Even in dense, actively growing bermuda, bahia can pop up in the grass. heels... I use the "original for nutsedge" IMAGE Nutsedge Killer is labeled for use on Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass (DO NOT APPLY TO ST. AUGUSTINE FOR WINTER WEED CONTROL), Centipedegrass, and Zoysiagrass. It is formulated for use on warm-season turfgrasses in the following states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia, and Texas. IMAGE Nutsedge Killer can also be used effectively to control tough weeds growing in and around many ground covers and ornamental shrubs. (Consult label for complete listing). anyway take a look at the label it says it "controls" bahia but it's not on the "kill" chart. Anyway it controlled the bahia I wanted it to by killing it. Image isn't cheap so if you got on;y a few clumps of bahia just dig it out with a shovel or spray roundup and maybe sacifice a little st.aug in the process. If you got a big bahia problem, try this. And may the force be with you. Here is a link that might be useful: big PDF file of label

I can tell that I have bugs in the yard, so I need to lay down some insectide to kill the bugs as well. I'm not sure if I should do this first or after killing the grass? I've been reading a lot and I'm thinking about just buying roundup or some spray and spraying my lawn and killing all the St. Augustine, then going back with a rack and racking everything that's dead up. Then putting top soil on top of everything and laying down the new sod. Anything wrong with this? As far as the watering comment, my sprinkler system in my rental has given me so many problems that it just doesn't work period. The new water restrictions of once a week, plus it seems most renters don't water the lawn that I would really like to go to Bahia. A friend of mine who has bahia in his yard from when he purchased his home told me he has no sprinkler system, has never fertilized his yard and never has put down insecticide and showed me a recent picture of his yard and I was amazed how well it looked after it was mowed. He indicated that during the winter there's brown spots and it doesn't look so good, but when it starts to rain it grows right back during the summer.

Buffalo requires full sun like bermuda to perform best so stratch that out.. Zoysia prefers a lot of sun, nowwhere as good shade tolerant as st augustine. If anything, I'd suggest coarse bladed type over fine type. Easier to mow with rotary mower at 3 inches. Empire and Palisades are my two recommendation. Actually, now that it occurred to me, Palisades has somewhat good shade tolerance and looks like mini-st augustine grass. keep in mind, they are like bermuda, They will take over plant beds, etc if left unchecked but not as aggressive. They spread underground so it makes it a bit tough to control and get rid of where it's not wanted. It should be fine somewhere that gets 6 hours of sunlight. Don't be fooled that they are drought tolerant. They still do need same amount of watering as st augustine to look good. The only difference is that st augustine will die if it doesn't get water over a long period of time while zoysia simply goes dormant and will come back once they receive water. Believe it or not "Floratam' st augustine outperforms all zoysia varieties when it comes to drought tolerant... Unfortunately, it has wimpy cold tolerance. Only for zone 9, MAYBE zone 8b. I think I have it up here but the sod place told me its not. Maybe it mutated from palmetto? Who knows... it seems to do fine up here. More aggressive for sure.

Dear Msrose, Thank you very much for the inquiry. Make sure you are fertilizing, watering and mowing to favor St. Augustine grass, not the bermudagrass. An overabundance or improper amount of any of these practices will lead to favoritism of the bermudagrass. It is very aggressive. If the bermudagrass has taken over the yard, it is very likely you may have to resort to reestablishment, but you must take care to eradicate the bermudagrass with multiple glyphosate (Round-up) applications or it will return. It is not unusual to see St. Augustine grass lawns over 20 years old, but if they are infested with bermudagrass, the ability to keep a uniform turf becomes very challenging. Again thanks for the inquiry. Respectfully, Trey Rogers The Yard Doctor