Plant ID in my bermuda yard

10 years ago

I need some help identifying exactly what I have growing in my yard (besides bermudagrass). I've looked at pictures online, but nothing ever seem to completely match up.

Invader #1
Runners go out in all directions from central core on top of ground and under bermuda stalks. Tall seedhead stalks coming up from ends (hard to see at top of picture). Usually only appears in late summer when heat and dry weather make the bermuda slow down. When seedheads appear, they grow to about 12" very quickly.
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I pulled the runners up on top of the grass for a better shot
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Picture after pulling from the yard
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Invader #2
It looks like it grows from the same type of central clump as invader #1, but the leaves are much wider. Doesn't appear to be Dallisgrass as I've never see it put up a seedhead. The central clump is much harder to remove than #1 since there are no runners to grab onto.
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Invader #3
This never puts up seedheads or runners, just one section of the yard along a sidewalk that is mixed in with bermuda. Usually greens a little earlier than bermuda, doesn't seem to spread or be affected by normal weed treatment.
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This yard was really neglected when we bought the house 4 years ago and there was hardly any grass. I've been trying to get the bermuda re-established, but these three always seem to give me grief toward the end of the season. Want to make sure I know what they are so I can treat effectively.

Thanks!

-Justin

Comments (10)

rosiew
10 years ago
#2 may be crab grass. I rogue it out, and if there are seedheads developing, bag for disposal.
kbinmd
10 years ago
#2 & #3 looks like crabgrass
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dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
Agree that 2 and 3 look like crabgrass. No 1 looks like dallisgrass. That would be the harder one to get rid of in bermuda.
AggieJustin
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the feedback so far. If #2 and #3 are crabgrass, at least that is under control since I only have a few spots like that.

#1 is still my big question. This stuff just seems to explode right now at the end of summer. I made a pass through the yard before I mowed last week pulling up as much as I could. But after our weekend rains, I have 12" tall heads all over the place.
AggieJustin
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks dchall, looks like we were posting at the same time.

Are there different variations of Dallisgrass? I have a couple of clumps of the normal variety of Dallasgrass that I've been chopping out. But the leaf structure on this looks different than the normal Dallisgrass. The leaves are much narrower and the stems and seedheads are smaller (in diameter) as well.
dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
Could be the soil is better in one place versus the other??

Do the roots look similar when you pull them out?
AggieJustin
Original Author
10 years ago
I have Dallisgrass and this side by side in some spots, so I don't think it's a difference in soil.

As for pulling it out, when you grab a handful of stems and pull, it looks to be shallowly rooted and pull free pretty easily. The Dallasgrass is rooted much better and usually requires some digging to get the root pulled free.

Just a comparison picture. This is what I've always known as Dallisgrass.

{{gwi:118800}}

And a side shot showing the seedheads up right now. The Dallisgrass from the first image is in the picture (in the red box) as well for comparison. Same area of yard, two different appearing grasses.

{{gwi:118802}}
dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
GOTCHA! Thanks for the pictures. That's King Ranch Bluestem. The state puts it in the medians of all the highways now. It is spreading as a weed every place it can. Now you probably want to know how to get rid of it. So do thousands of ranchers. RoundUp but that will kill your lawn, too. But at least the bermuda will grow back - hopefully faster than the KR bluestem will return.
AggieJustin
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks dchall! That explains why I've been seeing so much of it on the roadsides as well.

Looks like I'm in for more manual removal and some spot treatment of Roundup.
dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
Yup!