Quackgrass

[DTro]

I’ve noticed several clumps of what I suspect to be Quack in my front yard. From doing some research it appears that this stuff is really bad. Even if you kill it, you really don’t and a lot of sites suggest starting over.

I don’t think I would go to that extreme since there are only a few isolated clumps.

Is it possible that might be something else? I should have taken a picture for positive ID, but the best way I can explain it, is that it grows faster than the rest of the grass and it looks like it grows out of a clump or patch and has wider blades and courser than the rest of the grass.

Should I spray Round Up on the clumps and then fill in with lawn patch after it dies?

[dan z]

Hope it isn't the neighbors dog that's making these " clumps " lol

[LwnmwnMan2]

I’ve noticed several clumps of what I suspect to be Quack in my front yard. From doing some research it appears that this stuff is really bad. Even if you kill it, you really don’t and a lot of sites suggest starting over.

I don’t think I would go to that extreme since there are only a few isolated clumps.

Is it possible that might be something else? I should have taken a picture for positive ID, but the best way I can explain it, is that it grows faster than the rest of the grass and it looks like it grows out of a clump or patch and has wider blades and courser than the rest of the grass.

Should I spray Round Up on the clumps and then fill in with lawn patch after it dies?

^^^^^ There is your answer. There used to be a product called Certainty. It's still on the market, but not too readily available, and quite expensive. Much cheaper to go your route.

[Bushwacker7]

I recommend painting the Round Up on the individual blades of Quack Grass everyday in the morning for at least 5 days when the sun will be shining.

The lawn patch might be okay but if you have Bluegrass, like me, you won't like it because it will introduce Rye Grass to your lawn. Just gave a full bag of it away to Goodwill. Sorry I every used it.

[DTro]

So, is this Quack?

[Dotch]

It's possible but it's tough to tell from the distance the photograph is taken from. If it is quackgrass, probably the most prominent ID characteristic is the clasping auricles on the front side of the stem at the base of the leaf. Unfortunately my weed ID CD won't work with the new confuser (some nonsense about 64 bit blah, blah, blah ) so this is as good as I can do to illustrate the clasping auricles. Look at the photo labelled "collar". Also, if you dig it up, it will have some sharp, pointed rhizomes, which allow the plant to spread w/o seed.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/quackgrass.html

[lindy rig]

Can you "choke" out Quackgrass with an aggressive over-seeding strategy? Or is the Quack too tough for that

[harvey lee]

I use a q-tip and gas and wipe the blades of the quack down and continue to do that until it dies. Not a great way to take care of a large area but a smaller one it will be worth it. Could do the same with Roundup.

It may take some time but it is cheap and has worked for me.

[fishnhuntnboy]

It's hard to tell from that photo. It could be tall fescue/clumpy fescue. It's another perinnel grass that can be an eye sore. To me the best way to get rid of it if it's a small area is to take it heavily and remove as much as you can and then constantly overseed the area to choke it out. To me I just feel that it's to much to go out with a qtip and hit each individual blade with round up till its gone...try and get rid of it if its just a small patch that started to show up cause it will get worse every year

[OnAFly]

I had some of that last year. I just pulled it and made sure I got it all and put down a little soil and seed. The area it was in is fine, but I noticed I have another spot this year.

[fishingstar]

I use a old sock on a hockey stick soaked with round up on it . Just wipe over the top of the dump grass.

That grass looks like buffalo grass. thats what grampa called it.

[CarpinMNRiver]

How big of an area is it? Chop it out and slap in some sod or just reseed it. I have a sod kicker you can borrow or just cut it out with a shovel. Dirt and sod/ grass seed is cheap.

[DTro]

Yeah that is kind of my plan. Round Up did its thing, just need to do a little patch work tomorrow.

Thanks

[H2O Milfoil]

That is a clump of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Quackgrass and smooth bromegrass (a similar species) will come up as an open patch, not as a clump. The control of all three is the same. They are perennial grasses growing in a sod of perennial grasses, so there is no selective control that won't also kill the sod. Use Roundup and apply to the blades only and plan on multiple re-treats until you get it all. Or, just spray out the clump and then reseed or resod when it is dead.

[Tom7227]

A blow torch is faster than Round Up.