Should I plant bermuda grass?

Question

Hi, I am in Central North Carolina (the piedmont region) and I have about given up on fescue. We are such transition state I'm not sure if I should try a warm seson grass or not. I have planted a fescue blend for several seasons without much luck. We have clay soil almost a peach color not really red. I limed the soil a few weeks before, then turned the soil over, planted the grass and starter fertalizer, watered the best I could. It always sprouts pretty good I'd say 80-90% but the first real heat it begins to brown and die. The grass never really matures. I planted last october, the grass sprouted up was fine until june or so. I already have bermuda creeping over from my neighbors yard (thanks) and it grows fine. I'm at the point of just planting whatever will grow and fill in the bare spots. I know bermuda grows thick and is aggressive and from what I hear its hard to start from seeds to get pods and will stay brown half the year. Any experiance would help. I would wait probably till next april for the warm season grass. It rarley gets below 20 degrees here in January, and we have 40+ days of 90 degrees in the summer. (had 63 last year jeez). I'm sure the builder scraped and sold our topsoil when they cleared our lot about 4 years ago. Thanks for any input.

Answer 1

you may have missed some essential care that has caused the turf to not be able to establish

try reading this link on fescue care http://www.pikenursery.com/stories_php_l...

bermuda will require full sun in your area,

fescue will tolerate some shade

bermuda will not green up until the soil temperatures are above 60 degrees.

Answer 2

On one hand I'd think you are a little far north for bermuda to survive the winter, but if you are having problems with fescue getting burned - bermuda will flourish.  I'm a little south of you (northern mississippi) and bermuda is the choice turf here, with zoysia being the premier $$ option.  Bermuda is very hardy - if it's in warm sunshine and has water, it will grow like mad.  It propogates both via putting out finger spreaders and jumping and (if left to grow) seed pods.

A lot of folks in your region would consider bermuda a nuisance weed because of it's fast-spreading creeping quality.  A common joke in the south is, if you need a good bermuda starter for a lawn...start a flower bed.

Bermuda is pretty easy to get going from seed.  The typical method is generally to use a total herbacide first, then turn over the soil / bust up the sod a few days later.  Spread the seed liberally, then use a garden rake to provide 1/8" or so of light covering.  Some people choose to put down a landscape fabric or cover in straw to prevent birds from feeding on the seed.  Water it daily in the early morning and you'll have a green velvet lawn in 4-5 days time, start cutting about 10 days out.  After the 4th cut it is okay to start using broadleaf weed killer & other lawn applications if necessary.

Answer 3

I have Bermuda grass in my back lawn and I like it although it takes a bit of work to keep it looking nice. Bermuda is a tough, drought tolerant warm weather grass that holds up well in high traffic areas.  It spreads quickly through underground runners and can be quite invasive and can soon take over flower beds if it's not tended to regularly.  The best thing about it is that it's very hard to kill and is almost weed-like in it's tenacity.  Even in arid regions it merely goes dormant if it doesn't get enough water.  Once it begins to receive regular water it greens back up.  I live in a region where the temperatures regularly drop well below freezing in the winter and the grass goes brown and dormant.  In the spring it has to be de-thatched either manually with a thatching rake or I hire somebody to power rake. This pulls up all of the dead dry grass that becomes matted at ground level and allows water and oxygen to pass through to the new grass that is starting to become green.  The only complaint that I have about Bermuda grass is that it doesn't "green-up" until temps are consistently in the 80's and it's the first to go dormant and brown when temperatures drop in the late fall.  But again I live in an area that has drastic seasonal changes from spring to fall.  You may have a longer growing season.  If you're looking for a grass that is resilient and hard to kill, then Bermuda is the way to go.

Answer 4

I live in Memphis, TN and that is what most of the grass that is grown here.  It is hardy in the dry summer months, but in the winter it turns brown.  In the early summer when it starts greening, it will smother most weeds.  Once started you will never have to replant.  In the north, they refer to it as that Bermuda weed.  One man weed is another's flower!!

Answer 5

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is a major turf species for sports fields, lawns, parks, golf courses, and general utility turfs in Australia, Africa, India, ...

plantanswers.tamu.edu/turf/publication...