Bermudagrass
Grassy weed
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a warm-season perennial grass that is planted on purpose as a durable lawn and pasture turf, yet behaves as one of the most stubborn weeds in the country. Gardeners and growers notice it because it spreads aggressively into flower beds, vegetable rows, and cool-season lawns where it is not wanted, and it is hard to remove once established.
How to identify it
Bermudagrass forms a low, dense mat of fine to medium textured green blades, each with a fringe of tiny white hairs where the blade meets the stem (the ligule area). It spreads by both above-ground runners (stolons) that root at the joints and tough underground stems (rhizomes), so a single plant can cover a wide patch. Seed heads are distinctive: three to seven slender finger-like spikes that radiate from a single point at the top of an upright stem, giving a crow-foot look. Stems root readily at each node, and the plant stays low and prostrate unless it is reaching for light.
Where it grows
It thrives in full sun on lawns, garden beds, cropland, roadsides, and any disturbed or compacted soil, and it slows or goes dormant and brown in cold weather before greening up again in late spring. Bermudagrass grows across the warmer regions of the US, especially the South and the transition zone, and tolerates heat, drought, and heavy foot traffic. It spreads three ways: by seed, by creeping stolons on the surface, and by rhizomes below ground, which is why tilling or chopping a patch often multiplies it instead of removing it.
Why it is a problem
Bermudagrass competes strongly with garden plants, vegetable crops, and cool-season lawn grasses for light, water, and nutrients, and its dense mat can crowd out and smother slower plants. Its rhizomes and stolons let it creep under edging and into beds where it is very difficult to dig out completely, since even small buried fragments can resprout. It is also a common contributor to grass pollen allergies during its long summer flowering period.
How to manage it
Prevention is the most reliable approach: keep desirable turf thick and healthy through proper mowing height, watering, and soil care so bermudagrass has no bare ground to invade, and install a deep physical barrier or edging around beds to block creeping stems. For small infestations, hand pull or dig when the soil is moist and remove every rhizome and runner fragment, then keep checking the spot for regrowth over several weeks. Smothering a patch by covering it with a thick layer of mulch, cardboard, or an opaque cover through the warm growing season can starve the plant of light and weaken it over time. Avoid rototilling an infested area, since cutting the rhizomes into pieces spreads it, and clean tools and boots so you do not carry fragments to clean ground.
Commonly confused with
Bermudagrass is often confused with crabgrass, which is a bunching summer annual that lacks bermudagrass's tough perennial rhizomes, and with nimblewill or St. Augustinegrass, which also spread by runners but have wider blades and a different growth habit.
General guidance for US lawns and gardens, focused on prevention and non-chemical control. For a confirmed identification and options specific to your area, contact your local Cooperative Extension office. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.