In the Midwest and South, Bermuda grass was thought to be the perfect lawn, it needed little water and because it grew close to the ground it required little cutting. For most Westerners, though, it is considered an invading weed.
"One of
In the Midwest and South, Bermuda grass was thought to be the perfect lawn, it needed little water and because it grew close to the ground it required little cutting. For most Westerners, though, it is considered an invading weed.
"One of the more common questions I'm asked is how to control Bermuda grass in the lawn. My standard reply is 'asphalt'," says Jerry Goodspeed, Utah State University Extension horticulturist. Unfortunately, Bermuda grass can grow through asphalt and really thrive.
"Bermuda grass is a warm season grass planted for lawns in the south. Warm season grasses thrive in the heat when cool season grasses tend to go dormant or brown out. These grasses are not recommended for northern areas because they require hot temperatures to look green and attractive. In our Northern area, warm season grasses look brown and unattractive most of the year, only greening up during the extreme heat in June, July, and August," Goodspeed explains.
On the other hand, he says, cool season grasses such as bluegrass, fescue, and rye look green and lush from March through November. They relish in our cool climate and are recommended for most lawns in our area. Bermuda grass out competes all cool season grasses during hot summer weather, but during spring and fall it will sit dormant or grow very little.
One of the obstacles in the war against Bermuda grass is that it reproduces by seed, rhizome and stolons, Goodspeed says. The seeds are small and can move through watering systems. The stolons are above-ground stems that creep along the surface looking for new places to root, then start a new batch of plants. As they creep along the surface they shade and crowd out other grasses, forming a tough dense mat. It is not a pretty sight.
"The rhizomes are underground stems (that look like roots) that bury themselves up to two feet into the soil. If broken or chopped they form new plants. This makes hand pulling almost impossible because pieces left in the soil begin new growth starting the process all over again."
Bermuda grass control requires comple