Bermuda Grass

Weed stems can be slightly purplish color and wiry flat in appearance. 


Stems remain low to the ground, creeping then branch out upward, reaching anywhere from 12-18 inches in height.

Flowering spikes are located at the top of the stem while weed leaves are stiff and narrow, tapering to a point. They are bluish-grey to green in color. They have a smooth surface and grow up to 6 inches long.

This grass can be found in moist and sandy soil types, but can tolerate drought environments because of it's deep roots. It spreads through seeds, runners and rooting nodes as with many common weeds.

Spreading quickly, this mat-forming weed becomes difficult to remove. Flower heads produce seeds constantly during growing season. With reaching heights of up to 18 inches, grass seeds can easily be transferred into a garden. As with many grassy weeds, it is competitive and will crowd out other vegetation and take over if allowed to.

If pulled it usually breaks into pieces that will self-propagate. It would be better to dig the entire weed out to get as many of the rhizomes as possible. Try to keep this up at least once a week during growing season, to promote thinning out. The goal is to reduce seeds from spreading and rhizomes from creating new growth.

Solarizing black plastic mulch can be very effective. Because weed is mat-forming, this method of mulching will eradicate many weeds quickly. Solarize on the hottest days of summer. Other mulching methods should be continued once weeds are in control.

Kill roots with herbicides. It will take a few applications to finish the job completely. Some selective and non-selective herbicides will work. A good bet would be a soap based herbicide.

Also considered weeds, Nimblewill and Marsh Bentgrass are often confused for Bermudagrass.