When you say you "put down" Bermuda, do you mean sod or seed? I believe only "common Bermuda" is available as a seed... at least that was the case twenty years ago. Common Bermuda isn't very attractive.

Zoysia is superior in that it is thicker and more shade tolerant. Your Bermuda bare spots could be due to shade, or areas where seed didn't take. If, however, sod died in one season in sunny areas....then you didn't water enough during establishment or burned it with fert or weed killers. Fungus can kill Bermuda forming nearly perfectly round dead spots. Fungus is more likely in thick lawns.

It might be better to kill the Bermuda with Round-Up before taking a sod cutter to it. I'm not sure if you need to remove the dead Bermuda before sodding zoysia. I suppose that depends on specific lawn conditions.

A properly installed zoysia sod wont have too many problems with Bermuda invading it because of zoysia's thickness. But remnants of your Bermuda will probably pop up in sunny flower beds.

Bermuda and Zoysia should get a pre-emergent in the spring to prevent crabgrass and in the fall to prevent annual blue grass. But an established, thick, zoysia lawn may be able to do without weed control chemicals.

Zoysia does best if mowed with a "reel mower" and should be mowed fairly low. "Emerald" zoysia is mowed even lower than "Myers". But grass mowed low really reveals the imperfections (bumps and depressions) in your turf. So a little work every spring filling in low spots with a dirt/sand mixture makes a huge difference in sod lawn. The billiard table look can be achieved over time.

I have seen lawns where zoysia was plugged into the bare shady spots to take over and Bermuda was left in the sunny spots. It works ok but isn't as attractive as a pure zoysia lawn.

St. Augustine is even better for shady lawns.

Core aeration definatly helps and should be done in the early spring just before the pre-emergent is applied. (Aerating weakens a pre-emergent and invites weed seed germination). If your lawn is heavy clay, shortly after aerating, there is an opportunity to spread soil amendments (such as sand), that will work down into the holes.

Be careful when spraying Round Up. If you step in Round Up and then walk in your grass, you may later find dead spots that look alot like foot prints.

Crab grass is an annual so should be prevented by a pre-emergent in the spring. A grassy weed that persists over winter is a perenial and can be very carefully spot sprayed with Round up. Take a piece of card board and make a hole in the center. Lay it on the lawn so that only the weed grass shows and then spray.

It's been years since I worked in lawn care, so there may be some better advice out there.

the burmuda was put down with sod. I know the problem with my lawn is fungus. I have little mushrooms and fungus "clumps" in various spots of the lawn. i think i over-watered my grass last season.
my lawn faces west and gets plenty of sun so shade is not an issue. If i spray roundup is there a possibility that it could kill my flowers if it gets in the soil? i have a whole bunch of new plantings seperated by mulch, but i'm scared that the round-up will go seep through the soil and kill the good stuff. any recommendations on how to sove the fungus issue? i might be willing to work with the bermuda if i can get it to look a little better. thanks for the advice.

It's been a long time since I worked with Bermuda so I'm trying to remember. There was a product called "Daconyle" (spelling?) that was a fungicide that could be applied but my understanding is that the damage is usually done by the time you notice it. I believe fungus strikes over fertilized lawns and over watered lawns, more or less over-night.

I think using time release fert might help as does making a point of never watering in the evening. Dethatching also probably removes some of the material that the fungus feeds on.

I believe Round Up only kills plants through the leaves. If you're careful about wind, careful about spreading the chemical on your shoes, and use card-board shields, you should be able to spray it around your desirable plants.

I think there is a sod or grass forum in the Gardenweb. Try a search with "Bermuda fungus" and see if you don't find some better advice than mine.

thanks again for the reply. I am going to check out the sod and grass forum to see if i can get the fungus under control. I had no idea having a nice lawn took so much work. i moved to pensacola from miami where you just expect the grass to be beautiful. If i can't get rid of the fungus i'll try the round up method you suggested. thanks again

I live only 40 miles north of Pensacola and have found that St.Augustine grass grows well here. As long as it is mowed at a high setting, it will be nice and thick and withstand drought.

For the fungus put corn meal on the grass, it works to get rid of the fungus. Buy it at a feed store, it is much cheaper than buying at the grocery store. If you want to replace the bermuda grass, then you may want to try floratam grass. I have replaced my grass with it, I sprayed the bermuda with the purple cap roundup. Seven days later, till the dead bermuda and apply the new floratam grass right on top, the dead bermuda will act as a mulch, to help retain moisture. Floratam loves the hot coastal sun, I love it. It looks just like St. Agustine, but has a much stronger root system, and doesn't require much water. Barbra,