I need to remove grass from around fruit trees

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to this forum and it looks like this is a great community for gardening resources.

I have a planter in the rear of my backyard that has 3 young fruit trees (lemon, plum, and orange) that has filled up with what I can only describe as "devil grass". The area was treated with an herbicide and was just dirt but once I dug the holes for the fruit trees the dirt I turned up spread this grass throughout the entire planter (this is my best explanation for where the grass came from).

How I can get rid of the grass without harming the fruit trees? Can I just spray the grass with weed killer or is it more compicated than that?

Thanks,

Brian

Cover the grass with 2-3 inches of wet newspaper then add a layer of compost and top soil - You can actually plant in it right away if you want but in a few months the grass and the newspaper will disappear and you will have a brand new bed ready for planting.

WOW thats an interesting idea. I really like the sound of it, but that is a lot of newspaper to cover that entire area 2 inches thick. Its about 150 square feet. I wonder how many Los Angeles Times' that is. Just kidding! Even if its buying 100 newspapers at 50 cents a pop thats still only $50.

Here's a question. Would cardboard work just as well. I have loads of it and would love to find a creative way to get it away from the side of my garage. If cardboard would work, that would be beautiful.

Thanks,

Brian

Brian google Lasgna Gardening and see what you find. Im not sure about the cardboard - it would take longer to disintegrate I guess. Matbe start asking all our neighbors to save their newspapers for you instead of putting them in the garbage!

Brian,

If you just use several sheets of newspaper it will work as well. I'm a professional landscaper and I do this a lot in beds. I don't like to spray. Just lay down a layer 3 or 4 sheets thick. Wet it down to hold it in place and then cover it with mulch. The sun heats up the mulch and kills the grass. The only time this didn't work for me was in a bed that was full of Bermuda grass. I don't know if they have that in your area or not.

Good luck,
Juanita

There are lots of people here who have bermuda grass, wouldn't surprise me at all if that's what the "devil grass" is. I've heard of people using cardboard instead of newspaper but if you want to plant other things there it'll be a little harder to dig a hole through it than newspaper. Although if newspaper doesn't work on bermuda grass maybe cardboard doesn't either. There's also a product I use to get rid of bermuda grass--it's called Green Light grass killer (I'm assuming it should work on most types of grass, not just bermuda). On the bermuda at least it does work pretty slowly--I apply it and then it seems like a week or so goes by with no real change, then eventually you'll see the grass start to turn brown and die. So it does work, just give it some time. I think there's an Ortho product called Grass B Gone that has the same active ingredient if you can't find the Green Light.

Brian,

It looks to me from your photo as if you do have good, old-fashioned, narrow-bladed, Southern California Devil grass. You cannot smother it with newspapers and soil, cardboard and soil, or landscaping fabric. It will regrow -- up, around, and through all of that. Pulling it is impossible as any little bit you leave behind will start up again. Very different from what is called Bermuda grass in So. CA and far harder to get rid of. Roundup won't even touch it. I have the same grass here, and I've tried all of that. If I knew what would kill it, I would be shouting for joy.

The only thing I know that might work is to take ecrane3's suggestion and start trying out grass killers until you find one that works.

Karen

I'm not sure what kind of grass it is (bermuda or devil). Here is another picture of the grass closer up.

Looks like what I know as Bermuda grass. If you look in Plant Files, bermuda grass and devil's grass are both listed as common names for the same plant (Latin name Cynodon dactylon) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/32203/

Thanks for all the great information!

Will using the Green Light grass killer or the Grass B Gone be harmful to the fruit trees?

Thanks,

Brian

What you have is definitely Bermuda Grass...Cynodon dactylon
The photo of the seed heads verifies that. It is rampant here in So. Cal.

You CAN erradicate it but it does take time and effort as it is extremely deep rooted and will regenerate from miniscule pieces.

How long have your fruit trees been in the ground?

I don't want to advise the wrong treatment approach, so knowing how long they've been in the ground is extremely impt. to know before you attempt any radical chemical spraying as it MAY harm the roots of the trees and possibly kill them.

That said, I can tell you that I have mixed RoundUp with other weed killers and applied it LIBERALLY and it has worked very well...but this has always been in areas where NOTHING ELSE is growing. Repeat applications, when any new growth appeared was successful, followed by NO WATERING in-between applications and manually removing the roots when it turns brown.

IF ...(emphasis on IF) ...you are able to remove the trees and temporarily repot them into suitable size containers...providing they haven't been in the ground for too long...you could try this method. Then wait a few months before replanting the trees, to give the soil time to recover.

In the interim, be diligent about removing any regrowth you see, and don't water the area.

Eventually it will give up, but it takes time. Allowing the seed heads to form is compounding the problem as well, as those seeds will sprout and cause more of it to grow.

If you don't want to go that route, you could also try "scalping" the bermuda on a regular basis, by setting your lawn mower on the absolute lowest setting, WITH a grass catcher bag attached. Keep scalping it and don't allow it to turn green. Take it down to the bare soil. Remove all the debris from the scalping as thoroughly as possible.

Your trees will need to be watered though throughout all of this, though...so try to do deep infrequent watering at the base of the trunks.
This becomes a catch-22 situation, but persistent removal of the stolons will work, eventually.

JasperDale, thanks for the reply.

The trees have been in the ground about 3 months.

Thanks,

Brian

All my plants are more established, but the Green Light hasn't had any effect on them (and a couple of times, the Green Light actually got sprayed onto the other plants because the bermuda was growing right up through the middle of them). Be careful not to get it on any desirable ornamental or lawn grasses though since it would kill any grass not just bermuda.

Ah, ecrane3, this is one of those "common name" problems.

There are several types of Bermuda grass, and this is one of them. When I was growing up in So. CA, it was always called Devil grass and what was called Bermuda grass is a broader-leaved grass that is actually far easier to remove and keep controlled than this stuff. I read recently on the Internet that in NC and other places, this particular type of Bermuda grass is called wire grass. Alas, I didn't find much help for getting rid of it either.

Planting St. Augustine will actually choke out both types of Bermuda grass, which in turn is easier to remove than these culprits. However, since you don't want any grass there, this is not a solution for you.

I can only suggest that you follow the grass killer suggestions until you find one that works. If you do, let me know, please.

Karen

Well I picked up a product called "Grass Getter" made by Monterey Lawn and Garden from a local nursery. It is designed to kill bermuda grass and is listed as safe to use around fruit trees. I will update you all on its effectiveness as I attempt to eradicate this stuff from my yard.

Thanks

Brian

I suspect the active in that is the same as what's in Green Light and Grass B Gone so it should work fine, but as I mentioned above don't be surprised if it takes a while to work.