NewsBermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a kind of grass. Betty Marose is shown.
Life cycle
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a perennial, warm-season, non-native grass, also called wiregrass.
Growth habit
This grass has a creeping, spreading habit. The foliage has a gray-green color; leaves are about 1.5 – 6.0 inches long. The ligule has a ring of white hairs. It can grow up to 2 ft. tall in the summer and then goes dormant in the fall and turns brown.
Conditions that favor growth
This grass thrives in full sun and high temperatures. It dies out in the shade. Mowing a lawn too short creates a favorable environment for it.
Management
Lawn care practices
Maintain healthy, dense turf that can compete and prevent weed establishment. Mow lawn at 3-4 inches high during the growing season and seed bare spots.
Mechanical management
In ornamental beds, small infestations can be dug out by hand. You must remove all parts of the root system. Do not rototill live plants as the weed can regrow from root pieces left in the soil.
Chemical treatment in lawns
Bermudagrass and other perennial grasses are particularly difficult to manage selectively in turfgrasses.
- A liquid, selective post-emergent herbicide with the active ingredient Fenoxaprop can be used to suppress bermudagrass in lawns.
- Alternatively, use glyphosate (a non-selective herbicide) to spot-treat or renovate the entire lawn. Renovation should be initiated in mid-to-late August allowing time for reseeding in September into early October. Weeds must be actively growing in August when glyphosate is applied.
Allow foliage to develop for a week or two before treating to increase control. Apply glyphosate at the weed-specific rate and avoid disturbing the leaves or roots for a week following spraying. Water to stimulate regrowth and repeat treatment if new growth occurs. However, odds are that the bermudagrass will reappear in the future. When you are certain that the weedy grasses have died, you may sow new grass 7 days following treatment.