Bermuda Grass (or Not) That is the Question.... (Chandler, Tempe: HOA, houses)

[HopWorks]

We are finally landscaping our backyard and tried this once about 3 years ago. It was a disaster. I seeded for Bermuda and it grew out of it's boundaries and overtook all the way to the block walls and to the house. It still pops up and I have been spraying with a pre-emergent every year to keep it at bay.

But everything I am reading says use Bermuda and seed with rye in the winter.

So I guess my question is... is Bermuda still the way to go and how can I keep it contained?

We want to cover the backyard with rock and have a "cut-out" where the grass will go. And yeah, I want the grass to stay where we want it.

I apologize for my lack of know-how. I love Bermuda, just hate how it spread to everything with it's stolons.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciate and thank you for your time!!

Gary Rubin
Hop

[Casey73]

I've owned several houses in the Tempe/Chandler area over the last 38 years. I'm no expert, just a homeowner with some experience. I put Bermuda grass in my back yard of my first house which was new, so I had to put in the landscaping. The Bermuda grass grows quickly and thick as you know. My second house had an established Bermuda grass lawn. I kept it at bay with dividers and regular maintenance. However, my neighbor had tiff (a Bermuda hybrid they use on golf courses) and over the 18 years I lived there, my front yard was slowly taken over by my neighbor's tiff. After about 12 years I started cutting out little chunks of tiff sod and planting them in scattered places in my front yard. and by the time I sold the house after 18 years, most of my front yard was tiff. It is shorter and easier to take care of. However, all Bermuda grass including hybrids like tiff don't do well in the shade and the large tree in my front yard had l bare spots under it where the tiff would not grow. My third house had an established tiff lawn. It looked great but I had to purchase and a reel mower to maintain it. It wasn't as invasive as regular Bermuda and didn't go where it shouldn't. There are numerous new strains of of hybrid grass that may work for you. I now live in a small house with desert landscape except for a small front yard with Bermuda (and rye grass in winter) that my HOA takes care of. I'm done cutting grass!!

[Ponderosa]

Spray the wayward runners with Round Up. Hybrids are better though as they don't seem to spread like regular does. On the other hand, they can be prone to fungi and die off in patches.