Bermuda grass is one of the most popular of the warm season grasses. Bermuda grass can be easily planted from grass seed, sod or grass plugs. This perennial grass grows in tropical, sub-tropical and the transition zones. Bermuda grass is a medium- to fine-textured warm season turf-grass that spreads by rhizomes and stolons. It has excellent heat, drought, and salt tolerance but does not do well in shade. Bermuda grass is the most widely used species on athletic fields and golf course fairways/tee boxes due to its high wear tolerance and rapid recovery. It can also be a very invasive and hard to control weed in some turf settings. Bermuda grass can be confused with nimblewill. However, nimblewill has a membranous ligule, which can be distinguished from the hairy ligule of Bermuda grass. Bermuda grass is also often confused with zoysia grass, but zoysia grass has hairs standing upright on the leaf blade, whereas bermuda grass does not. Zoysia grass is also stiff to the touch and offers more resistance to your hand than Bermuda grass. Zoysia grass leaf vernation is rolled whereas bermuda grass leaf vernation is folded. There are many different hybrids of bermuda grass that range from fine to coarse in leaf texture. As a weed, bermuda grass is sometimes referred to as wire grass.
