Bermuda grass is one of the most robust grass species you can bet your money on. The plant is not only adorable to look at but also resilient to the weather. It thrives under the intense solar glare and insane saline soil conditions.
In brief, it is a warm-season grass you can depend on regardless of the location. But the plant has a downside. It cannot survive the winter cold. Also, the plant requires a lot of maintenance. It knows no boundaries and can head straight into your flower bed when left unchecked.
But What Makes Couch Grass Troublesome?
The plant’s growth patterns are to blame for your woes. Remember, wiregrass reproduces through.
- Seeding
- Rhizome spread
- Stolon spread
The reproduction process becomes more accelerated when all the above aspects get integrated. And as scientists reveal, Bermuda grass seeds can remain viable for a couple of years when hidden in the ground.
Therefore, there is no way for you to eliminate couch grass from your turf without thinking outside the box. After all, the plant is hard to destroy even with the most potent herbicides on the market.
The Elimination Process
Destroying the couch grass on your flower bed is hard but not impossible. All you must do is introduce biological solutions to avoid killing other useful vegetation. But what techniques should you use? Below is a guide developed to show you how to get rid of Bermuda grass in flower beds.
1. The Use of Solar Power
Bermuda grass thrives in areas with plenty of sunlight. Blocking the sun’s rays, therefore, kills the plant without affecting the other vegetation. But you must wait for a month or two for you to complete the cycle.
2. Introduce the Hand Control Method
Couch grass is so wiry. The plant is, however, removable by hand. But you need to wear your brave face on because the grass does not die without a fight.
Besides, you must direct all your strength towards uprooting the Rhizome-Stolon networks. Last, you must cut the stolons at the edge to prevent future propagation. A pair of gloves and a sharp pruning tool come in handy every step of the way.
3. Barricade the Bed
Eliminating Bermuda grass from the flower garden is hard. You must, therefore, introduce out of the box solutions for you to succeed. Barricading the flower bed with ornamental stones and concrete walls, however, helps. Buy you should consult the landscaping architect before you build the wall to avoid damaging the aesthetics.
4. Mulch Your Way Through the Garden
Mulching can work wonders for you. All you must do is apply a two to three-inch layer of wood mulch on the grass. You must, however, use a variety of shades to prevent the vegetation from spreading by rhizomes. Darker tones work better because they shield the weed from the sun.
5. Till the Flower Bed Regularly
Never allow the Bermuda grass to colonize your flower bed. Recall, uncontrolled couch grass growth leads to a lot of hurts. Tilling, however, destroys the plant, and here is how.
Digging the yard during the summer exposes the rhizomes to the sun. The grass then gets forced to use its energy reserves for growth or risk dying. The process, if continued, renders the entire network of rhizomes and stolons inactive. But tilling is only useful when done every month.
6. Use Herbicides
Herbicides are harmful to the environment. In the real sense, you should not use these products in your garden because they contaminate the groundwater. But herbicide use is, at times, unavoidable.
The chemicals come in handy when you plan on eliminating Bermuda grass. You must, however, use the products sparingly to avoid destroying other plants on the flower bed. You can even introduce the spot-treat technique to ensure you only poison the stubborn grass and nothing else.
Conclusion
Bermuda grass is incredibly resistant to the weather. It thrives in well-drained soils and areas with sufficient sunlight. Heck, it can even survive winter! But the plant can become a pain in the neck if its growth does not get regulated.
A flower bed invasion turns into a catastrophe, and here is why. One, the grass degrades the quality of the flowers in the garden. Recall, couch grass competes with other plants for water and nutrients.
The chances of flowers surviving under these conditions are, therefore, slim. Second, the grass makes the yard unsightly. In brief, you must deal with the grass soon or suffer the consequences.
But how do you eliminate such a resilient plant? Using the techniques mentioned above can help advance your cause. Above all, you can turn to unconventional means like the burning of vegetation if everything else fails. You must, however, exercise a lot of caution to avoid destroying other useful plants.