Dealing with Bermudagrass in Southern Maryland - Ask Extension
Hello,
I believe I have the beginnings of a Bermudagrass infestation. It seems to be more prevalent in areas where my lawn died off during the summ...
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Dealing with Bermudagrass in Southern Maryland #881070
Asked August 11, 2024, 7:09 PM EDT
Hello,
I believe I have the beginnings of a Bermudagrass infestation. It seems to be more prevalent in areas where my lawn died off during the summer. I looked at this UMD page on advice on how to deal with it and it seems that killing all the grass in the area with glyphosate is the best option (there are already to many weeds to hand pull). But I was also considering just letting it grow where it's not to dense because when I mow the lawn I can't really see it anymore. My only fear is that it will slowly take over my lawn since it's fairly aggressive. I'm also afraid that when I overseed my lawn (Tall Fescue) in areas where my lawn died off, the bermudagrass will take over. Do you have any advice regarding this?
Thanks!
Eddie
St. Mary's County Maryland
Expert Response
If the Bermudagrass patch doesn't bother you aesthetically, you could just mow it with the rest of the lawn and leave it alone, but be aware that (as you noted) it can spread aggressively, out-compete desirable turfgrasses (including new turf seedlings), and eventually invade any planting beds nearby. (Or perhaps invade a neighbor's lawn.) Therefore, while tedious, the recommended approach is usually to remove it entirely, through physical (digging it out) or chemical (herbicide) means. Grass ID can be quite challenging from photos, but the weed pictured does appear to be growing like Bermudagrass.
Miri
Miri
Good Evening Miri!
Thank you for the info! Makes me more confident in my decision to kill off the dense areas of Bermudagrass and see what happens in the areas where it's not as dense. If it looks like its spreading and getting thicker I'll just have to kill off the rest of the lawn.
Grass is way more work than I expected. I thought after the first year the amount of time/effort I needed to put into the lawn would decrease. Boy have I been wrong so far!
Thanks again!
Eddie
You're welcome.
