Product Reviews
Best Weed Killer for Bermuda Grass: What Each Misses
The best weed killer for Bermuda grass depends on the weed — and Bermuda tolerates chemistries that would scorch St. Augustine. What each option misses.
In this guide7 sections
Bermuda is one of the most herbicide-tolerant lawns you can own — which means your options are wide, and the difference between products comes down to which weeds, how fast, and cost per thousand square feet. Here’s what actually works.
If your lawn is St. Augustine rather than bermuda, almost none of this transfers — the two grasses tolerate opposite chemistry families. See best weed killer for st augustine.
If the lawn is centipede rather than bermuda, almost none of this transfers: that species is 2,4-D sensitive and wants a single pound of nitrogen a year. See best weed killer for centipede.
Zoysia tolerates a similarly wide range but recovers from injury far more slowly, which changes the cost of a mistake — see best weed killer for zoysia.
How We Picked
We compared active ingredients against the weeds Bermuda owners actually fight — crabgrass, dallisgrass, nutsedge, spurge and clover — and scored each product on selectivity (no Bermuda injury at labeled rates), speed of visible results, coverage cost, and ease of application for a homeowner without a commercial license.
Will This Product Hurt My Bermuda?
If you arrived holding a bottle rather than shopping for one, this is the section you want, and the answer is unusually simple for Bermuda owners.
Texas A&M’s homeowner tolerance table rates nine common lawn herbicide actives against five turfgrass species. Bermudagrass is rated tolerant of every one of them except atrazine. That is the whole safety question on a Bermuda lawn: not “is this product safe”, but “does it contain atrazine”.
| Active ingredient | Bermuda rating | What it targets | Shows up in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,4-D | T — tolerant | Broadleaf weeds | Weed B Gon, Weed Stop, Roundup for Lawns |
| Dicamba | T — tolerant | Broadleaf weeds | Weed B Gon, Weed Stop, Roundup for Lawns |
| MCPA | T — tolerant | Broadleaf weeds | Weed B Gon, Weed-n-Feed |
| Mecoprop-p (MCPP) | T — tolerant | Broadleaf weeds | Weed B Gon, Weed-n-Feed |
| Quinclorac | T — tolerant | Crabgrass and other grassy weeds, clover | ”+ Crabgrass Killer” products |
| Imazaquin | T — tolerant | Nutsedge, some annual grasses | Image |
| Sulfentrazone | T — tolerant | Sedges, broadleaf weeds | Ortho Nutsedge Killer |
| Penoxsulam | T — tolerant | Select broadleaf weeds | Fertilome Dollarweed Killer |
| Atrazine | NR — not recommended | Annual grassy and some broadleaf weeds | Products sold “for St. Augustinegrass” |
Texas A&M defines T as generally tolerant and NR as “generally not recommended for that particular species of turfgrass due to the high risk of injury or death”, adding that you should not use a product if your turfgrass is not listed on the label as tolerant. On atrazine specifically the guide is blunt: “Injury is very likely on bermudagrass lawns.”
The trap this creates
Atrazine is the active manufacturers reach for when they build a product for St. Augustine and centipede — the two grasses that cannot take the chemistry Bermuda handles easily. So the same brand ends up on the shelf twice, in near-identical bottles, with opposite answers for your lawn. Texas A&M names Weed B Gon, Image and Weed Stop as brands that all sell an atrazine version aimed at St. Augustine.
That is why “will Weed B Gon kill Bermuda?” and “will Image kill Bermuda?” have no single answer. The ordinary bottles are fine. The one with “for St. Augustinegrass” on the front is the one that hurts you — and it is usually shelved right beside it.
One check, every time: read the active ingredients panel on the back and look for atrazine. If it is not there, the table above says you are almost certainly fine.
The Top Picks
One label check before any of these, because a brand name is not a formulation. Ortho sells more than one Weed B Gon, and they do not agree about your lawn. The ordinary bottle and the “plus crabgrass” version below are built on 2,4-D, dicamba and quinclorac, which Texas A&M’s tolerance table rates T — tolerant — on Bermudagrass. The version sold for St. Augustinegrass is built on atrazine, which the same table rates NR on Bermudagrass: “not recommended for that particular species of turfgrass” because “the turfgrass species is not included on the label as a tolerant species.” Same shelf, same brand, opposite answer. Turn the bottle over.
Best Overall
Ortho Weed B Gon Plus Crabgrass Control
★★★★★ (4.5/5)
The one homeowner bottle that kills crabgrass already up AND common broadleaf weeds — quinclorac is what standard three-way mixes are missing.
Best for: Most Bermuda lawns with mixed weed pressure
$34–$42
View on Amazon
Toughest Weeds
Prime Source Celsius WG Easy Mix Packet
★★★★★ (4.7/5)
The professional pick. Safe on Bermuda even in summer heat where 2,4-D products cause injury, and controls 150+ weeds including doveweed and Virginia buttonweed. One bag treats an acre-plus.
Best for: Stubborn weeds and hot-weather applications
$15–$20
View on Amazon
Nutsedge Specialist
Atticus Empero Nutsedge Killer
★★★★★ (4.6/5)
Broadleaf and crabgrass products do not touch nutsedge — it takes sedge chemistry. Halosulfuron kills yellow and purple nutsedge to the tuber without any Bermuda injury — the fix for the 'grass that grows twice as fast'.
