Here's a closeup. It is thicker than my bermuda and grows taller and like I said above is usually all attached.

This one is usually growing along the side of the house in this picture, but also pops up in the middle my other side yard. It grows taller and thicker than my lawn. They are usually single and pop up randomly. Is this my bermuda grass just growing faster and thicker than the rest?

Your bermuda sod is the Tiff 419 variety. It does not take a mind reader to know that. All sodded bermuda is Tiff 419 because it is easy to grow and looks fantastic when given proper care.

The bermuda sneaking in is common bermuda. Now you can see why they like the Tiff variety.

You need to find the Bermuda Bible online, download it, and memorize it. Then follow it. Yours looks a little poorly there. From here it looks like it needs deep watering once a week and monthly fertilizer with a high nitrogen value. It's all in the bible. How often are you watering now and for how long?

Also drop your mowing height all the way to the bottom setting. The Tiff 419 can look really great when mowed at 1/2 your lowest setting, so get going.

I can tell you exactly what they did about herbicide and fertilizer. Nothing. They probably didn't water it either. And now that I think about it, since this is new sod, why don't you wait until later in the summer to fertilize it. Unless you want to try organic fertilizer, a chemical fert might not be the best for the tender roots in the new soil.

Thanks!

Is it worth the time and effort trying to pull up this common bermuda to keep it out of my lawn?

Most of my lawn does look better than the pictures I posted above. I know they watered at least a little as I have a sprinkler and hose they left.

I have seen the bermuda bible but haven't jumped into it yet. I wasn't sure where to start.

But, I have been trying to water all of the lawn with an inch of water. I have a few sprinklers and have been using sprinkler/soaker hoses for the side yards as they are only 5 feet wide but over 50 feet long. I have been measuring the water with a couple of home made rain gauges I put out. Not sure how accurate they are.

The front lawn I may let it water along with part of each of the sides for 2.5 - 3 hours. The back takes less time to get to an inch, at about 1.5 hours.

I have my mower on the second to lowest setting, I'll put it down to the lowest. I wasn't sure if mowing it that low would be good since it hasn't been down long.

I also have a few bushes in the front of the house surrounded by mulch and also a red oak and a live oak (which is dying). I have read that the trees need an inch a week so I figured just watering the entire front yard all an inch should be good for the trees and grass, and hopefully the bushes too?

Here's a better pic of the back yard. I know it's getting a little tall:

mowing about 2.5-3 inches with my gas mower once a week

Well there is your problem, and I will also guess you are not using fertilizer.

You need to be mowing down at 1-inch 3 times a week.

Well, I wasn't planning on going all out to try and get my lawn perfect. But, your disapproval of my half-hearted attempt has made me think twice.

I'm not sure my rotary mower will go to 1 inch, but I will move it to the lowest setting.

Will buying a reel mower to mow at a lower height help with keeping the weeds and this common bermuda away from my lawn? Or should I be able to make due with my rotary and add some fertilizer into the equation? What about herbicide? Will that help with the common bermuda? Its the only weed or grass getting on my nerves at the moment.

I guess my confusion about starting the Bermuda Bible is that I missed March through May. Also, my sod is fairly new and I have heard I should let it's roots grow well before beginning fertilizer etc. Should I just start right in with the June through August steps?

Thank you for your help.

There is no herbicide that will distinguish between common and Tif419 Bermuda. You're stuck with it forever. All of us are. Even if you could completely eradicate it in your lawn, someone somewhere is going to let his common Bermuda go to see and some of it will find its way to your lawn.

The best we can do is to use cultural practices to encourage the Tif and discourage the common. The Tif thrives with lower cutting. You've already discovered that the common likes to grow taller. Hence, the reason for low mowing. When mowed low, the Tif gets very dense and thick. The common Bermuda is still there somewhere but it kind of gets lost in the thick Tif.

A reel mower will allow you to mow down to a half inch or less. Yes, this is better but it would require you to mow every other day. I get the feeling that you wouldn't be too thrilled about the mowing frequency.

Mowed at 1", the reel will give a superior cut and it will look better. As far as making the common Bermuda disappear, it's no better than cutting with your rotary.

I think your main problem is the once a week cutting. As you've noticed, common Bermuda grows a lot more in a week's time than Tif. Double the mowing frequency and see what you think.

I don't know exactly how old that sod is but I don't see the seams. If it were mine, I'd fertilize, water, and follow the Bermuda Bible. It's Bermuda and once established, you can't kill it, as you've discovered with the common Bermuda. Short of spraying RoundUp, you can't do anything to harm it that can't be fixed in a week or two. Feel free to experiment. That's half the fun of growing and maintaining a lawn.

Thank you. That helps a lot.

I will try your suggestion of mowing twice a week at the lower setting and stop worrying about the common bermuda. I have started a new thread to ask further questions and share my experience.

Here is a link that might be useful: New Thread