Florida Pusley

tallahassee lassie – posted 31 May 2005 06:37

I have a lawn full of Florida Pusley with a sprig or two of centipede here and there.

http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_florida_pusley.htmhttp://www.ag.auburn.edu/agrn/weedsci/weedid/pusley.htmlhttp://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event/problemFinderStep3/type/weed/category/Broadleaf+Weeds/typecat/Search+By+Type/documentId/85cb11e9deaecf34ae7ed41bc7801169

The more I mow the worse it gets, the more I water the worse it gets. When I pull out one giant plant it is replaced in daysby 20 little tiny plants.

I sprayed Basic Solutions Lawn weed killer at the recommended rate for warm season grasses with no effect whatsoever. I sprayed the same thing at the spot treatment rate (8 times more concentrated) and got the leaves to curl a little bit and softened the root a little, but then it came back stronger than ever.

I realize that it’s gravitating toward areas that the centipede is weakened , and if I had perfect turfgrass to begin with I might not have so many problems. But, the fact is, I consider myself luck to have brought most of my centipede back from the dead and now I want it to fill in the bare spots. Unfortunately, the Florida Pusley gets there first and fills them in first. It also creates it’s own bare spots where it can climb over the top of the newly mown grass in a matter of hours.

Has anybody had a similar problem with a severe infestation of this weed?

Should I wait until it dies off and then use a pre-emergent next year? When will it die off? I’ve been monitoring my lawn throughout the winter and I don’t ever remember not having this problem.

When is the best time to use a pre-emergent and how often do I need to use it?

Any help?Katie

mikemaas00 – posted 10 June 2005 14:44

Pusley is a tough one that usually requires multiple applications. It’s too warm to use Atrazine right now, and a 2,4-d product (broadleaf killer) will take multiple applications. The best product for this may be Manor, made by Riverdale/Nufarm. A 2oz bottle will cover around 2 acres or more and is around 100 bucks, but it will do the trick. The Lesco store in Tallahassee will probably sell it to ya. (www.lesco.com) Apply a preemergent in Oct/Nov for winter weeds, then from Feb/March thru May for the summer weeds like Florida pusley. Good luck.