Well, it's become painfully apparent that I have cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica)in my pasture. This stuff is terribly invasive and absolutely a disaster for grazing so it simply must go. I'd like to avoid using herbicides if I can since it's near to valuable plantings in several areas. Anyone successfully get rid of this junk? I'm thinking of using a combination of close mowing and weed burning but if anyone has successfully routed it without using herbicides I'd like to hear about your technique!

Online info about cogongrass

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu//pdffiles/WG/WG20200.pdf

http://www.gacaps.org/docs/cogongrass.html

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), April 01, 2002

Answers

Here in Leon County Fl, it is also a prolific problem along road easments. The County routinely burns large patches to keep in under control but obviously this is not a solution if your also trying to grow a pasture. Have you thought about goats? The County also uses goats to eat Kudzu... a VERY succesful practice if done on a semi- annually rotation.

I'll talk with a Dept of Transportation engineer about how they approach "Conan" Grass and get back with you

-- otter360 (kitchen@eng.fsu.edu), April 02, 2002.

It seems that cogongrass was originally brought into Florida as a pasture grass but it was quickly discovered that unless the grass is very young nothing will eat it. Even when it's young and tender animals will eat just about anything else first. As it gets older the grass has so much silica in it that it can cut up the mouths of cattle and goats. That's a shame really since the stuff is even more tenacious than bermudagrass and grows taller.

I'm going to ask for a weedburner for my birthday this month and see if I can't get rid of it that way. I actually spotted the stuff last Fall but it was so ragged and ratty looking that I couldn't be sure of what it was, other than the fact that it grew dense and tall relative to all the other grass (bahia and centipede). Now that I know for sure what it is I've got it very close to my blueberries, pears and some valuable oaks so if I can get out of having to use herbicides I'm going to go that way.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), April 02, 2002.