Bonide Grass Beater, 8 oz Concentrated Grass Killer, Systemic Herbicide Controls Crabgrass, Bermudagrass and More

Simple to mix in sprayer and works for specific areas. Great stuff.

I always download the PDF version of the product labels, because I don't own a microscope to read the printed label. I went over the label and it was unclear to "use" or to "not use" a surfactant, so I played it safe and used it with "Bonide 097 Turbo Spreader Sticker" (one 8oz bottle will last me many seasons). The label also hid the mixing rate pretty well, but I managed to find "2 ounces per gallon of water" buried within. So with that mix ratio and the surfactant, I sprayed my grass-infested wildflower gardens. 2 weeks later the wildflowers are thriving and the grass was dead. The dead grass is a reddish-brown, and this will soon be hidden by the wildflowers. It had absolutely no damaging effect on the flowers, and (sadly) no damaging effect on a few areas populated by the evil Yellow Nutsedge. Overall I am very satisfied and will use this product again. The label is unclear if it is allowed to be used with sweet corn, so I did not try. Please leave a comment if you have used it with corn and relay your story.

The product description on amazon.com promised a version of sethoxydim grass killer which does not require an additive. But the product shipped very clearly does require an additive, it says so on the label on the bottle. They list on the label various additives which can be used, such as methylated seed oil. The additive is to help the product stick to what it is sprayed on. Now, for a sethoxydim grass killer to be labelled as requiring an additive like this is not unusual at all. But the product description specifically says an additive is *not* required, and this is misleading. What is worse is that both Bonide (manufacturer) and the seller simply refuse to acknowledge that I have in hand a Bonide Grass Beater bottle which has a label saying an additive is required. One other reviewer has already noted this same issue, that the product was advertised as not requiring an additive but the label says it does. I am just so frustrated with the runaround I have gotten from both Bonide and the seller that I am giving the product only 1 star. There are other brands of sethoxydim grass killer you can buy.

The writeup says just add water, but the label recommends a surfactant. I used 1 0z / gallon with 1 tbsp surfactant Bonide 097 Turbo Spreader Sticker. I'm trying to establish wildflowers where a Johnsongrass infestation was present. All victories against Johnsongrass are pyrrhic.I thought I was going to have to give up, but sethoxydim (ingredient in this and Vantage) doesn't harm anything that's not a true grass. So my Larkspur, Cosmos, Lupine, Tithonia, Daisies, Rudbeckia, all seem undamaged. The Johnsongrass is slowly turning a sickly red where I sprayed and got good coverage. After a week, I just went back and sprayed some more where it appears I missed (or new grasses emerging. It looks like there may be hope for my flowers.I also used this on some other 'grass', to no effect. I just figured out that that is Yellow Nutsedge - not a grass. Now to solve that problem.By the way, it's called 'Over the top', but you really have to get down in and wet the leaves of the grasses good in between the flowers.

Update 2018 - This season I'm trying 4 oz. per gallon, which unfortunately is half the bottle. My experience last year was that it would shock the Bahia grass and cause a die back. However, the grass would still recover after about 3 weeks. Also, the instructions recommend applying no more than twice per year and I discovered that the grass does develop a tolerance for the herbicide with each application becoming less effective than the last. So, it appears that the best strategy is hit it hard the first time. The good news is that centipede does survive the herbicide.For severe infestations where you have areas that are totally Bahia or other unwanted grasses, the cheapest and most effective approach is probably to use glyphosate (generic Roundup) to kill everything quickly and allow the centipede to reclaim the area. Fertilize the centipede at the edges of the kill zone to encourage its runners to go forth and propagate. It's pointless to use an expensive selective herbicide on an area that has no centipede to salvage.Update 2017- I'm now recommending the 3 oz/gal concentration (table 8). While my first experience outlined below at 2 oz/gal does shock Bahia grass and cause it to die back, I've discovered it will begin to regrow in about 3 weeks and requiring a second application. Clearly the higher concentration is needed for serious infestations.Original post - The Scourge of the deep South, Bahia grass is virulent and tough to kill selectively or resorting to killing everything with RoundUp. With patience, this stuff will kill Bahia (and Bermuda), but not harm your Centipede lawn.1) Like most post-emergence herbicides, the Bahia grass has to be actively growing for the herbicide to work. It's useless (and a waste of money) to apply this during a dry spell that has parched your lawn, because the plants have shutdown all normal processes to conserve water. Nothing is absorbed by the grass, the applied herbicide is simply washed off during the next rain, and the grass grows on its merry way unaffected thereafter.For maximum effectiveness, the very best time to apply this product is the day following a soaking rain when three or more days of dry weather is forecast. That way the grass is greened up and actively growing, and the herbicide will not be washed off before the plant absorbs it.2) Per the label (Table 8), mix at 2 oz. per gallon in your sprayer. Be sure to add a teaspoon (or so) per gallon of some type of surfactant to ensure the spray doesn't simply bead up on the grass blades; an even coating is what you want. Dish soap (Dr. Bronner's is perfect or Dawn; others have perfumes but will do), Jetdry, or crop oil, if you have access to agricultural supplies, will all do the trick. The amount of surfactant used is not vital, just that there is some in the mix.3) Spray the Bahia grass after the morning dew has burned off in order to avoid diluting the spray when applied. Spray to the point where the grass is wet, but not running off. A gallon should only cover about 1000 sq. ft. or so (for example, a strip 10 ft wide x 100 ft long). If it goes further, then you're not applying it heavily enough.4) Don't cut the treated area for 6 or 7 days after application to give the grass time to absorb the herbicide. Cutting sooner will cut off the treated portion of the grass allowing it to recover.5) Bahia grass will stop growing by the 3rd day. Brown leaves will appear after the first week. Total kill is obvious after the second week.Notes: rain within 72 hours will reduce the effectiveness of your application, even if it's mixed at the proper concentration. Also, applying to wet grass, such as morning dew, will dilute the spray and reduce its effectiveness.This stuff works for me with good results in restoring a centipede lawn. However, since Bahia seed is everywhere (probably including from your neighbor's lawn) you'll have to occasionally spot treat during the year to prevent a large scale reinfestation.