CDL,
Stop fertilizing your centipede grass.
Water a little less frequently, the centipede, or if you must water, try not to water the bermuda.
DOn't ever lime,ever.
If you have sand, the bermuda won't like the soil and overtake your centipede.
If you have clay, (I don't know where you are in SC), good luck, and just embrase the bermuda, you won't be able to get rid of it. LOL!

"Controlling Bermudagrass in a Centipede Lawn"

Shouldn't this be the other way around?

I've seen centipede lawns that would put some bermudagrass lawns to shame, particularly in the Sandhills and coastal regions of S.C. It just depends on where you are and what kind of soil you have. Centipede is definitely a low maintenance turfgrass.

I mow a yard that is all Centipede. It is dense and beautiful. This yard has Bahia and Bermuda all around it. Scott's Bonus-S has done a great job of keeping the Bermuda and Bahia grass under control for 5 years. The sprinkler system is one of the keys to this successful lawn. In areas just outside the mowed and irrigated lawn, the Bermuda, Bahia, and other stuff proliferates and the Centipede loses the battle. So....With proper watering, correct mowing practices, and proper fertilization, Bermuda and other grasses can be controlled in centipede.

rdaystrom, nice to see you back.

How do you have the sprinklers set to favor centipede? Do you have any pix to post? Getting pictures of good centipede seems to be hard to do. This has been the year of centipede questions. We could have used you.

Scotts Bonus S? In centipede? How often do you apply?

In areas just outside the mowed and irrigated lawn, the Bermuda, Bahia, and other stuff proliferates and the Centipede loses the battle.

Water and mowing has nothing to do with it. Centipede grows very slowly compared to Bermuda, and Centipede requires more water than Bermuda. So if you irrigate Centipede to its requirements is going to cause the Bermuda grass to explode with growth and choke out out the centipede.

What matters is the Scott's S which contains Atrazine herbicide which kills just about everything except Centipede and Saint Augustine. As for fertilizer, Centipede doesn't really need much and does poorly if over fertilized. Centipede only requires about 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000/ft2 applied once in the spring after green up. That one of the ways it gets its reputation as Lazy Man Grass: "You drag an empty bag of fertilizer around the yard once a year in spring, and mow it once a month rather it needs it or not"...

Thanks dchall, The Centipede yard I'm speaking of was suffering from weed infestation and lack of any fertilizer/herbicide applications for several years. The sprinkler system wasn't exactly right and some areas have routinely suffered from lack of water. I just started helping with the yard this year. I made one application of Bonus-S in early Spring and one more application around the beginning of Summer. Both applications have yielded great results. The lawn has needed mowing once a week and is growing higher each week. This week I mowed it after 5 days. The reason I mentioned water as a factor in the success of this lawn is the fact that the Centipede needs way more water than the Bermuda. Centipede that has spread outside of the sprinkler system into the adjacent field over the years is almost dead or dormant. This past June, with almost no rain and continuous 100 degree days, the yard was totally dependent on the sprinkler system. This yard is perfectly green and growing and is surviving the heat as opposed to my huge Bermuda yard which is greatly suffering because I can't water 3 acres without spending a fortune on city water. My well can't keep up with the demand either.

I'm late to this party but was googling for a way to control bermuda in centipede. Down here in SW Georgia just about every lawn you see will be centipede. Bermuda is considered a pasture grass just like bahia, and a weed if it's in your lawn. We have to mow our yard AT LEAST once a week in the summer. During a rainy spell, maybe every 4 days. I'll remember the Bonus-S and give it shot. You're right about the fertilizer. Centipede is a light green grass. I see lawns that have been over-fertilized and they look more like forest green. I appreciate all the good advice. Thanx!