# Neglected lawn, possibly Bermuda?



## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Some history, I've been a St. Augustine guy just about my entire life. My dad kept a St. Aug/Centipede lawn growing up in SC, lived in FL for 3 years, and more recently a St. Aug lawn for the past 5 year in TX that I easily maintained with just Scotts Bonus S and Green Max. I did have a Fescue lawn for about 2 years when I was stationed in Northern CA.

Anyway, so my family and I recently moved to TN, just North East of Nashville. The house we bought is on about a half acre, and the lawn doesn't seem to have been maintained for several years. I included some pictures, maybe y'all can help. I hope this is dormant Bermuda, its what I've been betting on so far. I put Prodiamine down, and some Spectracide post emergent, but it didn't even touch the weeds. I bought some Triad before I read the "Bermuda Triangle" thread last night. I'll roll with the Triad for now and make some changes next season. Now for the pictures!

Is this dormant Bermuda? I hope so!

Front yard: 









Back yard: 









And some general pictures:

Front: 

















(There's still marking blue from my pre-emergent application.)










Back yard, I mowed my weeds yesterday:



















Thank you!


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## obelix3619 (Mar 16, 2021)

Might consider some simazine as well, good complement to prodiamine and is very effective for annual blue grass and others you might face in the summer. It also has some post emergent properties, it has a shorter half life than other pre emergent as well. The Poa should die when it gets hotter, then use specticle flo and simazine in the fall (watch the yearly max). You shouldn't have a Poa issue after that, or if you do should be very manageable. Negate would be a good post emergent or revolver, but you're gonna pay, and they'll work on some of the other stuff you have in that picture as well.

https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/B%201394_1.PDF


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

That may be the whitest bleached-looking bermuda I've ever seen. Treated with tenacity?


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

ionicatoms said:


> That may be the whitest bleached-looking bermuda I've ever seen. Treated with tenacity?


If so, I didn't do it. We moved in at the very end of December, the only thing I have done is applied prodiamine and some big box post-emergent. And spent 3-4 hours reclaiming my edges from the yard.

But it is bermuda? (Yay!)

_EDIT: Maybe the previous owner tried to kill the bermuda, I don't know. I want the bermuda over any cool season grass, personally I think it'll be easier to care for season to season if its anything like st. augustine. _


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

A3M0N said:


> But it is bermuda? (Yay!)


You can't trust me on Bermuda. But it does resemble the stuff I've been trying to kill. Others may look at it and see zoysia. Hold on the celebration until more people chime in.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

A3M0N said:


> But it is bermuda? (Yay!)


I mean it looks like it with some "other stuff" mixed in.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Jacob_S said:


> A3M0N said:
> 
> 
> > But it is bermuda? (Yay!)
> ...


Haha, yeah. More "other stuff" than bermuda! But, I'll be patient and help it grow and take over. Maybe throw some seed at it later, closer to Summer, or next season.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Do you sink in when you walk on it? Does it hold dew? If yes and yes, sure bermuda. If no, congrats you have zoysia.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Movingshrub said:


> Do you sink in when you walk on it? Does it hold dew? If yes and yes, sure bermuda. If no, congrats you have zoysia.


The stand in the front is kind fluffy/sinky, but sure if it holds dew or not. Like, does dew sit on it in the morning? The stand in the back is more, hard, I guess you'd say.

I guess there's not a way to identify dormant grasses huh? Zoysia isn't bad either though, I had originally wanted to go that route if I had to remove this lawn but saw there could be bermuda. I'll do my own research, but do you treat them basically the same?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@A3M0N I'm actually wondering if that is a large patch of nimblewill. It's also a warm season grass, but considered a weed and quite invasive. Once the grass starts to green up, identification will be easier.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Spammage said:


> Once the grass starts to green up, identification will be easier.


