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Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) is a low-growing plant with a medium texture and wide leaf blades. The stems and blades both have a dark green color. Hairy crabgrass, also called large crabgrass, produces scratchy “hairs” and leaf sheaths that can grow up to two feet tall.
Bermuda grass is a perennial, meaning it will grow back year after year. It can go dormant in the winter, becoming dry and brown. Crabgrass, on the other hand, has shallow roots. But it makes up for these roots by growing quickly and spreading seeds plentifully. Crabgrass will die off after the first frost in the autumn.
Because bermuda grass is so hardy, it is a popular turf for areas with heavy foot traffic, such as athletic fields and golf courses. Most landscapers classify crabgrass as a weed and thus don’t attempt to cultivate it.
Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass that loves direct sunlight and high temperatures. It prefers fertile, well-drained soil and tolerates drought and high salt levels well. Like many weeds, crabgrass will grow (and grow rapidly) even in suboptimal conditions, such as dry soils with low fertility.