Bermudagrass

What is bermudagrass?

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a warm-season perennial grass native to Africa. It spreads hard by runners above the ground (stolons) and below it (rhizomes), so it fills in fast and forms a dense, tough turf. Improved seeded types are darker green and denser than older common types, but their leaves are still coarser than the fine hybrids (UF/IFAS).

This page covers common, or seeded, bermudagrass. The fine-bladed turf on golf courses and ball fields is usually hybrid bermudagrass, a cross that does not make viable seed and is planted as sod or sprigs. See our hybrid bermudagrass page for those.

The same runners that make bermudagrass a great sports turf make it a pest in flower beds, walks and cool-season lawns. Clemson notes its runners are very hard to control in beds and borders. If it is invading a fescue or bluegrass lawn, see our bermudagrass weed guide and the weed identification section.

How to identify bermudagrass

Pull up a few shoots and look closely where the leaf blade meets the stem. Here is what to check on bermudagrass:

• Vernation: Folded in the bud.
• Ligule: A fringe of hairs.
• Auricles: None.
• Collar: Narrow; K-State notes long hairs on it.
• Leaf blade: Short, about 1/8 in. wide, rough along the edges, with a sharp-pointed tip (K-State).
• Sheath: Strongly flattened; smooth or sparsely hairy.
• Seedhead: 3 to 5 spikes at the top of the stem, like fingers.
• Growth habit: Rhizomes and stolons; the space between leaves along a runner is uneven.

Where bermudagrass is grown in the US

Bermudagrass is grown across the southern United States. Clemson Extension says it is well adapted to most soils and climates in the South. It is used on golf courses, athletic fields, tennis courts and quality lawns, and also for roadside banks and pastures.

NC State calls it the most widely used grass on athletic fields and golf fairways and tees, because it takes heavy wear and recovers fast. In Florida, UF/IFAS rates it as one of the best choices for lawns that will not be watered.

Its weak spot is shade. It needs full sun, so it fails under trees and building overhangs. In cool-season lawns farther north it is often a weed, not a lawn grass.

Bermudagrass pros and cons

Pros

• Dense, durable turf that handles heavy foot traffic
• Excellent heat and drought tolerance
• Good to excellent salt tolerance
• Establishes and recovers quickly
• Competes well against weeds
• Common types can be grown from seed

Cons

• Very poor shade tolerance
• Runners invade flower beds, walks and borders
• Builds thatch quickly
• Brown and dormant all winter unless overseeded
• Nematodes are its most serious pest in Florida, and mole crickets and several diseases also hit it (UF/IFAS)
• Common types are coarser and throw more seedheads than hybrids

Grasses that look like bermudagrass

How and when to plant bermudagrass

Ways to plant: Seed, sod, sprigs or plugs. Common bermudagrass can be seeded; most fine-textured types must be sodded, sprigged or plugged.

Seeding rate: 1 to 2 lb hulled seed per 1,000 sq ft (UF/IFAS; NC State also gives 1 to 2 lb). UF's lawn-establishment guide lists a wider 1 to 4 lb range.

When to plant: Late spring into summer. NC State starts replanting bare spots in late May. In north Florida, spring or early summer is best; across much of Florida it can be planted any time of year, though fall growth is slower (UF/IFAS).

Seeding dates change from state to state. See when to plant grass seed by state, or our Pennsylvania grass seed guide if you are in PA.

How to care for bermudagrass

Mowing: NC State says a reel mower at 3/4 to 1 in. gives the best results, but a rotary mower with sharp blades set as low as it can go without scalping works. Keep it under 2 1/4 in. Common types can be kept higher than hybrids. In fast growth you may need to mow at least twice a week (Clemson). Never cut off more than one-third of the blade at once (UF/IFAS).

Watering: About 1 in. per week, rain included, while it is growing (NC State). On sandy soil, about 1/2 in. every third day. Water between 2 and 8 a.m. Once established, water when leaves fold, turn blue-gray or hold footprints, putting down 1/2 to 3/4 in. each time (UF/IFAS).

Fertilizing: Test soil every 2 to 3 years. NC State: first feeding several weeks after the lawn is fully green, then 1 lb N every 4 to 6 weeks in summer, no more than 1/2 lb in September, and potassium 4 to 6 weeks before the first frost. No fertilizer from December through February.

Nitrogen per year: Florida: 3 to 5 lb (north), 4 to 6 lb (central) and 5 to 7 lb (south) N per 1,000 sq ft per year; UF/IFAS notes this is likely more than most home lawns need. NC State: 1/2 to 1 lb in spring, 1 lb every 4 to 6 weeks in summer, no more than 1/2 lb in September.

Overseeding: Fall overseeding with ryegrass is common for winter color (Clemson). In the NC piedmont, raise the mowing height 1/2 in. in fall if you do not overseed (NC State).

Thatch: Builds thatch fast because it grows so aggressively. NC State says to remove thatch thicker than 1/2 in. by vertical mowing in late May, after full green-up.

Common bermudagrass problems

If a pesticide is needed, use only products labeled for that use; the label is the law. If you hire someone to treat a lawn, make sure they hold your state’s pesticide applicator license; see our pesticide applicator license guide. To put a name to a lawn weed, use our weed identification guide.

Questions we get about bermudagrass

Similar lawn grasses

BahiagrassPaspalum notatumBuffalograssBouteloua dactyloidesHybrid bermudagrassCynodon dactylon × Cynodon transvaalensis