| 
|
Described as one of the world's worst weeds, and the world's most widely distributed
plant, bermudagrass gives remarkable service to humanity.
 |
|
From rich pastures to close, fast greens, bermudagrass recovers rapidly from leaf
removal. This makes turf varieties such Tifway (419) and Tifdwarf bermudagrasses the
main choice for golf and sports turf throughout warm regions and across the equator.
Propagated vegetatively, protected from competition, and redivided frequently, a
square meter of bermudagrass could expand in one year to cover half the land mass of the
earth. Comprising several related species from Africa and southern Asia,
"bermudagrass" forms interspecific hybrids.
Unfortunately, bermudagrasses have poor
shade tolerance and a few other problems. The fine texture of the turf varieties
makes visual inconsistencies more obvious, and at their appropriately close height of cut
they must consequently be mown with reel-type mowers. To take advantage of the rapid
growth rate potential of bermudagrass, higher rates of fertilizer are usually required,
compared with other turf species, and the higher rate of nitrogen often contributes to
secondary problems, such as micronutrient deficiency and outbreak of caterpillars.
 |
|
It is debatable whether the relatively more common use of pesticides in bermudagrass,
compared with other warm-season grasses, is because bermudagrass is inherently more
susceptible to pests. The opposite could be argued, that driving any grass to such a
high level of performance necessarily requires preventive maintenance in other areas.
While bermudagrass is often used for
lawns in some southeastern United States, it generally does poorly for lawns in
Florida. This may be due in part to the ravages by the sting nematode. Other
sting nematode susceptible turf species, such as zoysiagrass and centipedegrass, do poorly
on deep sands, which are prone to nematode problems. |
|
