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gardeningheidi

Ugly, coarse grass taking over my lawn.

GardeningHeidi
9 years ago

Help! We have spent SO. MUCH. MONEY having our lawn dug up, installed with a sprinkler system, and reseeded because we heard that was how you support the good grass, which chokes out the bad grass. But this ugly, coarse, painful grass is still taking over everything! I've tried to google how to get rid of it, but since I'm not sure what kind of grass it is, I'm having a hard time getting information. Its REALLY hard to pull up, and doing that doesn't seem to do any good. It just comes right back! We have about 20 times as much as we did last year, and I shudder to think what the rest of the summer will bring. Weed and feed doesn't touch the stuff because, botanically speaking, it's grass, and professional lawn care treatments have not helped with it either. We've tried mowing high and watering deep because supposedly that nourishes the good grass and deprives the bad grass of light and water, but that hasn't worked. I know that Roundup is the devil's own poison, but I'm about to throw caution to the wind and just keep zapping the daylights out of every strand of this stuff I see for the next eight seasons. Is there any help? What else can I do?

Comments (11)

  • tnjdm
    9 years ago

    That looks like Poa Annua (aka Annual Bluegrass). Always hard to control if you don't do pre-emergents a couple of times a year, especially in the fall. Controlling it now depends on what type of turf you have. Based on your statement of "reseeding", I guess you have some type of fescue?

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    9 years ago

    I don't think that's poa annua. Maybe some sort of perennial type of bunch grass.

  • sidnee
    9 years ago

    I thing it looks like Nutsedge, which I have in my yard, it is a *itch to kill, but it is possible.

    There is a product out there, just do a search on Nutsedge or Sedge.

    Sidnee

  • GardeningHeidi
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, everyone! I think we have Kentucky bluegrass in the lawn.

    The county extension agent says that it's long fescue, which seeds itself into healthy lawns quite easily. He said that it will take over the lawn unless we spot treat with Roundup, dig it out, and reseed or resod the spots we pulled out. I hate the thought of using Roundup, but he said it'll only take one or two treatments and that nothing else will get rid of it. What do you all think?

  • forsheems
    9 years ago

    You could try protecting the "good" grass surrounding the clumps by wrappinig some plastic around the base of the stuff you're trying to kill and then spraying it. With Glyphosate all you need to do is mist down the foliage which will then carry the herbicide to the roots and kill it. I've found mixing in a little dish detergent with the glyphosate helps it stick to the leaves better. You're still going to end up with a bare spot where the weed was.

    When did you reseed the lawn (time of year)? And what type of seed did you put out?

  • GardeningHeidi
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, all! I appreciate the input!

    @Autek: Thanks! That's good to know. Ironically, letting everything grow really tall between cuts was precisely what we did last season because we read that it cultivated deep-rooted, healthy bluegrass that would choke out the undesirables. Isn't THAT ironic? Thanks for the tip. We have a massive Roundup party planned for Saturday morning!

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    Agree with auteck. It's one of the undesirable varieties of fescue. You won't have to reseed - just get the clumps out and the KBG will back fill for you.

  • HU-321989907
    2 years ago

    Do t ever use roundup, youre destroying the water table and much more. use boric acid or salt to kill unwanted growths and then water and reseed. it will take a few days

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    2 years ago

    Can you please document your proof that RoundUp/glyphosate has ANY impact on the water table? I've heard all manner of doom and gloom prognostications about using glyphosate (most of which are bunkum, btw) but that's a new one on me!! And rather far-fetched, IMO

    This is also a very stale dated thread - over 7 years old - so your comment not particularly helpful. Hit and run posters (brand new member; first post) on outdated threads tend not to carry much credence anyway.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    2 years ago

    Round Up troll.