Bermuda, Nutsedge and Bamboo

What does bermuda grass, nutsedge and bamboo have in common? They all three are really difficult to get rid of! Bermuda, nutsedge and some bamboos have underground runners called rhizomes. Bermuda also has above ground runners called stolons.


Bermuda and nutsedge also go to seed. Nutsedge produces little nuts that are left in the ground when you pull up the plant, and creates another plant!




It seems like a vicious cycle when trying get rid of these weeds, but it can be done!

Cassandra Danz is known as Mrs. Greenthumbs in gardening circles, and has written a couple of books, plus many articles in various gardening magazines. Her books are hilarious and also are full of very useful information, especially with flower gardening. At one time she moved into a new (to her and her husband) home that had a large stand of bamboo, which she likened to the kudzu vine. She said, "It was a miracle ground cover; it would grow anywhere; it could totally cover a steep bank---like the Grand Canyon." The bamboo was 12' tall and "was so thick, we had no idea there was a gazebo in the middle of it until after we chopped the vegetation down." She said the next week the bamboo was 5' tall, so they started digging out the roots. "Each clump was connected to a huge pod, about four feet wide . . . we dug under the pod" where the roots ran deep. Her solution? Once they dug out the pods and as much of the roots as they could, they mowed the area and kept the leaves from emerging. "No leaves, no photosynthesis, no food---herbal death." It worked!

That gave me an idea, last year, on getting rid of some of my nutsedge---I had a section of garden that was bare, except for lots of nutsedge. I hula-hoed it every-other-day. The sprouts were fewer and fewer as the days went along! Not every area can be hula-hoed without ripping up plant roots, but it did work in this spot. So, it can be done! If you can clear up a weedy portion of your garden by pulling the weeds or cutting them off at ground level, and then check it every-other-day and remove the new shoots, it won't be long before the weeds will disappear. While maintaining this section, you can go on to the next section. It may take a while, but you will be successful!