed control. To keep a tall fescue lawn thick and more weed-free, consider over-seeding one fall, and alternating that with a preemergence herbicide application the next fall. In sodded areas, preemergence herbicides should be used only on well-established turfgrass tall fescue. For bermudagrass lawns to be over-seeded with annual ryegrass, delay seeding until 6 to 16 weeks after the preemergence herbicide application depending upon rate of application and the herbicide used.

If overseeding after a postemergence herbicide treatment, you must wait three to four weeks, depending on the product used. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named. All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas.

Use pesticides only according to the directions on the label. All recommendations for pesticide use are for South Carolina only and were legal at the time of publication, but the status of registration and use patterns are subject to change by action of state and federal regulatory agencies. Follow all directions, precautions and restrictions that are listed. Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from HGIC. More Information » Close message window.

Disadvantages of Weeds The main reason homeowners want to rid their lawn of weeds is that they are aesthetically disruptive. Was this helpful? Yes No. What can we improve? Close comments window.