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how to keep st augustine from going into neighbors bermuda

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cpt87gn

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
im thinking about installing st augustine sod on my house which iv never done before but i live in a new subdivision and everybody has bermuda how do i keep it from going into the 2 neighbors lawn the back yard is no problem because of the wood fence

and what should i do should i rent a sod cutter should i put down somekind of soil down before the sod and some starter fertilizer thank you for the help
 
#2 ·
The problem is how to keep the bermuda out of the aug. There is no chemical to kill burmuda that you can get but roundup and that kills every thing. Your only chance is to run sometype of boarder along the whole property line. Even then you'll probly have issues. Bermuda seeds real bad and the wind, rain, and mower will spread that crap like crazy
 
#4 ·
CkLandscapingOrlando said:
The problem is how to keep the bermuda out of the aug. There is no chemical to kill burmuda that you can get but roundup and that kills every thing. Your only chance is to run sometype of boarder along the whole property line. Even then you'll probly have issues. Bermuda seeds real bad and the wind, rain, and mower will spread that crap like crazy
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I disagree. Do some more research and you'll find your incorrect.
 
#6 ·
i was told that tenacity has been shown to knock back bermuda in st. augustine. but i believe it can only be used on sod farms, not sure about this. Might want to check into it. But my advice, if u live around bermuda your going to have a heck of a time keeping it out of your yard as aggressive as it is (some studies say it can spread over 6 feet a year). So i would plant it. Zoysia might be a possible if your totally against bermuda because of how thick the grass grows.
 
#7 ·
Yea I'm sure the sod farms have access to something. But so far as IFAS and every spray tech I've talked to theres nothing they can spray that they know of. I've hit yards 3 times with gly on a 2 week cycle before a re-sod and still had it coming up in spots. Mixed at 8oz per 3 gal
 
#8 ·
Can't image why you would want to go against the bermuda.......can't keep them out of each other I have tried to do it for one customer. You can spray the St. Augustine with msma every time it gets into the bermuda but.......you will have to do it over and over. Don'e try to put a border in, that looks ugly and it will go under the cedar fences.
 
#9 ·
fencing won't do anything but waste your money - use a sod cutter or shovel to make a border between the properties and keep it edged, plant that area so it doesn't look bad. I believe that the st. augustine grows thicker than bermuda, which would mean that you shouldn't have too much trouble with bermuda seed germinating in it, that is unless your st. augustine gets a bare area or starts to struggle with fungus you will most likely have either weeds or bermuda (considered a weed too in They are both aggressive grasses and will probably run together with out a defined grass-less border between houses.

As far as the install, I would kill your current grass and wait as long as possible (1-2 weeks is good) for the chemical to leech out of the soil. You can hire someone to scrape the yard for you with a Harley rake or whatever they use for site prep, or rent your own machine to do it. Sod cutter will take a long time & lots of labor. I wouldn't suggest amending the soil unless you are planning on tilling in the amendment, in which case you will need to add 4 inches and till to a depth 12'' (12'' because that is going to be about your max root depth of the grass). If you simply amend the top of the current soil without tilling, your roots will most likely grow shallow and will struggle during dry & hot weather. Most of the time we lay sod, we lay on native soil. Use a starter fertilizer at no more than the rate shown on the bag.
 
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#11 ·
I will not speak for other areas of the country [although I figure them to be the same] but hear if you water then the St Augustine is the dominant grass. Yes it will slowly start to take over the Bermuda in your neighbors lawn. Like Hess lawns stated, you can use msma to kill back the St Augustine but it will be a constant battle and will not look all that great in those areas.

I know this is a personal preference type of a question, but why do you want to change to St Augustine grass for? I personally try to talk people out of St Augustine grass unless it will be used in a shady area. Out of our main turf grasses it is the most likely to get disease/fungus, does not handle foot traffic well and chinch bugs love it. You also do not have as many herbicides for troublesome weeds labeled for it.

I really do like some of the Zoysia grass especially the Jamur and Pallisades. These are very thick to really choke out the weeds, really handle foot traffic well, handle shade better than Bermuda, spreads slower than Bermuda and St Augustine and does not seem to be bothered by fungus. The customers I have talked into the Jamur [my personal favorite grass right now] have been very pleased with this grass. I am going to do my brother in laws lawn in the near future with Jamur.

Bottom line is that it is your lawn so you can have what ever you want to, but you will have a battle on your hands keeping it out of your neighbors. Or just let it go like most around here do.
 
#12 ·
My thoughts exactly. Stupidity exemplified is putting down st augustine in a lawn that does not get enough water and is in full sun all day long. Gentlemen place your bets on when it will be taken over by bermuda. I never recommend st augustine unless the area is wet and shady here. For reasons of chinch bug, inability to control grassy weeds and intolerance of foot traffic.
 
