Most people think of Bermuda grass as “the tough grass.” But it’s not just that, it can be one of the most invasive weeds in the world, which may have something to do with its other name “devil grass”.
So here’s the scoop, for those of you are aware of it’s aggressiveness through personal experience, you can continue to hand pull it out of your garden forever, (or you can ignore it’s incessant creep into your garden beds and tree wells, and just give up altogether as many gardeners are consigned to do), or you can sacrifice a season of planting to permanently eradicate it and never have to deal with it again!
In the 20+ years that I have been in the landscaping industry and over the course of the last decade of consulting only one person has taken me seriously enough to get rid of it before installing anything (including contractors who knew better). The rest were impatient, planted too soon, and continue to deal with it to this day. Maybe I am not convincing enough, which is one reason I am attempting to spread the word through this post. Get the stuff out now!
What is Bermuda Grass?
“Never make a plan without knowing as much as you can of the enemy. Never be afraid to change your plans when you receive new information. Never believe you know everything and never wait to know everything.” ~Robert Jordan~
“The most efficient way to lose a fight is to act without knowing your enemy.” ~Frank Matobo~
Before attacking your enemy, it is imperative to know them. Bermuda grass, contrary to what may seem obvious, doesn’t hail from the island of Bermuda, but from South Africa. Why is this important information?
The climate in South Africa is similar to the sunny low deserts of Arizona, except for a couple of things. First, the average temperatures don’t dip quite as low as they do here in the winter, and second, the majority of the continent of Africa has basically one rainy season, and the rest of the year it is very dry.
As a result Bermuda grass loves sun, and has adapted to be very drought tolerant, surviving 9 months or more (up to several years) without water by forcing itself into dormancy when growing conditions are not suitable. When growing conditions are suitable (lots of sun and water) it grows very fast, actively storing sugars and nutrients in it’s rhizomes.
Bermuda does have a virtue. It is a bio-accumulator plant. Minerals and nutrients mined by it’s root system are brought to the surface and sloughed off as the plant sheds old material or dies. These nutrients will become available for your new plantings once you remove the active rhizomes of the grass.
Although many of us have made some efforts to eradicate it (like removing surface soil, or chemically spraying it), we are often tempted to think that our Bermuda problem has been resolved, but in reality, it is just… “sleeping” only to roar to life with some sun, heat, and water.
Such a grass was a perfect breeding stock for the agricultural industry, which has developed many different varieties over the years since its first debut into the landscaping scene. Before getting rid of it it may be helpful to know what kind you have and what it’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Seed-type v.s. Tiff-type Bermuda grass
Bermuda grass, for the purpose of our discussion of removal, can be organized into two main types. Seed-type, and tiff-type. One is grown by seed and the other is a seedless hybrid that is propagated only by “stolons” or pieces of the plant. Because this type rarely produces viable seed, this type is purchased primarily as sod.
I like to refer to seed-types as “common” Bermuda, and tiff-types as “hybrid.” Common varieties are much harder to get rid of than hybrid varieties, but both are generally not welcome in gardens and tree wells. And frankly, I don’t even recommend them for lawns, myself. We can go into detail on what we do recommend for “lawns” in another post.
Seed-type or Common Bermuda
Common Bermuda varieties are usually very vigorous and often have roots that “mine” for nutrients and water up to many feet deep. If your grass is a seed type, congratulations, your Bermuda is going to be a lot harder to get rid of (but even MORE worth it!).
Pasture Bermuda is a type of common Bermuda grass that was bred to create large amounts of biomass to feed grazing animals. Unfortunately for those who are trying to remove this one, the depth of the rhizomes mirror the achievable height of the grass (4-6 feet tall/deep), and the feeder roots go much deeper.
You know you have some variety of common Bermuda grass if the un-mowed grass forms seed heads in the summer that resemble 2-3 inch wide inside-out umbrella ribs. Yes, those are seed heads and represent this plant’s ability to propagate and spread long into futurity.
The Ag industry realized at some point the terrible potential of this grass so many hybrid varieties have been developed that are much less aggressive and can make a decent summer lawn.
Tiff type or Hybrid Bermuda
Hybrid varieties are seedless. You can find this type at many garden supply stores in the warm weather. It is the sod we are all so familiar with. Breeders were able to cultivate characteristics into the grass that were desirable for a drought tolerant, manicured tiff-type turf. It is also “softer” because the leaf blades grow closer together and the grass doesn’t grow as tall. Thus, it also does not possess as deep of a root system, nor is as hardy to drought and other environmental factors.
Sod varieties of Bermuda are the ONLY types I have ever recommend to people who insist on a traditional summer lawn. It never goes to seed, and can be easier to manicure, maintain, and control. Because once you pick your grass, its quite a commitment.
Unfortunately, common Bermuda seed is much cheaper to buy than sod varieties, and is sold as “summer grass” seed as opposed to “winter grass” seed in many nurseries and garden centers.
I personally prefer to take all Bermuda out, plant winter grass and other “lawns” earlier, and let it go later. This way I can enjoy a softer green during the cool season, and rarely have to mow the lawn in 115 degree weather!
