Bermudagrass… you either love it or hate it, depending on what type of turf you are cultivating. While it has many positive attributes, if you are trying to grow a cool season lawn like fescue, bermudagrass can become a very invasive weed. Since Bermudagrass is a warm season turf that grows naturally in the soil in this area, it thrives in the summer months when fescue is typically struggling due to the heat. Because it grows on rhizomes and stolons, it runs like a vine straight into your garden beds or through your fescue turf. It can wiggle its way under stones and barriers.
Now (in the late summer months) is the time to think about getting rid of it. If left untreated, bermudagrass will fill in areas where the fescue has failed due to summer heat stress. While this is not as noticeable in the summer months, when the fall hits and the bermudagrass goes dormant, you are left with unsightly brown patches in your cool season lawn. By getting rid of the bermudagrass, you create more seed to soil contact when you overseed in the fall. This will allow better germination of the seed, thereby creating a nice, uniform look for your turf.
How do you go about removing it? It's not easy. We strongly recommend having the bermudagrass patches sprayed with a non-selective herbicide at least twice. The second spray should take place a couple of weeks after the first to get any stubborn stragglers as it is hardy and hard to kill. Spraying a second time will increase your chances of getting it all. However, you want to be sure to spray only the affected areas as a non-selective herbicide like Round-up will also kill the desired turf. Once the bermuda is dead, it needs to be removed so that the soil is showing. This way when you overseed, there is no thatch to hinder seed germination. At AA Tex Lawn, we do this in different ways depending on the landscape: we either scalp the affected area with a mower, rake out the dead bermuda, or de-thatch it.
Taking these steps does not mean you will never have to deal with bermudagrass again. The purpose is to help increase your fescue density, which in return decreases the likelihood of bermuda returning. As we've said before, the best defense against weeds is thick, healthy turf!
If you take on this process yourself, be prepared for a battle. We're happy to help. If you’d like more information or our rates, contact our office at 704-821-0708. Treatments will be done in late July/early August and then again two to three weeks later. Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team
