Quack Grass

[crothmeier]

I planted my back yard new this spring, and have been trying to control the weeds all summer long. 90% of the lawn is full and nice, with one corner full of Quack grass. I've been pulling the weeds, roots and all here and there but it seems like im getting nowhere. Some of the plants have gone to seed and now im thinking ive lost the battle. What can i put on these to kill them and not my good grass, so that they wont come back next year? Id like to get a handle on this so that it doest spread to the rest of my good lawn.

[fishuhalik]

Nothing that I know of. Pulling the quack is pretty futile cuz you always leave some of the root and it just comes back. All you're doing is slowing the spread down. You need a non-selective herbicide like round-up. I've posted this trick before and alot of my customers have had success with it. Take a hockey stick, put a sock on the blade, and soak the sock in round-up. Let the quack grow a little so it sticks a good 5-6" above the good grass, then brush the hockey stick over the tips of the grass. Just be careful and make sure you don't step on the areas you've brushed, cuz it WILL kill your good grass. Also, you do have to get a decent amount of product on the quack to make sure it dies. And one more thing, make sure you don't do it when a rain is in the forecast, if some water washed the round-up off the quack and into the ground it'll kill your grass. Good luck!!

[crothmeier]

the is sort of the same as the q-tip trick i've heard. dabbing each plant with roundup. i think i will spend an afternoon this weekend sitting on the ground with some q-tips.

[lindy rig]

I have heard similar tips using a paint brush.

Does anyone have pictures of quack grass vs. crab grass or how to tell the difference?

[Powerstroke]

Crabgrass is a low growing plant, usually below the mower deck and will have large seed heads on it right now.

Quack will grow upright have much wider blades of grass than the rest of the lawn. It will be a lighter color and grows faster so it will be taller if its been a while since you've mowed.

The only way to rid yourself of quack is roundup or another non-selective herbicide.

[lindy rig]

Ok that confirms my thoughts on crabgrass. I've been pulling some of these clumps by hand.

I think I have some quack grass though too..... seems like a ton of work to rid yourself of this.. and while possibly taking out some good grass too.

Would it be ok to "nuke" portions of the yard right now (mainly near the boulevard/driveway) with round-up and then reseed those areas next spring?

[LwnmwnMan2]

The crabgrass and quack will die out as soon as you have a hard freeze.

The crabgrass can then be controlled in the spring with a decent preventer, and if you have a heavy area of crab, put the pre-emergent down at the correct time, then follow it up about 4 weeks later with another app of pre-emergent.

If it's quack, you're going to have to kill those plants, either "nukeing" everything, or running around with a paint brush.

One tip that may help with this warmer weather. If you're quackgrass is limited to one area of the grass, mow that area shorter next time. Not so short you're digging up the soil, but 1" +/- than usual.

The quackgrass will more than likely grow faster than the normal grass, and when it pops up, put a sock, tape a sponge etc., to the end of a hockey stick or other pole. You can then swing this contraption back and forth over the taller quackgrass without getting the good grass.

It'll help you older guys with being able to walk the next day.