My beds are full of invasive bermuda/wire grass. I have used Finale, but this doesn't seem to control effectively. I would greatly appreciate any help in this area. In some beds, I have dug each spring, re-tilled and replanted. This gets old very fast. With Finale, I can spray even when the plants remain in bed, but the bermuda grass is very stubborn.

Patty In NC

-- Patty Forster (patty.forster@att.net), March 19, 2002

Answers

Hello Patty,

You have a common garden problem. Any grass will grow into, and at its best, in your garden beds. My native grass does the same thing. The chickens love it especially when it has started to go to seed. I read recently where a lady had crabgrass and harvested it regularly for her hens. She maintained the patch with scissors. I use big pieces of our grass to place in bare spots where any grass is good.

When I prepare the bed each spring, I take out all weeds, digging down to at least a foot to get all the roots. I use soaker hoses everywhere so I re-do beds each spring. But I only weed once a week. Zinnias are my thing and I try to make a habit of weeding as I cut blooms in the late spring through late summer. I know many people use a border planted into the ground but they will find a way (under) around it. Good luck to you and enjoy your gardening. Nita

-- Nita Holstine (nita@phancypages.com), March 19, 2002.

Try Round-Up Pro next time. Be careful not to get any of the herbicide on desireable plantings. If appropriate, you can "paint" it on the weeds with a brush.

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahyoo.com), March 19, 2002.

Clean out your beds again (dig and sift), then next time plant some sort of early, fast-growing cover crop like wheatgrass or buckwheat. They will 'take over' your beds and prevent the undesirable grasses from getting a foothold. The cover crops can be kept in check more easily and left in place as a green mulch. Just clear rows to plant your crops (or for even better coverage, plant your seeds inside and transplant the small plants outside without any clearing when they're big enough to compete with the grass - or plant with one of those rolling planters that actually spike the seed into the ground a little. Mow first to give the transplants or seeds plenty of sun and rain to get a good start. With the seeds, you could keep mowing until the babies were too tall).

I also find that mint is highly "invasive" but other plants such as my bulbs and my perrineals don't seem to have any problem growing up through it. Not sure how it would work for annual food plants, but if you cleared a row or hole to transplant them into, they would probably do just fine. Plus the mint would help divert pests that locate crops by smell and smells really good when you walk on it.

My perfect "lawn and garden" plan would have no grass in it to begin with - just groundcovers broken up by brick and rock patios and such. I don't golf - no need for vast patches of grass ;)

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.

Patty, I have bermuda grass also and IT IS a pain. I read awhile back that the best way to keep it from invading your flower beds was to dig a narrow trench around the bed of at least three inches deep and put a barrier in the trench. I did that and it kept it from coming up from the bottom but sometimes when my husband mows, he doesn't cut close enough to the border and a piece will lean over and take root. Put in a barrier and use the weed-eater. SONI, I thought you'd be on the road by now!!!

-- Sheila in NC (nannie@intrstar.net), March 19, 2002.

Any minute now.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 19, 2002.