Get This Bermuda Grass Out Of My Yard!

Being in the landscape industry for 28 years,we have heard that statement about Bermuda grass hundreds if not thousands of times. Mostly when we hear that is in the winter after Bermuda grass has gone dormant and has turned brown.

The funny thing is that most people pay no attention to Bermuda until it’s dormant because the rest of the year it’s green like all of the rest of the grass until the first frost of the season.

The first thing we want to know is do you have Bermuda grass or crabgrass? A lot of homeowners and professionals don’t know the difference. So they run to the box store and get the guy in the garden department who just got transferred from the appliance department and doesn’t have a clue either! You’ve heard the term “the blind leading the blind” right?

This is where a qualified professional gardener or landscaper is worth their weight in gold. The reason is that the treatments are completely different and for the health of your fescue or other desired plant that might be saved they need to know the difference. Bermuda grass is a perennial and crabgrass is an annual. So what this means is in the terms of Bermuda grass is that the same plant that went dormant for the winter will come back in the spring and with crabgrass means that the original plant dies in the winter and what comes back in the spring is a whole new plant from the seed that laid before it went dormant by the freeze.

To the weekend gardener it’s easy to get them mixed up. They both trail but two distinct differences are that crabgrass has a wider blade and only roots and has runners on top of the ground with roots 3-4” at best but Bermuda grass has roots and runners on top and below the ground which are known as stolons and rhizomes respectively. These rhizomes can be as deep as 3-4’, and will find its way to the surface someday.

So why is all this important? Well one of the post-emergent chemical that is used to apply to control both Crabgrass and Bermuda grass is the same however the timing for effective control is totally different. Though you can kill crabgrass with a post emergent it is better to catch it early in the spring season before the ground temperature reaches above 58° which is when it germinates. So timing your applications of a pre-emergent herbicide a couple weeks prior to the desired temperature with a pre-emergent, there are several you can use and most are formulated with a fertilizer to get spring off to a good start. Look here for all of your gardening supply needs!

Bermuda grass however is a whole different animal. Bermuda is one that we call a triple whammy because it reproduces itself three different ways. It goes to seed, it trails by sending out stolons and then it has very deep underground rhizome roots that in sandy soils can be up to 3’ deep!

There was an article in one of the trade magazines that we subscribed to at the time of a ship that had been in the Atlantic Ocean for over a hundred years had been recovered and brought from the bottom of the sea and the researches brought some of the artifacts into the lab. After a few days something began to grow and you can guess what it was, Bermuda grass! That’s some tough grass don’t you think?

So far as to say the mission of controlling Bermuda grass is not going to be easy. You will need great patience and diligence to get it in check. We try and get clients to understand that once they have Bermuda grass that they may never be completely rid of it but it can be controlled.

Timing is the most critical. There are two times in the life of Bermuda grass that are it’s weakest, one being in the spring as it is breaking dormancy (the actual month may vary by location, but usually a few weeks after your last frost) and in the fall a couple of weeks before your first frost which also will vary in location. If you are going to try to control it in the summer when it is at its strongest state then you better not miss a spraying because it will come back with vengeance. Remember, it loves heat but hates cold so you’ll be much more successful hitting it when it’s weak.

There are a lot of better garden centers carrying the products you’ll need. Be sure to also include in the mix a non-ionic surfactant to help the herbicide stick to the plant better and always follow the label. Find Non-Toxic Organic Weed Killers Here!

The great thing about some of the grass killer chemicals is that they are selective however again check the label for what you are spraying it on because there are some shrubs, ground covers, perennials and grasses that are susceptible to damage or death. Also keep in mind these are grass killers however you can spray some of them on Tall Fescue and Zoyzia but again timing and conditions are critical. Always follow the label. Some of these chemicals love Bermuda grass so it is controllable.