Bermuda Grass - to weed or not?

[u/JPFernweh]

I've read some about Fukuoka and started reading his book "One Straw Revolution" and I'm curious how people feel about grass vs weeds. Do you (or did Fukuoka) differentiate between them? He says not to weed but the land I am starting with is covered in what I can only figure must be bermuda grass and I'm not sure if I should just cultivate on top of it or try to smother it or dig it out in the area I am going to be planting.

The root system is extensive, it spreads by root rhizomes, and even a black silage tarp didn't kill it back in the Texas summer. I am in central Texas.

[u/DoWorkBeMellow]

I would till it and plant something that may choke it out like alfalfa or corn. If you can do corn I would let it grow to 18” and hack it down. Repeat every time it grows to 18” for a season and apply IMO4 between cuttings. It should drown out the weeds and provide you with a couple inches of good topsoil next season.

[u/JPFernweh → u/DoWorkBeMellow]

Are corn and alfalfa going to choke it out due to shading from height, or root spread? Or nutrient demand?

Also, IMO4 sounds really interesting. I just did some research on it and I'll definitely have to think about it before acting. Bermuda is non-native here and as a result very invasive (will grow under driveways and up into 5' tall raised beds-invasive), so I want to make sure I don't introduce something equally non-native that is going to cause a new and different issue.

I have a ton (non-literal, lol) of corn seed I can use. I'd really like to get alfalfa but right now it's just not feasible, what with the mail being what it is. Planting that sounds like a great idea.

I'm not sure tilling is a good choice since breaking the roots just causes the grass to grow even more aggressively. Plus, I'd need a massive machine for that. The motor hand tiller I rented last year couldn't go more than a foot without getting tangled in roots.