How Do I Get Rid of Bermudagrass in my Yard?

Bermuda grass is great for golf courses, sports fields, or other high foot traffic areas with a lot of sun.  It is actually a great easy to maintain grass for your home if you don't have a lot of trees.  It spreads quickly, is hardy and low maintenance.  Although most people, for one reason or another, just do not seem to like it at their home.  Dealing with Bermuda grass as a weed can be a real pain if you don't know how to manage it.  There are also different approaches based on your type of grass.  We will focus on the two main types of grasses people have in South Louisiana besides Bermuda grass: Centipede and St. Augustine.

Bermuda Grass Prevention

The best method is prevention.  Once Bermuda is in your yard, it is usually and ongoing struggle for what feels like the rest of your life.

1. Keep your grass healthy and cut to the proper height.  1.5 inches to 2 inches for centipede and 2.5 inches to 4 inches for St. Augustine.  
2. Water your lawn less frequently but at longer intervals to improve root development.  
3. Do not fertilize your yard excessively.  The additional nitrogen helps weeds and Bermuda more than your preferred grass. 
4. Treat your lawn with fungicide when the conditions are right for it.  
5. Fill in low areas.  They will hold water, kill your grass and allow for weeds to take root. 
6. Use sod in bare spots.  
7. A tree line or hedge between your neighbors also provides enough shade to keep Bermuda grass from coming across the property line.

Centipede and Bermuda

If you have Centipede grass you are in luck.  Use a selective herbicide with the active ingredient Sethoxydim to treat areas of your yard to kill Bermuda grass in your Centipede.  Unfortunately this product will kill St. Augustine grass, so do not use it if you have St. Augustine grass.

Words of advice when using Sethoxydim.:

1. It is not very effective in winter.  
2. You must wait at least 3 weeks after your centipede comes back from dormancy.  
3. You should reapply it three to four weeks after the first application to take care of any seeds that have sprouted. 
4. Sethoxydim also treats a number of other grassy weeds, such as Bahia.  
5. Always follow the manufacture's label.  

St. Augustine and Bermuda

If you have St. Augustine grass, you will have a more difficult time controlling Bermuda grass   Allow your grass to be cut at four inches will help provide shade to slow down or possibly kill the Bermuda. Large patches of Bermuda grass should be sprayed with herbicides containing Glyphosate (ie Roundup) and then fill in the bare area with sod.  Applying Glyphosate and using sod is expensive and should only be done in areas that have been completely taken over with Bermuda grass   If you are dedicated to getting rid of the Bermuda while keeping your St. Augustine, you can always suspend mesh landscape fabric or netting over the area for a few days to a week.  St. Augustine is very tolerant of shade while Bermuda is not.

Surrendering to Bermuda

Some people give up struggling to keep their preferred grass and decide to let Bermuda overrun their yard.  If this is your situation  here's a few tips.  Bermuda loves nitrogen and water in full sun.  This will let it spread like the weed it is.  Keep your Bermuda cut short, about 0.5 inches to 1 inch, preferably with a reel mower. There is a herbicide called Celsius that works great for taking care of most weeds in Bermuda.