Help with Winter Blade Grass in Tiff Green Bermuda

Noel – posted 14 February 2004 13:08

I live in Orange County in Southern California. This winter I have had sometype of a green bladed grass with white seeds or pods growing all over my Tiff green Bermuda lawn. The grass grows in clumps and seems to have a sort of shallow root system. I can grab hold and pull the clumps up. Can someone tell what it is and how I might control it? I hope it is just a winter grass, but I dont know for sure.

tommy – posted 14 February 2004 16:26

It sounds like poa annual,(annual bluegrass).Its usually controlled in So.Cal by applying pre-emergence herbicide (such as -‘Scotts Halts’)in the fall,(mid Sept.) You could also apply some pre-emergence now to keep it from spreading any further. Its has thousands of seeds which become viable seemingly over night! It will eventually appear to die out completely in summer…..but the seeds remain and germinate in fall if not controlled.

Noel – posted 14 February 2004 18:35

TommyThanks for the information, I will give the Halts and see if it works. I did apply Halts last February or March in attempt to control crab grass in my lawn.

tommy – posted 14 February 2004 20:31

You can also stress the poa by watering less-(deeply but infrequently!) The shallow rooted poa doesn’t like a dry lawn. Once the rainy season is over- water the Bermuda twice a week for the rest of the spring…..and then go to 3 days a week in the summer. Most homeowners apply way too much water to Bermuda!

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 March 2004 01:16

I’ll go Tommy even better.

Water once a week during July and August and once a month during the rest of the year. When you do water, water for at least an hour or two to get it deep.

ted – posted 05 March 2004 16:22

in the strange info department, there’s actually a fungicide called rubigan, that’s highly effective on poa annua. i know,i know, but it’s true.