I'm trying to identify the type of grass that is growing on my lawn. A few of the neighbors told us it was Kentucky Bluegrass...another said different. I went out and purchased a bag of seed that was a mixture of Rye and Kentucky Bluegrass. Now it looks like I have a different type of grass growing. I hope the pictures are helpful and that someone out there can let me know what type of grass it is. Thanks!
More pictures to my previous post....
Here is another....
More....but I think this is a weed. If so, can anyone identify it??? If it is a weed, what do you recommend as a treatment to rid my lawn of this. There are several of these popping up here and there.
This message was edited Jun 18, 2008 6:29 PM
Still more....this is a picture of the original grass before any new seed was applied. What type..I don't know.
The last one...
It doesn't look like you have a consistent type of grass in your lawn. Some of the pictures are Kentucky bluegrass, but most of them look like crabgrass - which is a weed. I also noticed some clover in there.
First thing I would do is get rid of the weeds - some look like grass, but you'll notice they are different in color (usually lighter) and they have broader leaves. Use a broad spectrum spray-in herbacide. I perfer Ortho, but Spectracide and Bayer also make good ones. The spray-in kind is great because it's fast acting. It will kill only weeds, but leaves grass intact. You will likely want to rake out the crabgrass once it dies.
You will likely have a more consistant color of grass once this is done which may make it easier to decide what type of seed to use. You're local garden store will likey have a mix that is native to the area you live it which is probably what will survive the herbacide. It looks like you're in PA which usually is a bluegrass mix.
But again, I wouldn't do anything until you get rid of the weeds.
Thanks BBQ_King....I tried the Ortho Weed b gone Max and it got rid of the white clover. Now I have the issue with lots and lots of crabgrass as you noted. I think I have to wait until the cooler temps come around before applying the weed killer again. Am I correct? A few people told me that if I spray now (it's been in the 90's these past few days) the chemical might kill off all the good grass so I guess I'll have to wait a bit. Once again...thanks very much for the reply.
I'd also check the label and see what it says about how frequently you can apply it, if you're reapplying to the same area, you may need to wait several weeks regardless of what temperature it is outside. The label should also tell you if it needs to be below a certain temperature when you apply it.
I brought my reading glasses to the store so I could read the tiny print on the weedkiller labels. It seems that there is the RoundUp type spray, which kills everything, and the "weedkiller" type spray, which saves the grass and targets the weeds. However, the weedkillers didn't list crabgrass as one of the things that the product would kill. I wonder if that's because crabgrass is more grassy in makeup than weedy? There were also crabgrass killers, sold separately. I didn't find a product that would kill weeds including crabgrass, but would leave the regular grass alive.
The weedkillers I looked at cautioned against using at temperatures above 90 degrees ... labels said at that temp, the grass might die too.
If there is a product that combines crabgrass AND weed eliminators, I'd buy it and save spraying over and over.
Crabgrass needs a preventive in the spring. I haven't found anything that gets rid of it (yet) while it's growing. Maybe someone else has.
Thanks to all who posted responses. They are greatly appreciated. Since I'm kinda new at this landscape/gardening venture, it helps to have opinions of others.
Juno61, you're correct in the 90 degree caution. I was tempted to spray more, but the temps here in Bensalem are in the 90's until next week. I don't want to risk killing what good grass that has been growing. We're doing pretty good with all the bare spot repair on the lawn. It took lots of new grass seeds to accomplish this. Patience pays in the end. I think most of this crab grass came from the soil we added to our lawn. It wasn't really clean when we added it, but the price was right. As the 'ole saying goes..."one gets what one pays for!". Ugh! I've learned a lesson here for sure. Next year no junk soil.
Flowerjen, I'm beginning to believe in what you stated. There isn't a product out there, at least not that I have found, that will kill crabgrass that is growing. I started this treatment too late in the season. Again, another lesson learned. Same goes with the Japanese Beetles! I've set out some beetle traps that really helped, but it would have been better to treat the whole lawn beforehand with some killer chems! I will add this in the fall to prepare for next season. A product called "Grubx" (spelling?) seems to have good reviews as well as the chemical that Bayer puts out. I'll post my results when the time comes.
Ecrane3...the label stated that we have to wait approx. 3 - 4 weeks between applications. It also mentioned that new grass should be cut at least 3x before applying the chemical. I imagine it would kill off the new sprouts of grass if applied too soon.
Once again...thanks for all your input. Now it's back to da garden!
