Hello,
This stuff is all over my lawn now. The rampant growth had started around May and has been on the rise since then and spreading to new areas. The guy who mows my lawn sprayed some generic weed killer and it had no effect at all.
What is it and how can I get rid of it for good?
Thanks much for help!!
- Prabal (Cupertino, 95014)
Another one: this time with seed stalks.
I don't know the name of this awful weed, but I can tell you that my dad has it in his lawn also. We are pretty sure that it was brought in by the gardeners on their lawnmowers.
Someone will come along soon and tell you what it is and hopefully tell us both how to get rid of it. I have tried to dig it up, but the roots are horrible. I also used Round Up on some sections and it's not doing much either.
Someone help us please. lol
Donna
I do not know what it is but it not good. I sat out in the middle of the grass and started digging up the roots. Some areas had very large patches and took many different twists to get the entire root out. It took me all day and I ended up with screw driver elbow. Same as Tennis, just not as much fun. Then I spread an emergent to kill the seed so it would not sprout the next year. Then I kept a close eye on it. The first go around was the hardest. Every week a few would raise their ugly heads and I dug them up. If you do not get the roots, you are wasting your time. You have to be persistent to get rid of it. It helped to soak the area prior to digging up the roots. I used a large a screw driver because it was strong. That was several years ago and we have since moved into our new home. Now I have, I am told, horse grass in my clover. It spreads by runner underground. I am on my 3rd year and just about have it gone. same process but cannot use the emergent because of the clover seed.
SK,
We call it 'crab grass'. I know that is not much help, but, if you do a google search http://www.rd.com/images/tfhimport/2005/20050401_Lawn_Problems_page003img001.jpg I would suggest you google images and see what comes up.
Annual crab grass is easier to control than the perennial kinds. I would go to the Ag people's website http://www.unce.unr.edu/ If you don't find anything published you can always email them. They will be able to give you a timetable and methods/chemicals to control the invader.
As for your clover.....Ortho makes a product called 'Grass Out' that I have used in areas that have broad leaf plants, to kill invading grasses like Bermuda grass. Works well, problem is it is not widely stocked.
One of the best ways to control invaders in lawns is to leave you lawn mower set at the max height that the state recommends and leave the cuttings on the lawn to decompose. Many weedy plants need sun and poor soil to get established. Spreading and raking in well composted organic material helps control weeds and give the desirable grasses a boost (and it is time consuming and somewhat costly).
Here is my weedy lawn>
It is definitely crabgrass. It's tough to control. I had it in my front yard earlier this spring and the only way I was able to eliminate it was to dig each clump out by the roots. It took me a couple of months to finally get it all. It will take over lawns, even Bermuda lawns. One of the few plants I hate.
Thanks folks! Looks like I have a tough month ahead...
Basic question: once I dig the clumps out, do I need to repair the lawn, or will it self repair?
Also, skwinter, what emergent did you use? Sounds like a good idea.
Really hate going through all of this, since this is a brand new lawn (less than a year).
I use Preen. I purchase a large container at Costco. Much cheaper that way. After you spread, it needs to be sprayed with water to start working. I also use it on my crushed granite to stop everything that may want to grow there. What how you store the large yellow container of Preen. I just placed it on my finished garage floor and got a large rectangular yellow spot. I then put it on top of thick cardboard and it still stained through. And it did not get wet.
Thanks Dale for the info. May save me some time. I have a very large landscaping company I consult for occasionally and that can get me whatever I need. I will have them get me some.
Prabal, you will have to repair the grass. End of September first of October is the best time to seed lawns in your and my area. You just need to make sure the seed left behind does not germinate. Do not use the Preen until the new grass seed is up or it will not germinate. I use Preen early spring and then about 6 weeks later. Only my opinion.
.
I think what you have there is Dallis Grass. The seed heads look too big and coarse to be crabgrass. Try looking it up in the PlantFiles and compare it to what you have.
Either way, it's a bear to get rid of. You have to dig out the clumps of it and the roots are really deep and dense. It also spreads by rhizomes which makes it even harder to erradicate.
Those seed heads are going to spread even more of it, so getting rid of them asap is critical...make sure you use a grass catcher on your mower.
If you set your mower as low as possible it will scalp them off and make the clumps easier to see and dig out. This stuff is basically impervious to weed killers.
Prabal;
JasperDale is right. What you have (and what I had) is Dallisgrass. Here's a link to some identification sites and control methods. There's even some organic control methods. Good luck.
http://search.conduit.com/Results.aspx?q=Dallisgrass&SearchSourceOrigin=3&gil=en-US&SelfSearch=1&hl=en&ctid=CT1641676&octid=CT1641676
Yes. Thanks JasperDale and DesertPirate. The photos at http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/pasdi.htm are exactly same as what I have.
Given the spread of this weed that I have now, and given that fall is approaching, do you think it is a good idea to re-do the lawn? If so, what precaution you'd like me to take so that I don't end up going through this again in such a short time?
Check your neighbors' lawns and see if they have it as well. If they do, and they don't keep the seeds off of it, you'll just be back in the old same place again even if you redo your lawn.
Dallisgrass is an opportunistic weed. It doesn't do well in established lawns typically. (unless it gets seeded there). All bare and thin spots need to be reseeded with whatever your lawn is. Sept. is a good month for that in your zone, if you're using Rye, Tall Fescue or Bluegrass. Just be sure the seeds are up and stable before using a pre-emergent. After the new grass is stable, use a good pre-emergent to prevent any of the old seeds from germinating. Preen makes a good one. I use it on my lawn at home as well as at work and on my decomposed granite walks. Water it in well and just for safety's sake, put another application on it the spring.
Is Preen better than Amaze? Or do they cover different weeds? I never hear anyone mention Amaze on DG, but that is what we have used on our paths and slopes.
K;
Both of them are hazardous to fish, so be careful around your pond. I chose Preen because it's approved for vegetable gardens. Amaze is not. You can Google both of them and get a list of which weeds they cover, but they'll both do most broad leaf weeds and grasses. Unless you have a specific problem that's not being covered by what you're using, either is probably fine.
Thanks, DP! I'll do some price-checking, too - I can probably go with the cheapest. We usually do the pond weed removal manually, or paint RoundUp on hard-to-remove stuff that doesn't have contact with the water.