Best for: Yellow and purple nutsedge outbreaks
$44–$54
View on AmazonHead-to-Head
Ortho Weed B Gon vs. Celsius WG
Swipe the table sideways to compare
| Weed B Gon Plus Crabgrass | Celsius WG | |
|---|---|---|
| Active ingredients | Quinclorac + 2,4-D + dicamba | Iodosulfuron + thiencarbazone + dicamba |
| Weeds controlled | Crabgrass + common broadleaf | 150+ broadleaf and grassy weeds |
| Safe above 90°F | No — injury risk | Yes |
| Speed of results | 3–7 days | 7–14 days |
| Cost per 1,000 sq ft | ~$2.50 | ~$1.10 (bulk) |
| Upfront cost | $20–$28 | $120–$140 |
| Best for | Occasional spot treatment | Whole-season program |
Our verdict: Weed B Gon Plus Crabgrass wins on a typical lawn — quinclorac kills the crabgrass that plain broadleaf bottles miss. Celsius WG wins on cost per 1,000 sq ft, and on summer usability rather than on heat tolerance as such — it carries no blanket temperature prohibition where 2,4-D labels do, though it does bar a spray adjuvant above 90°F. Neither touches nutsedge. If you fight weeds all summer, treat a large lawn, or need to spray in Southern heat, Celsius pays for itself within two seasons.
When to Apply on Bermuda
And if bermuda is the weed rather than the lawn — spreading into a fescue or bluegrass lawn — that is the opposite problem and a different programme: how to kill bermuda grass in a fescue lawn.
Timing matters as much as product choice:
- Full green-up first — spraying half-dormant spring Bermuda causes injury and poor uptake. Wait until the lawn is uniformly green and growing.
- Under 85–90°F for 2,4-D-based products, whose labels usually say so outright. Celsius carries no blanket high-temperature prohibition, but it is not unrestricted either: its label says do not use a spray adjuvant above 90°F, and that spot treatments on St. Augustine above 90°F may cause temporary growth regulation. Full detail in spraying weed killer in hot weather.
- Young weeds die easier — a 2-inch crabgrass seedling needs one pass; an August monster with tillers may shrug off three.
- No mowing 2 days before or after — the herbicide needs leaf surface to work.
Prevention Beats Spraying
The cheapest weed killer for Bermuda is Bermuda itself. Mowed low and often, fed a pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet per growing month, a Bermuda lawn forms a canopy so dense that weed seedlings never see daylight. Pair a spring pre-emergent with a healthy feeding schedule and most of the products above become a once-a-season spot treatment, not a monthly ritual.
That density starts with mowing height and a feeding calendar — Bermuda grass care covers both.
If Your Lawn Isn’t Bermuda
Bermuda’s tolerance is unusually wide, so a shortlist built for it will injure several other lawns. The chemistry-by-weed comparison for every grass type is in best weed killer for lawns, and if you would rather avoid synthetic hormone herbicides altogether — or you have moss, which none of the products above touch — see organic weed killers for lawns.
Celsius is also one of the products Clemson names by name for wild onion and wild garlic on bermuda, zoysia and centipede — see how to get rid of wild onions for the timing those clumps actually require.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What weed killer is safe for Bermuda grass?
Bermuda tolerates most selective herbicides well: 3-way broadleaf mixes (2,4-D, dicamba, MCPP), quinclorac for crabgrass, and metsulfuron or Celsius for tough broadleaf and grassy weeds. Never use non-selective glyphosate on areas you want to keep.
When should I not spray Bermuda grass?
Skip herbicides during spring green-up (when the lawn is half-dormant and vulnerable) and during heat stress above 90°F. Both windows cause visible turf injury even from normally safe products.
Will Weed B Gon kill Bermuda grass?
It depends entirely on which one you pick up, and the brand name will not tell you — this is the single most important label check on a Bermuda lawn. The ordinary Weed B Gon and the 'plus crabgrass' version are fine: Texas A&M's tolerance table rates 2,4-D, dicamba and quinclorac as tolerant on Bermudagrass. But Ortho also sells a Weed B Gon formulated for St. Augustinegrass, and that one contains atrazine — which Texas A&M rates NR, Not Recommended, on Bermudagrass, meaning the turfgrass species is not included on the label as a tolerant species. Same shelf, same brand, opposite answer. Read the active ingredients on the back, not the name on the front.
What kills weeds and feeds Bermuda at the same time?
Weed-and-feed products combine fertilizer with broadleaf herbicide, but the timing compromise means both jobs are done at half quality. On Bermuda, you get better results applying herbicide when weeds are young and fertilizing after full green-up.
Was this article helpful?
Verify our work
📚 Sources & Further Reading
This guide is written against published land-grant university extension research and USDA data. Verify local details with your own state's extension office — and always follow the product label.
- [1]A Homeowner's Guide to Herbicide Selection — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension(aggieturf.tamu.edu)
- [2]Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns (ENH884/EP141) — University of Florida IFAS Extension(edis.ifas.ufl.edu)
- [3]Common Home Lawn Weeds — University of Maryland Extension(extension.umd.edu)
Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct verified mistakes and note the revision date. See our editorial policy.
