How to Use Sethoxydim to Control Bermuda Grass

Sethoxydim is a post-emergence chemical herbicide that uses cyclohexanone as its key active ingredient. It is used to manage annual and perennial grass weeds that appear in fruit and vegetable crop fields and in ornamental growing fields. It is effective in killing Bermuda grass when applied directly to the crowns of healthy Bermuda plants. A yellow-brown and oily liquid, it is emulsified with water or other solvents before use. It is an active ingredient in a range of commercial herbicide spray bottle products.

Things You'll Need

• Herbicide spray product containing sethoxydim
• Respirator mask
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Don a ventilator mask and gloves when working with any sethoxydim-laden herbicide product. Refrain from getting the substance on your skin as it can cause irritation.

2. Apply sethoxydim herbicides to Bermuda grass. Do so when the grass is at its peak vigor and fastest growth rate in the later weeks of July and early weeks of August. This is when the plant can best absorb and metabolize the poison, making application more efficient.

3. Spray only the crowns of Bermuda grass plants with the herbicide, according to the product label dosing directions. Spray low to the ground to avoid unnecessary over-spray as the chemical is only effective when it comes in contact with healthy Bermuda plant material.

4. Repeat this application process two to four times a year as the Bermuda grass regrows. Do not exceed the recommended amount of applied product in a year's time.

Tips & Warnings

• Sethoxydim is a toxic substance and should be used sparingly as it poses health dangers to animals and humans and is capable of leaching into and polluting the ground soil and water via runoff.

References

• Cornell University: Sethoxydim
• Utah State University: The Losing Battle Against Bermuda Grass
• University of Georgia: Controlling Bermuds Grass in Beds