As a homeowner, there is no better feeling than admiring your perfectly mowed Bermuda lawn and how great it looks. But if you are one of the unlucky ones with weeds popping up between cuts, your lawn can quickly turn into a real mess and not what you were aiming for.
So, to beat the weeds, you’ll need to come up with a winning strategy and get to work. The first step is knowing your weeds. Let’s go over the most common weeds in Bermuda grass so you can make a plan.
Which Are the Most Common Weeds in Bermuda Grass? (The Short Answer)
The most common types of weeds in Bermuda grass are broken down into three categories: broadleaf weeds, grassy weeds, and sedges.
This can include broadleaf varieties like:
- Dandelions
- Dollarweed
- Common Chickweed
- Henbit
- Prostrate Spurge
- Clover
- Common Lespedeza
- Prostrate Knotweed
Grassy weed varieties like:
- Crabgrass
- Quackgrass
- Doveweed
- Dallisgrass
- Sandspur
And sedge varieties like:
- Nutsedge
A Closer Look At Common Weeds that Affect Bermuda Grass
Now I know that 14 varieties of common weeds in Bermuda grass lawns can be a scary thought, but thankfully this doesn’t mean you need 14 different treatments. You’ll probably be able to get away with two or three. But you definitely need to know which weeds you are dealing with. So, here are the most common weeds in Bermuda grass and what to look out for.
Broadleaf Weeds Common in Bermuda Grass
Broadleaf weeds are pretty easy to see since they grow large leaves that look nothing like grass. These weeds grow large, broad leaves with thick veins and sometimes sprout flowers.
Dandelions
The dandelion is probably the one weed we all know and can spot in the yard already. This broadleaf weed has a large yellow flower with long wide leaves that stay close to the ground. This stubborn weed always wins the fight against the lawn mower as it has a deep tap root that will bring it back to life no matter if you mow over it or pull it out.
Dollarweed
If you live in the south, then you are definitely familiar with the dollar weed. This low-level broadleaf weed loves warm and humid climates and can make itself at home in any Bermuda grass lawn. To spot the dollar weed, you’ll need to look for a small round leaf that resembles a lily pad and is the size of a dollar coin, hence the name.
Common Chickweed
Chickweed is a weed that sticks close to the ground and forms a carpet-like structure that spreads across a lawn. If you head over to a thinner spot on your lawn, you’ll probably find the chickweed with its small star-shaped white flower and its small oval leaves.
Henbit
Come springtime, you’ll start to see the Henbit sprout up throughout the United States, including in your Bermuda grass lawn. This annual weed starts germinating during the fall, then flowers during the spring with a purple flower, square stem, and heart-shaped leaves. This is definitely one to look out for, as each plant can make over 2000 seeds per year.
Prostrate Spurge
The spurge will take root in your driveway, your patio, a crack in the concrete, and definitely in your Bermuda lawn. I’ve even seen spurge growing in somebody’s roof gutters. The weed has red stems with small green leaves and grows in a web across your lawn. If you happen to break a stem, you’ll feel the sticky white milk on your hands. Down in the south, this plant can be seen growing throughout the year, so you definitely need to take control of this weed.
Clover
Some people would argue that this isn’t even a weed. Depending on where you live, you might actually be seeding your lawn with these little white flowering plants. But you may not be so welcoming to it if you have a Bermuda grass lawn. So, look out for this low-level white/pink flowering weed with triplet white banded leaves during the spring and summer months.
Common Lespedeza
Lespedeza has a woody stem and flowering weed that can grow just about anywhere in your Bermuda grass lawn. It has white/pink flowers and leaves that grow in sets of three. The difference with the Lespedeza is that it will grow out of the lawn and turn into a bush if you don’t get it out.
Prostrate Knotweed
This is another weed that grows a mat across your lawn. It grows so low to the ground that it can manage to avoid your mower’s blades. It has blue/green oval leaves and bumps on its nodes that look like little knots. Be on the lookout for these weeds in spring and early summer. Also, don’t go pulling knotweeds out, as they have deep tap roots that will bring them straight back to life.
Grassy Weeds Common in Bermuda Grass
As their name suggests, grassy weeds look very much like grass. Grassy weeds sprout one leaf from seed and grow in clumps alongside your Bermuda grass. This makes them really difficult to spot in the yard, and they can sometimes grow out of control before you’ve even noticed them. So, let’s have a look at some common grassy weeds you might find in your Bermuda lawn.
Crabgrass
When talking about types of weeds in Bermuda grass or any other type of lawn, then Crabgrass usually always gets a mention. This is because it grows in pretty much every state across the country. You’ll want to look out for the purple-colored stem bases and its spreading growth pattern.
If you’re not careful, crabgrass will dominate your Bermuda grass and completely take over. Even though crabgrass dies out during cold weather, it will always come back due to it being an annual weed.
Quackgrass
This is another weed that can be found across the country in all types of growing conditions. This weed will flower during the summer months but will pop up during spring, so you need to be on your toes early with this one.
It has an ashy blue/green blade that stands out from the rest of the lawn, so it’s usually easy to spot. If you take a close look at where the blade meets the stem, you’ll see a tiny spiral of the additional blade. This is an identifying feature of the Quackgrass called a clasping auricle.
Doveweed
Next on the list of Bermuda weeds is the Doveweed. Now, if you had a St. Augustine lawn, you would struggle to notice the difference between the two. But in Bermuda grass, it is much easier to spot. So, be on the lookout for a weed similar to St. Augustine in appearance but with waxy, shiny, and somewhat rubber leaves. If it grows long, you can see a tiny blue three-petal flower.
Dallisgrass
If you fertilize regularly and are in the south, then you’ll probably be familiar with this common weed in your Bermuda grass, as this weed loves to be fed. Especially nitrogen. It’s a tall grass weed with a seed head resembling that of a wheat grain head or a barley grain head, where the seed grows at the end of the stem in a line. It’s commonly mistaken for crabgrass since it looks similar when the plant is small.
Sandspur
If you have ever taken a shortcut to the beach through the grass, then you have probably encountered a sandspur or two and their prickly spurs. They not only hurt on the way in but also on the way out. Sandspur is another weed grass with hairy blade sheaths that trail up to 4 feet across the ground.
Sandspur is difficult to identify as it looks just like other grass, but in your Bermuda grass, it should be easy to spot, especially if you walk barefoot across your lawn while it’s seeding.
Sedge Weeds Common in Bermuda Grass
Sedges are very similar to grasses and share many common features. But they can have different structures and thrive in various areas. One feature to note is they have solid stems, whereas grasses are hollow. So let’s look at sedge weeds that grow in Bermuda grass.
Nutsedge
Even though nutsedge is at the bottom of the list, this doesn’t make it any less of a common weed in Bermuda grass. If anything, it should be at the top or at least very close. This is because it’s very difficult to get rid of.
So, when you’re working out the types of weeds in your Bermuda grass, be on the lookout for a plant with shiny yellow/green v-shaped stems. It’s the little clumping weed spiking out of the lawn with blades that shoot in a triangular-type pattern.
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