Some of you may say “Why have a lawn at all?” Well, I am not just growing food, I am growing kids too, and they grow well on lawns.
Regardless of your motives, removing Bermuda can be a challenge.
How to get rid of Bermuda for good
There are several ways to get rid of Bermuda grass that work depending upon your specific area and application. I recommend taking an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, which considers attacking the problem from many different angles, working from least toxic to most toxic as necessary.
First, and most thoroughly, you can remove it through good old fashioned digging and sifting out rhizomes. This is generally my recommended method. This is how gardeners get buff!
Second, mulching often comes up online as a recommended method of removal by organic means, but be warned, from experience this only works for hybrid varieties with shallow root systems, and generally only after tilling the roots up or in conjunction with other eradication methods.
Third, solarization is the suffocation and “cooking” of Bermuda grass during the hottest months of the year. Again, this will kill only the rhizomes in the top few inches of soil and will leave that soil largely sterile, as most microbes will also perish in the process.
The last method, and ironically the most common, is using chemicals. While I may recommend the use of chemicals in some applications, I urge caution and education. Chemicals, are rarely sufficient on their own, and if they are entirely successful, you may be left with residual doses in your soil.
Also bear in mind that some varieties may have developed a genetic resistance to some chemicals, making complete eradication by this method not achievable. For more information on this subject we will be discussing the use of herbicides in another post.
In smaller garden and areas intended for the planting of trees I recommend digging and sifting first, then you may consider mulching or spraying whatever you missed. If you are thorough, you may not have to spray at all.
Digging tips
When digging, you first need to know what you are looking for. The rhizomes are not too difficult to identify. They are thick, usually white or pale yellow and have joints. They generally grow in a horizontal direction unless they have been disturbed. These are the only ones you absolutely must remove. Any joint left in the soil has the potential to resurface with a vengeance. If the soil moisture is consistent then the rhizomes are generally tough enough to be able to dig out in identifiable chunks, making the process not too complicated. If the soil is too dry, the rhizomes will be extra brittle.
The feeder roots however, are thin and wiry, and head downward from the joints. These are not a concern and will not re-grow. That said, as I have been teaching my kids, “when in doubt, dig it out!”
1. WATER FIRST
Making sure that your patch to be removed has had moisture a few days in advance does a few things. First, and most importantly, its easier digging in softer soil. Second, the rhizomes will have sucked up some moisture and be more pliable and easier to follow without breaking off. Dry rhizomes are brittle and make removal in nice sized chunks more difficult. Don’t dig in mud though or you may damage your soil structure. Prepare a day or two in advance with a long-slow soak and then a partial dry-out period.
2. USE A SIFTER
If you find yourself questioning your life’s priorities and purpose as you tear up your backyard in an effort to eradicate a little weed, you may consider making it a little easier on yourself by acquiring or making a sifter. Mounting a screen onto a table-like frame that can be placed above the work area or a wheelbarrow may save your back. The best I have found is a wire mesh or expanded sheet metal with 1/2″ diameter holes. Just shovel the dirt onto that, shake with your hands, shovel, or trowel and it will catch most of the roots and rocks, just keep a sharp eye out for the occasional joint that slips through.
3. DON’T BRAKE IT OFF, FOLLOW IT
When digging out deeper rhizomes, try to not break pieces off. Instead, follow them down until you find the end. Follow it like you are carefully tracking the source of a disease! If you break it off prematurely and fail to get it all, it will send a vertical rhizome from the deeper area to the surface making the new rhizome thinner and harder to trace in the future.
4. WORK FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, BE METHODICAL
Work from one end to the other. As you dig, place each clump of dirt that needs gone through in a “clean” spot and immediately go through it, this way you don’t loose your place and you are left with a pile of Bermuda free dirt!
5. DON’T LEAVE ANY BEHIND, BE THOROUGH
You have got to be thorough. Any joint left in the ground after your first attempt at removal has the potential to resurface and take over if left unchecked. Don’t leave any behind. From experience, such a rhizome can travel 15 feet or more before resurfacing in just a couple of months.
6. DON’T GIVE UP!
You are going to want to give up. Battling Bermuda is hard work if you are going to eliminate it. Just remember what you are working for… A BERMUDA FREE YARD! I promise it’s worth it! You will never have to stress about Bermuda grass again if you force yourself to get it out now.
Mulching
As I said before, mulching may work in certain situations with hybrid Bermuda varieties, but it will require tilling/fine cultivation first to break up the grass’s ability to store and transport sugars to the foliage.
Bermuda needs sun. Think photosynthesis- the plant converts sunlight to sugars. If the grass is continually buried in a coarse mulch each time green pokes through, it will substantially weaken it, but blocking sun alone, will likely just force it into dormancy.
Bermuda is a grass. Grasses need a constant supply of nitrogen during their active growing season. In order for microbes to break down carbon, nitrogen is used up. Deep mulching (1-3 feet of woodchips or straw) will not only block out sunlight, but the grass will also have a hard time competing for nitrogen in such a carbon-rich environment (think of the process of making compost). Therefore, this method, if done right, should not be applied where fruit trees are already existing- they also need nitrogen to survive and will struggle along with your Bermuda grass.
