If you have been searching for the best weed killers in Bermuda grass, you have come to the right place. Taking care of Bermuda grass can be a challenge during the best conditions. One of the big issues with this beautiful, lush grass is that it can easily be overcome with weeds, including clover, nutsedge, and crabgrass.
What is Bermuda Grass?
Known by the formal name of Cynodon dactylon, Bermuda grass is found worldwide but is not native to Bermuda. The people of Bermuda refer to this type of grass as crabgrass. It can be found in the United States but is native to Europe, Australia, Africa, and most of Asia. It is believed that Bermuda grass was in place in lawns throughout the southern part of the United States by the year 1807.
People across the country like Bermuda grass because it can withstand high temperatures and even does well during periods of drought. It can also withstand heavy traffic and will come back quickly every year, even when it becomes damaged.
Many homeowners and business owners across the United States rely on Bermuda grass for their lawns because of its high level of resilience. It is best to have a yard full of Bermuda grass if you live in a warmer climate since it requires full sunlight and good drainage.
This makes it very suitable for southern lawns across the United States since it tolerates heat, drought, and ocean salt. The downside of Bermuda grass is that it can be on the high maintenance side, and it has a high level of nutritional requirements to keep it lush, green, and healthy.
Bermuda grass is considered a perennial warm-season type of grass, meaning it comes back each year looking lush and green in its proper climate. It must actively grow during the late spring of the year and throughout the hot summer months since it thrives in warm weather.
Caring for Bermuda Grass
Besides the fact that Bermuda grass grows best in hot climates, needs plenty of sunlight, and must be grown in soil with good drainage, there are other things you need to consider if you have a lawn full of this beautiful grass. Read on for more information.
Growth Rate
Regarding growth rate, Bermuda grass has the fastest of any of the most common warm-season type grasses. It spreads throughout your line through its above-ground stems, known as stolons, and its below-ground stems referred to as rhizomes.
While Bermuda grass can be more difficult to contain once it starts growing, it can endure heavy traffic, making it great for businesses to have in their lawns or families with lots of children. It is even great for golf courses in even athletic fields.
As long as Bermuda grass is grown in a climate that does not have frost, it will stay green throughout the winter months. In most regions where Bermuda grass is grown, it lays dormant and turns brown during winter. Bermuda grass tends to go dormant earlier than other warm-season grasses, but it will last longer than those other grasses.
You can grow Bermuda grass from seed, which gives you many options. You can use a grass seed and fertilizer mix, which will help improve its cold tolerance and allow it to self-repair easier.
Bermuda Grass Care Throughout the Year
When it comes to the Bermuda grass care calendar, it is a completely different timetable the most of the grasses that are grown in the northern part of the United States. Bermuda grass tends to flourish during the summer heat and grow faster and more aggressively during the hot summer months, while other grasses turn brown during hot weather and drought conditions.
If you time your lawn care to coincide with the seasonal changes each year, you can help your lawn full of Bermuda grass look its best and stay healthy throughout the year. Remember that the further you live, the earlier weed seeds will appear and grow.
Weather conditions can change yearly, so you still need to check your grass out to see the final verdict on lawn care at any given time. The lawn care cycle is why using a weed killer that works well with Bermuda grass is so important.
Fertilizer and Weed Killer in the Beginning
You can use various types of fertilizer to nourish your Bermuda grass when you first plant the seeds for your lawn, but to jump on weeds. You may want to choose a fertilizer that also contains a weed killer.
For instance, you can use a product like Pennington UltraGreen Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III 30-0-4 or, even better, Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed, which you can use at any time before the seeds of crabgrass and other weeds germinate. This usually begins when the soil temperatures hit around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a southern or western state like California, this can occur around early February and, in some cases, late January.
Time to Mow
You should begin mowing your Bermuda grass early in the springtime. First, you should remove dormant clippings to avoid dealing with fungal-type diseases since mold and moisture can form underneath those clippings. Once it gets around 65 degrees Fahrenheit outside, Bermuda grass will head into its active growth phase. You should mow as often as possible to keep your Bermuda grass around 1 to 1 1/2 inches tall.
Seeding a Thinned-Out Lawn
As we stated before, the best time to plant your Bermuda grass is in the late spring or early summer part of the year. This is after the soil has had time to warm up, and there is no more danger of spring frost. Bermuda grass will germinate best when the soil temperatures range between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
To best determine the temperature of your soil, you can purchase a very inexpensive soil thermometer to time everything just right.
You must seed those areas for a full, lush lawn if your lawn shows bare spots. There are products on the market that you can use to fill in the bare spots in your lawn, and under the proper growing conditions, you should see more lush grass and fewer bare spots in less than a month.
Watering Your Bermuda Grass
After planting your Bermuda grass seed, you will want to start watering it as soon as you see some growth in the grass blades. Your line will need about 1 inch of water each week. Remember that that includes rainfall, so do not overwater it.
While Bermuda grass can live pretty well through drought conditions, it will go dormant if there are extended drought conditions for longer. To avoid this, you should ensure you water your grass with at least one to 1 1/2 inches of water from rainfall, your hose, or sprinkler system each week.
