An annual Pylex program is 3 applications, 3 weeks apart with the last application occurring before the first frost.

On a TTTF lawn, Pylex can be applied at seed down, the only limitation is a 28 day window after seed down that you cannot apply it.

So you need to ask yourself 2 questions:

1) what is your first frost date? and
2) Do you need to adjust for overseeding?

Be aware that Pylex isn't a one and done application and it will take several years to regain control, but it does work! I was told to expect a blanket application to eliminate about 2/3rds of the Bermuda grass and that's just about been my experience. 3 years of full blanket applications and heavy overseeding. This year I made 6 small spot treatments to avoid giving the devil weed a toe hold. Not sure it will ever totally be eliminated, but it's definitely under control now without a full burn down renovation.

 

I am trying the Fusilade II route. Applied 1st round 4 days ago. It's also a multi-year process as well. I considered Pylex but was too expensive. Pylex was $300, Fusilade II $87. I might go the burn route if this doesn't work, as i hit an area in my front yard with glyphosate that i accidentally transplanted bermuda into. It has a 2-week seeding wait for grass area and 4 weeks for bare ground.
Looking good so far, pleasantly surprised.

 

Be aware that Pylex isn't a one and done application and it will take several years to regain control, but it does work! I was told to expect a blanket application to eliminate about 2/3rds of the Bermuda grass and that's just about been my experience. 3 years of full blanket applications and heavy overseeding. This year I made 6 small spot treatments to avoid giving the devil weed a toe hold. Not sure it will ever totally be eliminated, but it's definitely under control now without a full burn down renovation.

Yup, same journey (with nimblewill), and I agree! Also, be prepared for it to kill about 50% of your fescue each year too. It seems to specifically go after the grass that is less than a year old…places that have survived a full year seem more resilient to the heavy pylex apps.

All things considered, probably better rate of return to gly the nimblewill, but I guess nice to not have to do a full reno.

 

That 4 oz. Bottle of Pylex is painful to purchase, however the per app cost is actually pretty reasonable - especially when you consider how effective it is (see below).

As for existing turf getting toasted, I have a theory that it is not the Pylex itself, but a combination of summer stress and everything else that goes down with it.

My first Pylex spot app this year included the Triclopyr Ester BASF recommends to offset the blade whitening, Quinn-way (XLR8 generic) and methylated seed oil (MSO) as an adjuvant. Neither the Triclopyr or MSO are particularly gentle on grass, so on the second app I dropped the Triclopyr, Quinn-way and used the lower amount of MSO recommended.

Results were dramatically different. Round one left brown circles as if I'd used glyphosate- effective against the Bermuda grass, but it took the TTTF with it. Hitting some spots I missed in the first go, the second app turned the Bermuda white, but did no other harm to the lawn.

Won't know until the 3rd app if the gentler approach works, but so far so good!

 

Southern IN here and I blanket sprayed Pylex and triclopyr a week ago. My plan was to wait until September but then the weather gods shined down, gave us a time of rain breaking our drought, then cooling off ALOT. So suddenly my yard looked great so I seized the opportunity to go with a treatment.

It works slow but the Bermudas looking very stressed. My plan is to do it again in September at the higher rate (1 ml per gal) then seed in.

I know your question has been answered but I wanted to provide an anecdote. Also it will bleach your grass slightly but nothing like tenacity. It's pretty minimal below is a picture of the Bermuda after one treatment. This was a small area I tested ahead to check and see how my grass reacted. We're about 3 weeks out from this being sprayed.

 

First treatment went on today on a test plot.

 

Southern IN here and I blanket sprayed Pylex and triclopyr a week ago. My plan was to wait until September but then the weather gods shined down, gave us a time of rain breaking our drought, then cooling off ALOT. So suddenly my yard looked great so I seized the opportunity to go with a treatment.

It works slow but the Bermudas looking very stressed. My plan is to do it again in September at the higher rate (1 ml per gal) then seed in.

I know your question has been answered but I wanted to provide an anecdote. Also it will bleach your grass slightly but nothing like tenacity. It's pretty minimal below is a picture of the Bermuda after one treatment. This was a small area I tested ahead to check and see how my grass reacted. We're about 3 weeks out from this being sprayed.

Death to bermuda! Do you plan to overseed the treated areas? I've got maybe 1000 sq ft total. Plan on helping my neighbor who has entire hellstrip with bermuda, and some in the yard but much less than mine. I have also placed zoysia plugs into these areas.

Good luck Carolina65. This grass is a curse. Unless it is 1/4' on a golf course i don't care for it. Just does not blend well with cool season grasses, and looks terrible long.

 

Southern IN here and I blanket sprayed Pylex and triclopyr a week ago. My plan was to wait until September but then the weather gods shined down, gave us a time of rain breaking our drought, then cooling off ALOT. So suddenly my yard looked great so I seized the opportunity to go with a treatment.

It works slow but the Bermudas looking very stressed. My plan is to do it again in September at the higher rate (1 ml per gal) then seed in.

I know your question has been answered but I wanted to provide an anecdote. Also it will bleach your grass slightly but nothing like tenacity. It's pretty minimal below is a picture of the Bermuda after one treatment. This was a small area I tested ahead to check and see how my grass reacted. We're about 3 weeks out from this being sprayed.

Death to bermuda! Do you plan to overseed the treated areas? I've got maybe 1000 sq ft total. Plan on helping my neighbor who has entire hellstrip with bermuda, and some in the yard but much less than mine. I have also placed zoysia plugs into these areas.

Good luck Carolina65. This grass is a curse. Unless it is 1/4' on a golf course i don't care for it. Just does not blend well with cool season grasses, and looks terrible long.

Yeah I'll overseed. I have TTTF and honestly the Bermuda is just intermingling at this stage - it isn't choking out the fescue YET. I completely nuked my yard last fall in 2 apps of gly but it still came back and in alot of areas. But so far I'm pretty pleased with the damage I'm seeing/lack of damage to the fescue. I couldn't stomach going nuclear again… so I spent the coin on Pylex.

 

That 4 oz. Bottle of Pylex is painful to purchase, however the per app cost is actually pretty reasonable - especially when you consider how effective it is (see below).

A cheap alternative for small to moderate sized lawns is Roundup Crabgrass Destroyer for $27 on amazon. It has 128oz with 0.0092% topramezone, which equals 1.17oz. Pylex suggests 0.023 to 0.034oz (0.7 to 1.0mL) of topramezone per 1ksqft.

1.17oz / 0.034oz = 34.6. This means you scan spray 1ksqft almost 35 times with the higher dose rate.

I only have ~600sqft of mixed in bermuda so the Roundup option will last me years if I do two apps in the spring and three in the fall.

 

Pylex performing as advertised, this treatment was without the Triclopyr Ester:



This photo is of an area where I included the Triclopyr Ester:



Personally I like the results of the mix without the Triclopyr. I've heard that the only purpose for adding is to turn grass brown instead of snow white?

 

I don't know if you can tell or not in this photo, but there bright green or yellowish grasses around the perimeter of the areas I sprayed for Bermuda. I don't think its Bermuda, but these plants are showing stress. Have you had similar results?

 

I’m near Virginia Beach about to apply my first app of Pylex. How did this work out for you and how many treatments that fall did you do?