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glenngoat

identifying a grassy weed

glenngoat
9 years ago

Last spring this grassy weed has been emerging and spreading on my lawn. It is taken over about a 20' x 20' area of lawn and these weeds are spread out a few feet between them. It hasn't spread that much if at all recently, and I hope it doesn't spread any further. It stays brown throughout the year but gets a bit greener in the Spring time. Each little weed (patch) is about 5"x5". I live on Long Island in NY and otherwise my entire lawn looks great (expect for one small patch on the other side of my driveway). Can anyone identify it and does anyone know how to get rid of it. Thank you so much.

Comments (5)

  • glenngoat
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is a photo of the lawn to give you a better idea. Those are also just white pear tree leaves on the lawn. Thanks.

  • CHFIII
    9 years ago

    Looks like Poa Annua (Annual Bluegrass). I will let you google that one and you'll get the bad news - it is a prolific SOB that produces seeds like mad and anything you might use to kill it kills your 'good' grass.

    The good news is that it is a cool season annual and dies out once the heat comes but then it can leave brown patches all around. A pre-emergent helps but the seeds last for years so you'd need to do it more than usual.

    What is the rest of your grass? Most desirable turf grasses compete poorly against poa in cool and damp weather but have deeper roots and compete well once things heat up.

    I have it BAD this year in my Texas Bermuda lawn and the Bermuda is just now outgrowing it. You can't cut low enough to get rid of poa but when your desirable grasses are long enough to shade the ground the poa doesn't germinate well.

    Your best bet right now is to water only when your 'good' grass needs it. Poa has shallow, bunched roots and likes things wet.

    I will guess that this booger was green and growing before your lawn came out of dormancy? One trick for getting rid of it BEFORE your good grass comes back is to get a gallon of vinegar - the 20% acetic acid type they sell at Lowes is stronger than you need. Ideally some dollar store apple cider vinegar would be cheap and easy and good for the soil. I can cut the 20% 3:1 with water and it works fine so any cheap vinegar ought to work. Put it in your tank sprayer and give each little clump a shot - oh, a drop of liquid dish detergent or baby shampoo will act as a wetting agent and coat things much better - a drop in the sprayer and shake well will do.

    Spray that in the morning on a sunny day and it burns up the poa. It will kill anything growing above ground - my Bermuda is a tougher grass so the amount of vinegar that burns up the poa doesn't wipe out the bermuda but knocks it back. I don't bother once the Bermuda is actively growing (soil temp up to 65).

    It's a pain in the ass unless you just want an excuse to enjoy the weather and get some think time but I will sit down with a bucket and yank out the poa clumps where they are really bad then throw them in the compost bin so the seeds will get cooked and broken down... this stuff is prolific as a seeder!

    If you are amenable to another 'natural' solution I would not mention to the neighbors, a 'high urea liquid fertilizer' will burn poa too but if you aren't into the whole organic thing then collecting your pee and spraying it in the yard might be unappealing. Looking at your grass though I would bet it is too tender to handle it just like poa so once the good grass is growing there ain't much to do except wait for heat and keep it dry - it will die out and come back in fall as your lawn starts to go dormant and it's during the dormant stage of the good grass when you can really attack that crap.

  • glenngoat
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks so much for the info - even though it wasn't the greatest of news - at least I have something to start with.

  • CHFIII
    9 years ago

    We just got 2" of rain and unheard of lows in the 40's and all the poa that was starting to wilt turned bright green and shot up in 48 hours.... sigh.

    Nothing like my pine green Bermuda mottled with taller clumps of light green poa and those lovely seedheads.

    Oh well, one more week of hot and dry woulda done it but Texas will heat up soon and I can't whine about rain.

  • glenngoat
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    That stinks - at least you're looking at the bright side of it. Good luck with it.