Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Tuesday - August 07, 2012
From: Elgin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Turf
Title: White mold on Bermuda grass
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I tried searching and could not find info for this on your website. What causes mold in Bermuda grass and how can I get rid of it? Tried fungicide as recommended by garden center in austin which did nothing. HELP! Its white mold at the root and in just one section near patio.ANSWER:
The reason that you didn't find information about bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) on our website is because it is a grass introduced from Africa and our database contains only North American native plants. The reason our database contains only North American natives is because:
"The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes."
You can check the City of Austin "Earth-wise guide to Lawn Problems" for help with non-native grass problems or Google "bermudagrass diseases".
You might like to consider replacing your bermudagrass with a mixture of native turf grasses called Habiturf™. This combination of three native grasses [Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss), Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama) and Hilaria belangeri (Curly mesquite grass)] was developed and tested at the Wildflower Center. The research conducted by the Wildflower Center on native lawns showed that the Habiturf™ grasses keep weeds out better than bermudagrass and has a greater leaf density. It is very drought tolerant and after it is established needs water only twice a month. It also requires less mowing than bermudagrass. Here's more information about installing Habiturf™–The Ecological Lawn.
More Turf Questions
Buffalograss as lawn replacement in Austin, TX
March 12, 2007 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have just moved into a house that has a yard full of weeds. I was planning on killing the existing ground cover and starting buffalo grass, when I came upon several articles on...
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Submerged paving under lawn
September 07, 2008 - I had 4 patches of rectangular areas (about 4'x6'or more) in my lawn where the grass is fine in spring but totally dies in summer. I decided to till these bare patches so that grass may grow better...
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Short native turf grass for Texas lawn
January 31, 2009 - I would like a native grass mix that doesn't get too tall. It is mostly sun with afternoon shade. Mowing wouldn't be a problem, but not necessary. The soil is pretty good but shallow.I hate the ber...
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Mixing of bluebonnets and buffalograss in a lawn
April 22, 2007 - I have moved into a house with a yard full of weeds. I would like to plant Buffalograss but understand Buffalograss is sparce and difficult to keep the weeds out. So, I was considering mixing it wit...
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Grass for sunny Texas lawn
February 28, 2009 - We lost our front yard(bermuda) last summer/fall due to grubs(we think). When and what type of grass seed do we do this spring to plant a new yard? We can't afford to lay sod. It's mostly sunny. We ...
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