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#13 ·
Down here your hard pressed to find people that want anything but aug. Many like zoysia because of all the claims. Then they find out that drought tolerant just means it turns brown, well they dont like it so much. I personaly think Aug looks better than any of them but it's alot of work for most clients. Just a little stress and Aug can go bad real fast. And theres no shortage of bugs and fungus waiting to eat it up. Now this msma, does it kill the bermuda or the aug? Can a home owner buy it or is it restricted use? The down side to using bermuda or at least the wild bermuda around here, it takes over every thing. Or will try any ways. How do you guy's keep it out of beds? Roundup works for me but I dont have anny intentional bermuda lawns.
 
#14 ·
CkLandscapingOrlando said:
Down here your hard pressed to find people that want anything but aug. Many like zoysia because of all the claims. Then they find out that drought tolerant just means it turns brown, well they dont like it so much. I personaly think Aug looks better than any of them but it's alot of work for most clients. Just a little stress and Aug can go bad real fast. And theres no shortage of bugs and fungus waiting to eat it up. Now this msma, does it kill the bermuda or the aug? Can a home owner buy it or is it restricted use? The down side to using bermuda or at least the wild bermuda around here, it takes over every thing. Or will try any ways. How do you guy's keep it out of beds? Roundup works for me but I dont have anny intentional bermuda lawns.
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The type of Zoysia [Jamur] that I am talking about will hold color as good or better than our [mainly Raleigh] St Augustine with the same amount of water. Now this is in clay soils so ya'lls sand maybe different.

The MSMA will kill the St Augustine as fast or faster than Gly will. It is a product that is going away :cry::cry::cry: and I really hate this because it is the only product that will get Dallis grass and the Bluestem in our Bermuda lawns. It also is great on crabgrass, goosegrass, ect......... in Bermuda and is labeled for Zoysia.

The common Bermuda is also one of our most troublesome weeds, yes even in hybrid Bermuda lawns, it can get everywhere and also spreads by seed. Most of the lawns that have been put in on homes and commercial sites in my area over the last 10/15 years is the Tif 419 because most of the sod farms has it and it can be had cheap. I am not a big fan of the 419 because of the maintenance, but that is another story, but it is one of the many types of Bermuda that are for the most part sterile [does not grow from seed] and looks different from the common.
 
#15 ·
Turf Dawg said:
The type of Zoysia [Jamur] that I am talking about will hold color as good or better than our [mainly Raleigh] St Augustine with the same amount of water. Now this is in clay soils so ya'lls sand maybe different.

The MSMA will kill the St Augustine as fast or faster than Gly will. It is a product that is going away :cry::cry::cry: and I really hate this because it is the only product that will get Dallis grass and the Bluestem in our Bermuda lawns. It also is great on crabgrass, goosegrass, ect......... in Bermuda and is labeled for Zoysia.

The common Bermuda is also one of our most troublesome weeds, yes even in hybrid Bermuda lawns, it can get everywhere and also spreads by seed. Most of the lawns that have been put in on homes and commercial sites in my area over the last 10/15 years is the Tif 419 because most of the sod farms has it and it can be had cheap. I am not a big fan of the 419 because of the maintenance, but that is another story, but it is one of the many types of Bermuda that are for the most part sterile [does not grow from seed] and looks different from the common.
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Zoysia here is crap. All the LCO here don't know what to do with it. They try to cut it at 3 inches with their rotary's and take 2 inches off. Ground is sandy and Zoysia hates it because it drains to fast.
 
#17 ·
All you need to do is bury some aluminum edging around your perimeter and leave it sticking up a bit. The amount it sticks up should just barely be below the blades on your mower. Then just hold the trimmer up on a 90 degree angle and edge along the aluminum edging every time you cut your grass. It's extra work but if you wanna have different grass from everybody else it's what you'll have to do.

The wooden fence will do nothing to stop the two grasses from invading one another.
 
#18 · (Edited)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIQUtranqV4
unkownfl said:
Zoysia here is crap. All the LCO here don't know what to do with it. They try to cut it at 3 inches with their rotary's and take 2 inches off. Ground is sandy and Zoysia hates it because it drains to fast.
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Just wondering what type/variety Zoysia you are talking about? Just saying Zoysia is just like saying Bermuda. Some of the varieties are as different as night and day. There are many/most varieties that I would not consider putting in a home lawn/landscape of Zoysia and Bermuda. I put a link in about Jamur that I thought was neat but it is showing it at the top instead of down here.
 
#19 ·
I'll find the name of zoysia they use around here. See we dont get very many lawns that people wanted bermuda. It's just wild. So thats what I'm talking about. I was also talking about him spraying his Aug to kill the bermuda. We never do it the other way around here. Every one want St Aug. The only folks that want anything else want it so they dont have to water. So most people either want aug and have water or want bahia or zoysia who dont. Cause they think drought tolerant means it's green without water.
 
#20 ·
My, how the region changes preferences. I normally have to talk people into putting st augustine in because it is too shady for their preferred zoysia or bermuda to be used. Fine turf in a residential lawn is mowed with a reel mower at less than 1". It is quite the adjustment when I tell someone they cannot cut their lawn that short because it is st augustine. But, in the end they are happy because their last lawn guy was not truthful about what zoysia or bermuda would look like in the shade. At least st augustine will grow in partial shade.
 
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