Good call, I'll just carry on as I have been for a few more weeks and reattack this later. We're planning some landscaping changes, so I'll focus on that for now.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

in all honesty, with a good stand of bermuda and proper applications of the appropriate herbicides and catering to the bermuda (fert, mow low and often) you can easily get it to dominate and take over. back in 16/17 I let my lawn go, meaning I stopped mowing with my reel, stopped fertilizer apps, stopped all herbicide apps. I mowed maybe once a week with my rotary for those two years, the "other stuff" took over quick. In 18 I got back to mowing lower and more often and fert and herbicides and within 1 season I completely got rid of the other stuff and the bermuda went back to being the dominant.

All said, if you have it and want it, give it time and dedication and boom fairway lawn is obtainable.


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

@fjromcar What @Jacob_S said above will work for you as well.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

So, I'm a bit of a goofball - I've been keeping a plastic container of annual rye as my "office/house plant" in a plastic bin. Yes, I've been watering and cutting it just like a lawn. Some friends even bought me tiny prop yard tools for Christmas last year. I digress... So I emptied out the dying annual rye and planted two plugs from my front and back yards into some freshened potting soil. And here they are, greening up in the fertilized soil and warm indoor temperature.

Front Yard Plug: 









Back Yard Plug: 









If these continue to grow well and spread, they'll be in my office soon! I just have to find a spot that will get decent sun.

_*EDIT:* I should have mentioned I did this mostly to see if it would make identifying the grass any easier by isolating it from the weeds and other growth. _


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Ok y'all, its waking up - I won't say looking good - but greener. I'm 95% sure the patch in the front yard is Bermuda, so I won't both y'all with that again. I'm pretty sure the back has a good deal of Bermuda as well, but it doesn't look like in the front. The front was clearly dormant when we moved in and was light tan and pillowy soft, while the back was a collection of stolons/rhizomes. Here is a shot of what a piece in the back looks like now:










What do y'all think? Bermuda or something else?


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@A3M0N definitely bermuda.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

A3M0N said:


> Ok y'all, its waking up - I won't say looking good - but greener. I'm 95% sure the patch in the front yard is Bermuda, so I won't both y'all with that again. I'm pretty sure the back has a good deal of Bermuda as well, but it doesn't look like in the front. The front was clearly dormant when we moved in and was light tan and pillowy soft, while the back was a collection of stolons/rhizomes. Here is a shot of what a piece in the back looks like now:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks exactly like the "pasture Bermuda" I had in a large section of my front yard. Very hard under foot as you walk on, thick stolons, wide leaves, and almost prickly to walk on. The stolons are twice as thick as the rest of my yard.


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## Darrell_KC (Mar 20, 2019)

Agree, the last picture is for sure bermuda and it looks like common bermuda. You had said you wanted bermuda, so I guess congrats are in order!


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Spammage said:


> @A3M0N definitely bermuda.





TN Hawkeye said:


> That looks exactly like the "pasture Bermuda"





Darrell_KC said:


> You had said you wanted bermuda, so I guess congrats are in order!


Thanks y'all. Yeah I was hoping it was Bermuda, I think it'll be easier to feed it and let it take over than to try and do anything else with it. The common bermuda may not be fancy, but I'll roll with it.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Ok, I'm back to this thread with more grass identification questions. My parents were in town last weekend and my Dad isn't convinced this is bermuda. He thinks it could be centipede, he has had centipede lawns in the past so I don't want to dismiss it completely, but I don't think it is. Could it be zoysia? I've been treating it like bermuda so far. I put some 10-10-10 on it last week and its not hurt yet, but I don't know how long it would take centipede to be damaged by it.

Thanks y'all!


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@A3M0N that is zoysia. The picture of the stolon creeping into the walkway was bermuda, so you likely have some of both.


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## A3M0N (Mar 17, 2021)

Thank you @Spammage. Do I care for it similarly to bermuda? This is a large patch of nice, thick zoysia, how fast does zoysia spread? Will it take over like bermuda will? I'm totally ok with having it, and will be happy to let it take over the lawn from the weeds and tiny bit of fescue that's present. Is there a "zoysia bible", and/or "zoysia triangle" out there to read?


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