Steve, just make sure that you have a weed eater in good working order. Bermuda, or as the old timers in Eastern NC call it "wire grass," runs like crazy, and if it is next to any natural areas or flower beds and/or shrubbery, it will spread into those areas and it will grow toward these new areas fast. It loves the heat, and after a rain in the hot summer time, it can grow so fast that it may need to be cut twice a week, just depending on how short or tall you prefer your lawn.

Holds up great with heavy foot traffic, and you probably already know that it goes dormant and turns brown in the winter.

You can kill it with Round-Up or any other herbicide product, including the home made version that I use with vinegar, epsom salt, and Dawn dish detergent. It may take more than one application to kill the Bermuda grass.
It has deep, deep roots....that is why it does so well in the hot weather.

Also, some people who like a green lawn in the winter time will overseed their Bremuda lawn in the late Fall so the yard stays green until the first hot weather of the Spring. Rye holds up great in the Winter, but dies quickly when the warm / hot weather is here to stay. And a helpful hint...rye grass can grow in the middle of your drive way as long as there is a little dirt for it to germinate in, so be careful if you decide to overseed with rye as it will grow in natural areas and flower beds, too, if the seed get in those areas.

Tootie, that's good info on Bermuda grass behavior. Would you mind posting your homemade "roundup" recipe?

My daughter just moved into a new house which was sodded with Bermuda grass. In less than two months the Bermuda runners are aggressively invading her mulched flower beds. She will have to work hard to keep that stuff under control.

Good luck with your lawn maintenance, Steve.

Here is that weed and grass killer mix:

(1) gallon of white vinegar

(2) cups of Epsom salt

1/4 cup of Dawn dish soap...the original Dawn. The blue Dawn.


It will kill anything that you spray it on. When you mix it in your pump sprayer , give the epsom salt 5-7 minutes to dissolve in the liquid mix or it could clog up your sprayer ( a lesson learned by me ).

Spray it early in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Important to do in the morning.

I have used Round-Up for years. This mix does just as good.

Thanks!

Tootie4Pack said:

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Here is that weed and grass killer mix:

(1) gallon of white vinegar

(2) cups of Epsom salt

1/4 cup of Dawn dish soap...the original Dawn. The blue Dawn.


It will kill anything that you spray it on. When you mix it in your pump sprayer , give the epsom salt 5-7 minutes to dissolve in the liquid mix or it could clog up your sprayer ( a lesson learned by me ).

Spray it early in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Important to do in the morning.

I have used Round-Up for years. This mix does just as good.

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My father in law uses the same mixture and it smells horrible

It does smell strong but it works ! Smells like we are canning some pickles.

One more helpful hint I forgot to mention. While letting the epsom salt dissolve , I used a paint stirrer stick to help it dissolve. Can't hurt to mix it up.

The first gallon that I ever did with this mix took me forever to spray. Figured out the clogging issue after a while. Good luck.

Steve you can certainly use the herbicide on the edges. It does work. However, because Bermuda loves the heat and our NC afternoon thunderstorms , it will require multiple edge treatments as it continues to want to grow where you don't want it to grow.

One great thing about Bermuda is once it is entrenched in your soil, it does hold up well to heavy traffic and can become so thick that it can cover your shoes when you walk on it.

In regards to fertilizing it, many say to do this in the Spring , just as it is awakening from its winter dormancy. And it can be fertilized during the growing season , once every couple of months. And the final treatment is usually a few weeks before we get the first frost of the season.

I believe there are recommendations on the internet talking about when to fertilize and also what type to use. Some are almost all nitrogen and other treatments are more balanced. You might want to refer to those fertilizer recommendations. Just remember , this stuff loves to grow in the summer time. Which means cutting the grass when it is hot.

That is why you see a lot of Bermuda lawns at beach resorts and timeshare units and on athletic fields. It does so well in high traffic environments.

I live at the coast and I've had Centipede which I switched to Empire Zoysia at one location... and now at the new downsized place I have some type of Bermuda Hybrid (not the old style wiregrass). It doesn't "run" as fast.

I wouldn't recommend too much RoundUp because the killout will also "run" back into your actual turf. I'd just edge on a regulat basis, period.

The best stuff down here (coast) is that Empire Zoysia. You take care of that correctly and the lawn literally becomes like a piece of carpet. Most winter's mine never even went fully brown.

Pay for good weed control and fertility program , mow often