If you’re battling a tough grass in your lawn or garden, you might be dealing with torpedo grass vs bermuda. Both are known for their invasive and resilient nature, but telling them apart is the first step to control. This guide will help you identify which one you have and give you a clear plan to manage it.
These grasses spread quickly and can take over flower beds, lawns, and even cracks in pavement. They thrive in heat and are tough to eliminate once established. Understanding their differences is key to choosing the right strategy for your yard.
Torpedo Grass vs Bermuda – Invasive and Resilient
This heading sums up the core conflict. Both torpedo grass and bermuda grass are champions of survival, but they have distinct characteristics and weaknesses. Knowing these details is your best weapon.
Identification: Telling Them Apart
Before you can fight an invader, you need to know its name. Here’s how to spot the difference.
Torpedo Grass (Panicum repens)
- Leaves: Stiff, pointed leaves with a sharp tip (like a torpedo). They are bluish-green and have a distinct white midrib.
- Growth Habit: Grows in upright clumps or patches. It spreads primarily by thick, white, sharp-pointed rhizomes (underground stems) that can grow several feet deep.
- Seed Heads: Produces an open, branching seed head, but seeds are often sterile. It relies mostly on its rhizomes to spread.
- Key Sign: Dig up a runner. Torpedo grass rhizomes are segmented, hard, and have a torpedo-shaped tip, which is its namesake.
Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon)
- Leaves: Finer, softer leaves that are typically a deeper green. They form a dense mat.
- Growth Habit: Spreads aggressively both by above-ground stolons (runners) that root at the nodes and by below-ground rhizomes. It forms a thick, carpet-like turf.
- Seed Heads: Produces usually three to seven finger-like spikes at the top of the stem.
- Key Sign: Look for the classic “runner” on the soil surface. If you pull it up, you’ll see it roots at every node that touches ground.
Why Are They So Invasive and Resilient?
Their success is no accident. Both grasses have evolved impressive survival tactics.
- Dual Spread Systems: Both use rhizomes (underground) and stolons (above-ground). This means pulling or mowing often misses parts of the plant.
- Rapid Growth: They love heat and sun, growing fastest in summer when other grasses might stress.
- Drought Tolerance: Once established, their deep root and rhizome systems help them survive dry spells better than many desirable plants.
- Regeneration: A tiny piece of rhizome or stolon left in the soil can sprout a whole new plant. This makes them very hard to erradicate completely.
Control Strategies: A Step-by-Step Battle Plan
Eradication requires persistence. You likely won’t succeed with a single treatment. Choose your method based on the grass type and the area infested.
1. For Small Infestations or Garden Beds
Manual removal is possible but must be done meticulously.
- Water the area deeply the day before to soften the soil.
- Use a garden fork or trowel to carefully dig out the entire plant. Your goal is to remove every piece of white rhizome.
- Place all plant material into a bag and dispose of it in the trash—do not compost it.
- Monitor the area weekly for new sprouts and remove them immediately. This is crucial.
2. For Larger Lawn Invasions
When one grass invades a lawn of another grass, chemical control is often the most practical option.
- Selective Herbicides: For bermuda grass invading a fescue or zoysia lawn, herbicides containing fenoxaprop can be effective. For torpedo grass in St. Augustine, sethoxydim is a common choice. Always read the label to ensure it’s safe for your desired turf.
- Non-Selective Herbicides: Glyphosate (Roundup) will kill any plant it touches. This is a option for spot-treating patches in lawns or for clearing entire areas. You will need to reseed or resod after the grass is completely dead.
3. The Smothering Method
This organic approach takes time but can be very effective in garden beds.
- Mow or cut the grass as low as possible.
- Cover the area with overlapping layers of cardboard or thick newspaper.
- Top this with 4-6 inches of mulch (wood chips, straw).
- Leave it in place for at least one full growing season. The lack of sunlight will eventually kill the grass and its rhizomes.
Prevention: The Best Medicine
Stopping these grasses from entering is easier than removing them.
- Inspect New Plants: Check the root balls of any new plants you bring home for white rhizomes.
- Clean Tools: Clean lawn mower blades and gardening tools after working in an infested area to avoid spreading rhizome fragments.
- Edge Borders: Maintain physical barriers like edging between your lawn and garden beds to slow the advance of surface runners.
- Maintain a Thick Lawn: A healthy, dense lawn of your desired grass leaves no room for invaders to take hold. Proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing are key.
Which is Worse: Torpedo Grass or Bermuda?
This is a common debate among gardeners. Most agree that torpedo grass is often the more challenging foe. Its rhizomes are thicker, sharper, and can penetrate deeper into the soil, making them harder to remove physically. Bermuda grass, while incredibly aggressive, is also a desirable turf grass for many situations, like sports fields, so control methods are more widely understood. Torpedo grass offers few redeeming qualities in a landscape setting.
FAQs on Invasive Grasses
Can I ever completely get rid of torpedo or bermuda grass?
Complete eradication is difficult but possible with extreme diligence. It often takes multiple seasons of combined methods (like smothering followed by careful herbicide use). The goal is often “management” rather than total elimination.
Will vinegar kill these grasses?
Household vinegar may burn the top growth, but it will not kill the deep rhizome systems. The grass will almost always grow back quickly, making vinegar a temporary solution at best.
Is there a natural way to kill bermuda grass?
Smothering (as described above) is the most effective natural method. Solarization—covering clear plastic over moist soil for 6-8 weeks in peak summer heat—can also kill rhizomes in the top layer of soil.
Why does my neighbor’s bermuda grass keep coming into my yard?
Bermuda spreads primarily by its runners (stolons) that grow over and above barriers. Underground rhizomes can also spread under fences or edging. A deep, physical barrier installed vertically in the soil can help.
What is the fastest way to remove torpedo grass?
For immediate results in a non-lawn area, a non-selective herbicide like glyphosate is the fastest. However, multiple applications are usually needed as new sprouts emerge from deep rhizomes that weren’t reached by the first spray.
Winning the war against torpedo grass or bermuda grass requires a clear identification and a committed, patient strategy. Remember, their resilience is matched by there ability to regrow from small pieces. Whether you choose manual removal, careful herbicide use, or smothering, consistency is your greatest ally. Start by figuring out which grass you’re facing, then pick your battle plan and stick with it. Your garden will thank you for the effort.