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I am fighting Dallisgrass in my front yard and am ready to throw in the towel !
Here is what I tried thus far with little success:
1. Tried digging them out with a trowel & then spraying the 'hole' with RoundUp - gave up on this quickly because there are too many weeds to uproot
2. Next, I purchased one of those step-on-twist-and-pull weeders from HomeDepot so that I don't have to bend. The step-on weeder didn't work well
3. I sprayed with Weed-b-gone Crabgrass post-emergency. Zero effect on the dallisgrass
4. I sprayed a solution made with "Image powder" - 2 sprays 1 week apart. Followed all label instructions. Some of the dallisgrass weeds turned purple but they are still unharmed & growing.
5. Nothing killed the Dallisgrass. So right now I have reconciled to cutting off the "seed branches" as they pop up and throwing them in the trash bin.
Is there any weedicide that works on Dallisgrass? Please suggest brands that might be available in garden centers or box stores (I live in Dallas, TX). Thanks.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,766,834 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by caroldixit
I am fighting Dallisgrass in my front yard and am ready to throw in the towel !
Here is what I tried thus far with little success:
1. Tried digging them out with a trowel & then spraying the 'hole' with RoundUp - gave up on this quickly because there are too many weeds to uproot
2. Next, I purchased one of those step-on-twist-and-pull weeders from HomeDepot so that I don't have to bend. The step-on weeder didn't work well
3. I sprayed with Weed-b-gone Crabgrass post-emergency. Zero effect on the dallisgrass
4. I sprayed a solution made with "Image powder" - 2 sprays 1 week apart. Followed all label instructions. Some of the dallisgrass weeds turned purple but they are still unharmed & growing.
5. Nothing killed the Dallisgrass. So right now I have reconciled to cutting off the "seed branches" as they pop up and throwing them in the trash bin.
Is there any weedicide that works on Dallisgrass? Please suggest brands that might be available in garden centers or box stores (I live in Dallas, TX). Thanks.
I hate that stuff. I've been fighting an infestation for years.
The glycophosphates (Roundup) work, but they seem to work just as well on St. Augustine. Glycophosphate also binds with your soil and nothing will be able to root in that spot for years but that will not stop the dallisgrass seedlings from exploding all around it.
If you have a big patch, cut it out with a shovel or sodcutter and re-sod. Otherwise, the most effective way that I have found is to simply go around weeding twice a week during active season. You do eventually turn a corner where you're only pulling young plants and keeping the weeds down, but it takes time, work and committment.
No easy fix for dallisgrass, I'm afraid.
Pre-emergent weed-n-feed mixes for st. augustine lawns seem to do fairly well, but once you're in growing season you just have to keep pulling. The real hippies around me seem to have some success top-dressing their lawns with corn gluten, but they work at it harder than most people are willing to.
Sorry I don't have an easy answer, but at least you aren't alone in your hatred for these really tough, really tenacious weeds.
Glyphosate (Round Up) is a non selective weed killer. It will kill dallasgrass, but will also kill any other grass it comes in contact with. It has a very short residual life, so new grass can be seeded in the dead spot within days. Under normal growing conditions, Round Up will kill most grasses in 7 to 10 days. After that, remove the dead grass, do a little soil prep and reseed with your chosen lawn seed.
Roundup will not BIND with the soil. I have been utilizing it effectively for years to kill off infested lawns, remove dead lawn and reseed or sod with no negative after effects.
Roundup will not work "in the hole". It was designed for uptake through the leaf part of plants.
Selective herbicides like weed be gone are only effective if utilized correctly under the right conditions over a long period of time. Much more intensive process than non selective because of its narrow spectrum.
With infestations you will also have an embedded seed problem the requires post emergent treatments to limit and prevent continual germination of new grass.
Like most Texans, we also do annual battle with Dallisgrass here. The only sure way we have found to get rid of it is to dig it up and patch the area with new sod. It has little tubers (maybe rhizomes) at its roots and if you do not directly spray every single one of them, it will resprout.
I've had professional treatments, I've battled using Roundup and I've finally waved the white flag and grabbed my shovel.
