Can anyone identify this weed so I can work out how to remove it?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Can anyone identify this weed so I can work out how to remove it?

timmmay

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#153931 13-Oct-2014 11:36

This white headed grassy weed's growing in patches all over my lawns, I'd like to get rid of it. Anyone know what it is, and how to get rid of it?

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#1152672 13-Oct-2014 11:43

After finding a weed database it looks like annual poa. Apparently very widespread and difficult to remove as things that control it also kill most grasses :(

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#1152680 13-Oct-2014 11:49

Looks like you got the correct ID by yourself. In the future try the NatureWatch NZ site: http://naturewatch.org.nz/ it is really good for getting IDs on any organism, and your photos and location data are used to create distribution records around the country.

On your weed, I would try to do something soon even manual removal beore those seedheads spread it further.

timmmay

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#1152710 13-Oct-2014 11:55

Yeah I'll dig it out today before I mow the lawn. I end up pulling out most of the larger weeds, which generally means having to plant new grass seed there.

Stu

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#1152713 13-Oct-2014 11:56

It's not mine, Officer! Never seen it before in my life! Oh, not THAT weed..

I concur. Probably have to kill the whole area and re-sow with grass seed, or manually dig it out and that'll be painstaking and prone to failure anyway I guess. Not to mention the holes in the lawn. Hate that stuff. :-/

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timmmay

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#1152728 13-Oct-2014 12:01

I keep grass seed here, and I have plenty of soil, compost, etc to grow new grass in. I've probably dug 50-75 weeds up and resowed over the past year, you can't tell so long as you use the same type of grass seed. I still have some patches from the grass that didn't take in winter, you really need to sow on moist warm days in spring/summer, as seed needs to be kept moist to germinate - if it dries out after getting wet the germination rate drops heaps.

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#1152778 13-Oct-2014 12:56

You could still mow those heads off.

Instead of using a normal composting method, try putting weeds mowed down this way into a water filled bin (or black bag lined bin) so that the plant matter rots through. The result can then be added to regula composting but the seeds will be useless.

Good luck, but yeah, act now, those seeds look ready to go.

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timmmay

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#1152785 13-Oct-2014 12:59

I don't compost grass, I just chuck it out.

I probably have 25-50 of these weeds around the lawn, I probably can't actually get them all. I can pull out the worst ones, and I can mow the lot, but if I rip them all out I'll have a lot of patches in the lawn. I guess that's not a problem, I just wait for wet weather and sow some grass seed the day before.

This weed makes seed early in it's life cycle, so the seeds are already everywhere.

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#1153068 13-Oct-2014 18:59

Remind me what grass you have?

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timmmay

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#1153100 13-Oct-2014 19:41

Fine fescue and another slightly more hardy type.

http://www.tuigarden.co.nz/product/tui-superstrike-superfine-lawn-seed

Sorry on phone can't do hyperlink

Niel

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#1153856 14-Oct-2014 18:32

Ah, that's right. I've got tall fescue because Auckland is too humid for fine fescue, but you could go with fine fescue. And Wool-Gro only does tall fescue.

On tall fescue I know you can use TurfClean and LawnClean. One of them works better than the other as it is a mix of (I think 3 of) the herbicides used on tall fescue. Not perfect, but it is about the best you can do with herbicide. It is worth looking into those, Google the ingredients of those herbicides and see if it is suitable for fine fescue (product label and web site does not say). The other recommended method is to dab a bit of Roundup on the weed. You will kill some grass, but if you are careful then it will be less damage than pulling the weeds up. Fescue does not grow runners so you will only kill where you apply.

NZ is a bit hard to get recommendations for herbicides, and the ones that work are only available in commercial qty and price. What I did was to Google it and look at mainly US results, then take note of the herbicide and find a local product containing it. Fescue is a bit easier than other grasses as herbicide tends to run off it rather than puddle on the leaves. And pre-germination herbicides (which affects seeds) are also useful for stopping annual weeds.

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#1153926 14-Oct-2014 20:40

As an ag science graduate from some decades ago, I feel obliged to point people to an excellent resource regarding weeds from my alma mater. Its very well maintained by Kerry Harrington and colleagues at Massey and has the added benefit of being developed from a NZ perspective. Not solely focussed on pasture - also covers off dealing with weeds in lawns where appropriate (e.g. see the link below to poa annua and difficulty of dealing with it in fine turf). Takes me back to my weed collection required as part of my degree in those days - found it recently in my parents' garage roof space - still intact in box after 30+ years!! Scary!

http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/colleges/college-of-sciences/clinics-and-services/weeds-database/annual-poa.cfm

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timmmay

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#1153942 14-Oct-2014 21:13

Niel: Ah, that's right. I've got tall fescue because Auckland is too humid for fine fescue, but you could go with fine fescue. And Wool-Gro only does tall fescue.

On tall fescue I know you can use TurfClean and LawnClean. One of them works better than the other as it is a mix of (I think 3 of) the herbicides used on tall fescue. Not perfect, but it is about the best you can do with herbicide. It is worth looking into those, Google the ingredients of those herbicides and see if it is suitable for fine fescue (product label and web site does not say). The other recommended method is to dab a bit of Roundup on the weed. You will kill some grass, but if you are careful then it will be less damage than pulling the weeds up. Fescue does not grow runners so you will only kill where you apply.

NZ is a bit hard to get recommendations for herbicides, and the ones that work are only available in commercial qty and price. What I did was to Google it and look at mainly US results, then take note of the herbicide and find a local product containing it. Fescue is a bit easier than other grasses as herbicide tends to run off it rather than puddle on the leaves. And pre-germination herbicides (which affects seeds) are also useful for stopping annual weeds.

I think I might just have to live with it. The only one that works is only available in industrial quantities it seems :(

edge: As an ag science graduate from some decades ago, I feel obliged to point people to an excellent resource regarding weeds from my alma mater. Its very well maintained by Kerry Harrington and colleagues at Massey and has the added benefit of being developed from a NZ perspective. Not solely focussed on pasture - also covers off dealing with weeds in lawns where appropriate (e.g. see the link below to poa annua and difficulty of dealing with it in fine turf). Takes me back to my weed collection required as part of my degree in those days - found it recently in my parents' garage roof space - still intact in box after 30+ years!! Scary!

http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/colleges/college-of-sciences/clinics-and-services/weeds-database/annual-poa.cfm

Yeah that's where I found it, linked to it above too, thanks :)

edge

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#1154496 15-Oct-2014 14:51

Yeah that's where I found it, linked to it above too, thanks :)

Whoops - never looked at the link!!

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#1155726 15-Oct-2014 22:03

Looks like in the USA it is called Kentucky Bluegrass, and looks like most herbicide for controlling it is the same as for controlling Tall Fescue (so would likely also affect fine fescue). I've got some of this in my lawn which is probably why it is not going away with herbicide. But not much and I've managed to pull a fair bit out by hand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_pratensis

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timmmay

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#1155838 16-Oct-2014 07:59

That does look pretty similar, and yeah no easy way to control. I can't easily remove it by hand, it's everywhere, and it'd mean digging up a significant fraction of my lawn. Using the wipe on roundup may be the best idea I've heard so far, then fixing up the damage. But it'll probably just come back anyway.

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