Centipede grass question

Dear Anne,


I have many weeds in my centipede grass that are difficult to control (nut sedge, clover among others). One that is relatively new that I can't get a handle on is (not sure if it's a weed or what) something that looks like centipede but grows from one spot and shoots out very long stems or "creepers" into many directions. They are located in many different spots in my backyard. If I find one, I pull up all the "extensions" and they seem to all come from one "host." Now that it is winter time, you can actually see all of the spots as the color is more tan (or just tan) than the rest which is more of a mix of brown and tan (dormant centipede). Any ideas as to what this is and how to get rid of it. Ripping it up does not seem to work as the roots are extremely difficult to pull out and then clear out totally. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Adam, Winnabow, NC

Anne's Response:

I think you may be having an invasion of “Seashore Paspalum”, a grass in the same family as Dallis Grass and Bahia grass. In fact, it could be Bahia as the highway department has planted some as part of the right-of-way program. Seashore paspalum has been used on some golf courses near the coast so the seeds could have spread to your area. I suggest you take a sample of the grass to the country cooperative extension service and ask for an identification and a suggestion for a chemical that can be controlled it in centipede. I don’t know of a product that is available for homeowners to use but there are some that people with commercial pesticide applicator licenses can use.