Killing kikuyu grass - fruit tree ok.

 Hi,

Just wanted to let the group know about my attempt to kill kikuyu grass in
my backyard.

I used roundup and zero concentrate - mixed with water of course with the
proper ratio (I forget what it is now... something like 15ml for 5 litres of
water.

I think I gave it a good spray twice about 2 -3 months back followed by
another repeat spray shortly after. It was Summer and it was pretty hot. I
think the Kikuyu drank it up like a glutton.

Well - I've been away since Feb - just got back. And virtually all the
kikuyu are dead - except for a few loose ends on the perimeter of the lawn
near the flower beds. The two small young fruit trees that are in the middle
of the lawn are fine.

I'll see whether some of them resurect next Summer. But I doubt it.

 YMC wrote:

Thanks for letting us know the good news

May I suggest hit the loose ends if not many again with the round up or
just boiling water .

 

Frankly I was amazed with the results myself.

The extremely hot weather - 47C - was also probably a contributing factor -
that kikuyu grass had been in that lawn for over 10 years now and had grown
very deep into the ground. Maybe over a metre deep.

Now all dead :) Thank God.

 YMC wrote:

You mean thank "roundup"
BTW Kikuyu, its very sneaky and will play dead at times.
Then return like McArthur...
Being seasonal it "could" recover.
  I found this. I find it hard to believe in "spores" but its open to
comment... Best of luck Let us know in a few months time. I hope its
dead, and not playing dead..

"There is a problem with kikuyu
re-germinating. You cannot see the seeds. They are actually in the form of a
spore. A bit like the spore of fungi. Maybe one morning you went outside and
thought you had a heavy dew on the lawn. That's what the spores looks like.
The only way to get rid of Kikuyu is by pulling the roots out by hand. Then
repeatedly hitting it with Roundup or a similar time of herbicide. Roundup
breaks down fairly rapidly and looses its potence with six weeks. It may
take up to 12 month to fully get rid of your kikuyu. The easy way to control
kikuyu is not to water it. Bit of a problem if you want to have a lawn"

 

Yes, perhaps. But unfortunately I do not have the time or strength to weed
out a 6m x 4m patch.

I'll let the group know the results of it next Summer.

I'm currently getting good sun and rain in Melbourne now. The wild tomato
plant thats been growing next to the patch is doing well. But no sign of
mass kikuyu regrowth.

I weed out the few kikuyu grass I see - usually on the fringes. But by and
large they are all dead.

If they come back like zombies in Summer I'll let the group know. That
reminds me I better take a photo of the patch.

(iirc I use a double dose of concentrate roundup and zero - about 25ml to 5
litres of water.