Please help identify this weed

Maxhawk – posted 26 May 2005 14:32

My Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda is full of this stuff. It grows in clumps and pulls very easily, but there’s simply too much of it do by hand. The lawn is 2.5 years old and the last two years it has been fine. This spring however I’ve got total infestation.

http://maxhawk.flagshiphosting.com/misc/yardweed.jpg

It’s been suggested that it’s Kentucky bluegrass, or Poa Annua?

ted – posted 26 May 2005 19:40

that’s what it is. poa annua. try pre-emergents in the fall or wait for it to burn off in the summer.

Maxhawk – posted 26 May 2005 21:18

Thanks. What baffles me is that I applied Halts both in the fall and late winter/early spring. The crabgrass was well under control this year, but not this new weed.

Perhaps I need to try a different pre-emergent herbicide? I’ve read that Velocity and Prograss are both good, but they seem to be awfully expensive. Any other recommendations besides Halts?

cohiba – posted 27 May 2005 06:38

Poa is a winter annual. For a preM to work it would need to be applied in Fall.

My two cents……………

ted – posted 27 May 2005 18:25

what baffles me is why you used Halts… seriously, these more difficult weeds really require a licensed pro.

Maxhawk – posted 27 May 2005 20:01

I used Halts for the crabgrass that I got the first year. It’s worked for that, but this is the first year I’ve had the Poa Annua infestation.

By your comment, does that mean I can’t apply the stronger pre-emergent myself, or that I must hire a pro lawn-care company?

cohiba – posted 28 May 2005 07:22

Ted,

With all due respect: do you think a pro applicator can control poa annua? In some respects I think a Pro is limited in what he will do because of fear of legal issues. Whether something works or not.

On the other hand, a homeowner who can get products from his friend/cousin/brother, (who has legal access to a good product) is more free to experiment. Who knows maybe a group of nieghbors would pitch in for the $100/ounce price of velocity, divvy up the grains with a gram scale, and treat thier own lawns? On the other hand the, the pro would read the label and see that velocity isn’t labeled for home lawns and say “Sorry, you have to wait till the poa burns out!”

Who would kill the poa first? And if the lawn gets screwed up; who is going to catch the crap?

The homeowner would just write into the forum and ask what he can do to bring back his dead lawn.

The pro would be calling his lawyer, the DEP, EPA, poision control, and the SPCA, ect.

Put my $ on the homeowners………………

ted – posted 31 May 2005 15:41

yeah, but my lawns never had it to begin with! i was never afraid to use any product, no matter what the cost, and if applied correctly they should work well. this guy has spent money and time trying to make store bought products work and they just won’t, and if he had a “friend” in the business why is he having so much trouble???

with all respect to the mighty golf pro…Ted

phents01 – posted 13 June 2005 20:13

First of all I don’t know what poa annua (or whatever is), but is identified as a grass or a weed. If it is not a weed there is not need spending a lot of money on pre-emergents because that is for weeds. But look on the label of the pre-emergent. It only kills a certain number of weeds and there are about 3X more weeds out there than what the emergent can handle. Its best work is done on crabgrass. I put preemergent down on my lawn this year and it worked great for the crabgrass. But in places where I am trying to get rid of wiregrass, the crab grass started to fill in those areas. I still had this poa (whatever) that wasn’t touched at all by the preemergent. … my thoughts.

cohiba – posted 15 June 2005 12:41

A weed is any plant not wanted where it is located. Bermuda is a grass, but in a flower bed it is a weed. The same can be true of plants that escape the flower beds and end up in the lawn. A tree growing in a crack….It may be a tree, but in this case it is a weed.

Poa is a plant. If you don’t mind it in your yard there is no need to treat. If you have a lawn that is not the same texture, color or growing habit as poa annua; you may consider it a weed. Also, if you don’t mind the holes in your lawn when the poa annua burns up in summer; you may not consider it a weed. It’s your preference.

The following PreM’s list Poa annua on the label: Dimension, Ronstar, Surflan, and Pendulum. The key to its control is timing. When you apply PreM in spring it is too late because the Poa annua has already emerged. Poa annua is a winter annual. It germinates in fall. Therefore you would apply the PreM in early fall to keep may weeds (ie: dandelions), in addition to Poa annua from germinating. WARNING: Even though grasses aren’t considered weeds the PreM may prohibit grasses from germinating also. So if you are over seeding don’t apply any preM!

Siduron will allow grasses to germinate but will not allow crabgrass…………..