Control the Pests
From fleas and Bermuda grass mites to mole crickets and grubs, there are all types of different pests that can harm your beautiful Bermuda grass lawn. Many of the products on the market today will control pests, fertilize your lawn, and kill weeds.
Check out this grub control if you have a pest problem and need a specific chemical. It includes Imidacloprid insecticide and will get rid of your pest problem.
Prior to Choosing Weed Killer
Before deciding upon the best weed killer for your Bermuda grass, remember that there are other ways of getting rid of weeds.
Pulling the weeds yourself is tedious and physically difficult for many people, but removing weeds from your lawn is the safest way. This is because no harmful chemicals would be needed for that method. If you used a pre-emergent weed control product that was mixed with your lawn fertilizer, you may not even need to weed because it should stop the weeds from being able to sprout.
If the weeds are completely out of control, you will have to turn to a weed-killer product that can be applied to the problem areas of your lawn. There are even natural weed killers available on the market.
How to Choose a Weed Killer Product
The best way to choose a weed killer for your lawn is to look for a more natural product that will not harm the environment, humans, or animals but still be able to get your weed problem under control.
There are weed killers on the market with synthetic and natural ingredients, and many are formulated to achieve different results. You will need to pay attention to which products will work best for your overall situation, but we compiled a list of the top three weed-killer products we recommend.
How We Chose the Best Weed Killers for Bermuda Grass
We test all of the products on various Bermuda lawns. Over the past couple of years, we have been trying many different chemicals, brands, etc., to kill and prevent lawn weeds. Our reviews are backed by first-hand experience and tons of research.
Top Five Weed Killer Products for Bermuda Grass
Below are the top weed killers and preventers for Bermuda grass. You will surely have a beautiful lawn using the products below correctly.
Best Pre-Emergent for Bermuda Grass: 0-0-7 Prodiamine Pre-Emergent
Yard Mastery's 0-0-7 prodiamine pre-emergent is one of the best for Bermuda grass. It is very good at preventing crabgrass and many other common weeds. Prodiamine is the active ingredient in this fertilizer that keeps the weeds out of your lawn.
The bag is 45 lbs and covers 15,000 square feet at the average spread rate. This is a normal size bag of fertilizer that you're probably accustomed to.
Best Post Emergent for Bermuda Grass: Triad Select 3-Way Herbicide
You may need a post-emergent if you already have weeds in your lawn. The Triad Select 3-Way Herbicide is perfect for killing existing weeds in your lawn. The ingredients in this post-emergent are similar to what you'll find in your local big box store. However, the big difference is the higher amount of herbicide formulations.
This post-emergent kills weeds and is similar to what professional lawn care companies use. Just ensure you don't use this on centipede or St Augustine grasses. The Triad Select works great on Bermuda grass, though.
Best All Around Weed Killer: Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed
Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed is a weed killer that contains the much-needed fertilizer your grass will need as it grows. This product will stop weeds from forming in the first place while letting your grass become green, healthy, and lush. This particular brand controls over 50 different types of lawn weeds. Those include dandelions, morning glories, chickory, Clover, and even evening primrose.
Best Weed Killer After the Weeds are Growing: Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action – Best Weed Killer For Bermuda Grass
This particular product works not only for lines in the southern and western areas of the United States but even the northern areas. It will kill both the weeds you can see and those that are just sprouting that you don't even notice yet. It can eliminate several types of weeds, including dandelions, common broadleaf weeds, clover, and chickweed. This is best used during the springtime of the year.
Best Weed Killer to Nourish Your Lawn: Scotts Liquid Turf Builder with Plus 2 Weed Control Fertilizer
This weed killer is safe for Bermuda grass, humans, and animals. This is because it's made with organic ingredients instead of synthetic chemicals. It has a much lower toxicity level and will not harm the environment. It will still eliminate clover and dandelions throughout your yarn and other significant weeds commonly growing in yards. It will also fertilize your yard while nourishing it with nitrogen.
FAQ
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Weed Killer for Bermuda Grass?
There are several things to consider when choosing a weed killer for Bermuda grass. The first thing you should do is assess the current state of your lawn. Do you have a ton of weeds? Then you probably need a post-emergent to kill the weeds.
What happens if I use too much weed killer?
Using too much weed killer on your lawn can cause burn marks and even kill the grass. Reading the entire label on your weed killer is highly recommended to ensure you apply the appropriate amount.
When should I put pre-emergent weed killer on Bermuda grass?
Once your soil gets above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, you should put pre-emergent on your Bermuda grass. Preemergent is recommended twice in the spring if you are targeting crabgrass.
Wrapping it up
And there you have it. The top five best products to eliminate the weed in your lawn without harming your beautiful Bermuda grass!
Bermuda grass can be tricky to grow and get out of hand quickly without the proper care and fertilizers. Hopefully, this article has equipped you with everything needed to have the best Bermuda lawn in the neighborhood.
What do you think?
Which is your favorite weed killer for Bermuda grass? Let us know in the comments below which you think is best or if you have other remedies.
If you want to stay up-to-date on reviews of the latest mowers and lawn care supplies, sign up for our newsletter below!