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.

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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.