I thought I should update this as people occasionally still stop by. I guess that means not everyone has given up the fight to control their torpedo grass. Most people in my area have simply surrendered.
To sum up the current situation, I have the torpedo grass on the run. I certainly haven't eradicated it, but with frequent spraying using any product containing the active ingredient "sethoxydim", I can keep it from growing. It takes about 2 weeks to see the initial results, but with regular spraying I actually feel I am winning the war. It is a war of attrition I'll admit, but I am winning. Now, if I just live long enough I can claim victory.
Just to reinforce... sethoxydim only works on centipede lawns. It kills St Augustine, or so I've been warned. Of course I haven't tried it, but if the instructions say don't do it, it's probably a good idea not to test it out. An upside for me, it also kills Bermuda Grass... another bane of the south. I hate Bermuda too, although not as much as torpedo grass. Anyway, I also control infestations of Bermuda when spraying for the torpedo grass.
The downside... it is expensive. I pay around $50 for a pint bottle of the grass killer I use (see earlier updates) and it takes 4 gallons of mix, or 4 ounces of grass killer, to cover my infected area. With only 16 ounces in a pint, I can get 4 sprays out of a pint. I'm spraying every 1 1/2-2 weeks so I go through 3-4 bottles each summer. Not everyone is willing to pay $200/year to fight what seems to be a never-ending battle.
I'll try to remember to publish some updated photos later. Good luck if you're fighting the same battle.
To sum up the current situation, I have the torpedo grass on the run. I certainly haven't eradicated it, but with frequent spraying using any product containing the active ingredient "sethoxydim", I can keep it from growing. It takes about 2 weeks to see the initial results, but with regular spraying I actually feel I am winning the war. It is a war of attrition I'll admit, but I am winning. Now, if I just live long enough I can claim victory.
Just to reinforce... sethoxydim only works on centipede lawns. It kills St Augustine, or so I've been warned. Of course I haven't tried it, but if the instructions say don't do it, it's probably a good idea not to test it out. An upside for me, it also kills Bermuda Grass... another bane of the south. I hate Bermuda too, although not as much as torpedo grass. Anyway, I also control infestations of Bermuda when spraying for the torpedo grass.
The downside... it is expensive. I pay around $50 for a pint bottle of the grass killer I use (see earlier updates) and it takes 4 gallons of mix, or 4 ounces of grass killer, to cover my infected area. With only 16 ounces in a pint, I can get 4 sprays out of a pint. I'm spraying every 1 1/2-2 weeks so I go through 3-4 bottles each summer. Not everyone is willing to pay $200/year to fight what seems to be a never-ending battle.
I'll try to remember to publish some updated photos later. Good luck if you're fighting the same battle.
I'm not promoting this product. This is the only product I can find with the active ingredient "sethoxydim". It works on torpedo grass in centipede, to some extent.
7-10 days after spraying with sethoxydim you will see the last growing tip of the torpedo grass turn yellow. Gradually the growing tip will die back.
This was an area I accidently spilled "weed and feed" in early spring. It killed my centipede, but the torpedo grass was elated to have food and space. It flourished briefly until I began my Spring spraying campaign. That dead grass in the middle is torpedo grass after several treatments over 2-3 months. The Centipede is beginning to retake the vacant area.