From my experience, this method works best in tandem with the other methods.
Solarization
Have you ever heard of a solar oven? Using sunlight to “cook” Bermuda grass also works.
Solarization is the process of placing thick, clear greenhouse plastic over a large patch of bermuda for several months, sealing the edges with dirt and rocks. Thus, probably not an option in a front yard with an HOA because its not very pretty.
Bermuda begins actively growing when the night-time temperatures are consistently in the mid-sixties. For us in Phoenix metropolitan Arizona, this is usually early to mid-April.
Bermuda begins storing sugars for winter beginning in mid-August through about mid-October. Placing your lawn in a solar oven from mid-April to mid-August or September and then tilling it up does some substantial damage. Just be prepared to work on the remaining rhizomes that do emerge thereafter.
While solarization is considered an “organic” method, what will kill one organism will also hurt others. The cooking process leaves 3-4 inches of soil microbially “dead”. This takes quite a bit of time and organic resources to restore, though something that us gardeners are usually not afraid of.
The other downsides of solarization include an often-incomplete kill, (which is why this strategy works best in conjunction with others) and an ugly plastic sheet in your yard all summer that is sun-damaged itself by August and will need thrown away.
Using Chemicals
If you are attacking pasture, or some other aggressive form of Bermuda grass and have chosen to take the chemical route, this is what I recommend:
1. USE GLYPHOSATE
Despite all the litigation surrounding it right now, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is the only chemical I recommend. There are many herbicides that are much more toxic, and way more resistant to breaking down in your soil than glyphosate. To hopefully answer all your questions and concerns we will be doing another post on chemicals in the near future. To put it briefly for now, glyphosate is minimally toxic in comparison to other herbicides and breaks down in your soil.
2. WAIT UNTIL THE WEATHER IS RIGHT
The best time to spray is in the summer during its active growing season. The most effective kill will be from August through September, but don’t wait all summer to get on it, by then it will have taken over.
Don’t spray before rain. The chemical is only absorbed through the foliage of the plant, not the roots. If you spray and then it rains, you will have wasted your chemical and time. The chemical needs a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 24 hours prior to getting wet.
Spray in the early morning hours. The majority of the chemical is absorbed through the pores of the plant called the “stomata”. These pores will be much more open in the early morning hours and in the late evening hours.
3. WATER, BUT DON’T MOW FIRST
Because the chemical is absorbed only through the foliage and is inert at the root zone, it is much more effective to spray grass that is high and green- there will be more foliage to take the chemical in. Let it grow a little tall before spraying.
Watering the grass will stimulate the stomata to open up. Give it a little water a day or two before you spray, but don’t water after or you’ll be washing off the chemical.
3. DON’T STOP UNTIL IT’S DEAD
One application of chemical will rarely suffice. You will likely have to be on top of it the whole summer to be sure it’s completely dead. A good rule is to water, then spray, wait till it is all dry and dead, mow off the dead, water, then spray again in a week or two.
If you spray once and forget, the grass will go dormant and seem dead but may come back more resilient to glyphosate the next season. Bermuda allowed to go to seed after a spray application will produce some offspring that will be glyphosate resistant.
Is all this REALLY worth it?
Bermuda can teach us lessons. As you spend time digging out Bermuda, you will find out much about yourself. You will discover your true ability to push forward through obstacles to create what you envision. You may also learn lessons. Resilience. Preparation. Adaptation. Hard work. Gratitude (there are worse weeds out there). Accomplishment.
I learned these lessons at 17 years old when I spent the summer tackling my first real Bermuda removal project. I envisioned a beautiful entertainment area from what was then a yard overrun with Bermuda grass and weeds. A hot summer with a pick and shovel taught me much. The task was monumental, but it became spiritual.
We had a friend a few years back who made a commendable effort to remove their Bermuda grass, but then decided that they had to get their potted trees in the ground before the heat of summer. They determined to just dig it out where they wanted trees now, cover the rest with wood chips and work on it piece-meal from there.
Not surprisingly they are still dealing with it. It has now taken over their tree wells, garden beds, and is coming up through the bottom of their pots. What a pain!
I have another friend who took me very seriously. As a university professor with a young family he was a very busy man, but he was determined. He built a sifter. He set up a tent. He worked his tail off all summer and within two years he had a thriving garden of beets, watermelons, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. He was picking apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, grapes, figs, mulberries, papayas, plums, and pomegranates… in a Bermuda-FREE yard in just two years.
We have done the same thing and received the same results. Bermuda grass is a PAIN. Do yourself a favor and do the work from the start. I PROMISE you will be glad you did. If you have Bermuda grass, dig it all out. Period.
I get it. No one really wants to spend all of that effort, which is why few have done it. I’m starting all over in a new yard, and believe me, I am fighting off the urge to start sticking trees in the ground and planting garden beds. But the Bermuda has to come out first. We will plant our paradise, but only AFTER we dig out the grass. Until we accomplish task number one we just have to be patient and work hard.
We can do this. For questions and encouragement, use the comment section below.
Best of luck, friends.
Jason