It takes time but I do suggest digging it up. Dig at least 3 to 4 inches beyond where you see the edge of the clump and down at least a good 5 to 6 inches deep. Its the only way I've found that gets rid of it every time - for good!
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,766,834 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bulldogdad
Roundup will not BIND with the soil. I have been utilizing it effectively for years to kill off infested lawns, remove dead lawn and reseed or sod with no negative after effects.
Roundup will not work "in the hole". It was designed for uptake through the leaf part of plants.
Selective herbicides like weed be gone are only effective if utilized correctly under the right conditions over a long period of time. Much more intensive process than non selective because of its narrow spectrum.
With infestations you will also have an embedded seed problem the requires post emergent treatments to limit and prevent continual germination of new grass.
I know that the literature from the manufacturer says "neutralized" when it comes into contact with earth, but if you have a lot of clay in your soil (or, in Houston, your soil IS clay - I can literally make bricks and pots with it) even the non-groundclear can have a persistent effect. There is some academic discussion to support this, but my observations in the backyard are sufficient for practical conclusions.
If you're going to treat the dallisgrass in your yard with Roundup, taking the time to apply with a brush and avoiding overtreatment or soil soaking may pay off.
To kill dallis grass, spray the entire lawn with MSMA. Do this in hot dry weather when there is no chance of rain. MSMA selectively burns out the dallis grass turning it a light brown color as it does. The light brown color makes it much easier to see and dig up which is what you MUST do to get rid of it. Go through your entire lawn and carefully remove each piece of it. If so much as one sticker falls to the ground it can grow another plant. Dallis grass is the most hateful grass on the planet and it must be completely eliminated and made to be dead and extinct!
Please do not throw the dallis grass you pull up into the trash, it will just grow in the landfill.
You must burn it.
It is your civic duty to burn it.
Burn it in your fireplace.
Burn it on your grill.
Burn it in a steel bucket if you have to, but burn it!
You will need to repeat the spray, pull, and burn, sequence several times over the summer and perhaps
the next season but you will eventually get it all, then you must remain ever vigilant for it because if you had it, your neighbors probably have it and it will likely creep back into your yard.
Dallis grass is a most noxious and spiteful weed. It causes pain and draws blood.
It's a hateful little plant and must be aggressively gotten rid of.
Tell your neighbors about MSMA and the spray, pull and burn sequence.
Help them eliminate it from their yard if only to keep it out of your own yard.
Remember, your lawn is a reflection of you.
We have Dallisgrass in old pastures here in NC. It is a good forage plant in that it tolerates heat and drought, and older parts of the plant are less tasty to cows and horses so they leave the bottom of the plants alone and tend to eat just the young leaves. Never noticed it to be sharp or dangerous, though.
The only way I would imagine you could eliminate it would be to kill off all the grasses (good and bad) and plant something new. Round-up would be perfect. Spray the above ground grass, wait a week, then use a sod scraper to remove the dead/dying grass. For a small yard, next buy and apply sod. This is the foolproof way.
The Round-up will bind the soil and be immediately inactivated on the soil so you don't need to worry about it affecting new plantings. Where it is on the leaves it will be taken into the plant and starve out new growth. It is best not to disturb the soil, hence using the sod cutter to remove the dead grass, only because disturbing the soil will lift buried grass seed up to the surface where the light helps it to germinate. (With Dalligrass seed in the soil, it would have replenished the bad grasses you thought you were removing.) The healthy new sod will prevent those seeds from germinating and smother any new weeds.
And just for completeness, a herbicide is not ususally designed. It is 'discovered' to have certain properties then selected to be commercialized if it provides unique benefits to agriculture.
Roundup will not BIND with the soil. I have been utilizing it effectively for years to kill off infested lawns, remove dead lawn and reseed or sod with no negative after effects.
Roundup will not work "in the hole". It was designed for uptake through the leaf part of plants.
Selective herbicides like weed be gone are only effective if utilized correctly under the right conditions over a long period of time. Much more intensive process than non selective because of its narrow spectrum.
With infestations you will also have an embedded seed problem the requires post emergent treatments to limit and prevent continual germination of new grass.
^^This post is 100% correct. Round-up (glyphosate) has no residual effect in the soil and breaks down relatively quickly the hotter the weather. It's only effective on green foliage.
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