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Crazy Lawn Weed Has Taken Over - What Is It?

elizatudor
9 years ago

Hello,

I mowed and watered my backyard this morning and by this evening the attached weed had taken over my entire backyard. It was in isolated spots, but now is all over. Does anyone know what it is and how I can get rid of it? Will it go away on its own? It was kind of a sudden takeover. So, I'm not sure how to manage it. Thanks in advance for any help.

Comments (10)

  • chuckparker
    9 years ago

    To my horror almost the same thing happed to me with the exact same weed.

    My weed issue started when I discovered what I believe to be patches of Annual Blue grass. From what I can tell the Annual Blue grass is seeding itself now because it will die once it gets hot, and return in the fall. So pre emergent needs to happen in late August beginning of September. I couldn't locate anything that would kill it, I read that its mostly controlled with pre emergent. It was in so few places I just started to pull it by hand. Then the weeds in your picture started showing up everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I've tried searching google images, the only one I see that resembles it is barnyard grass

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for your post. I think it looks like barnyard grass in some photos I've seen on the web, but in others it looks distinctly different. I also think it looks like "stinkgrass" in some photos (see link), but I'm not sure. I just can't believe how quickly it spread. I was admiring my lawn one minute (this morning) and then this evening⦠ugh! Oh well.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stinkgrass

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    Search Google Images for pictures of poa annua.

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wow thanks⦠it's looking very much like poa annua. Here's another pic of the weed I just plucked from my backyard. When compared to the pic of poa annua at the link, it looks like a match. Thanks again.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:96129}}

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok - one final post on this. Based on some other posts in this forum and another internet search, I'm thinking what I have are not weeds at all, but tall fescue seedheads which may go away on their own. They look like this photo:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Seedy Lawns

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    Take a picture of your lawn and indicate where the weeds are. Poa annua is almost always more yellowish than the surrounding turf.

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    You can't miss them. They're everywhere in backyard in less than 24 hours.

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Another imageâ¦

  • chuckparker
    9 years ago

    I had a landscaper come look at my lawn, he did the sod job. Told me not to worry it's the Bluegrass seeding itself. My lawn is Bluegrass BTW

  • elizatudor
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the update! That's reassuring. After mowing my lawn on Friday, the "problem" appears to have resolved itself. I concluded they may have been tall fescue seedheads after searching the web and then noticing that the same type of "grass" was popping up in my neighbors' yards as well as in the grass opposite the sidewalks throughout my neighborhood. Mowing seems to have done the trick. Grass looks good again. The seedheads don't appear to be growing back⦠and it's been two days. Last weekend when I mowed, they popped up that same day. So, I'm thinking (hoping) the seedhead phase has passed.