Not to alarm you, but there could be an invader in your lawn. These masters of disguise are pros at blending in with your turfgrass while secretly undermining the health and appearance of your lawn. The culprit? Grassy weeds.
From aggressive crabgrass to persistent quackgrass (yep, you read that right), these unwanted guests compete with your lawn for essential resources like water, nutrients, and sunlight. That just means you’ve got to train your eye to learn how to identify grassy weeds.
What Are Grassy Weeds?
When you get right down to it, a weed is just any plant you don’t want in your lawn. So, even though grassy weeds look like turfgrass and often come from a family known as true grasses, Poaceae, they’re not the same thing.
It might be tempting to ignore any signs of grassy weeds on your property since they tend to blend in well with your existing turfgrass. However, grassy weeds need the same nutrients, water, and sunlight as your grass. If you ignore grassy weeds, they may start to out-compete your turfgrass. The result? Eventually, your lawn may start to look uneven and patchy, which could lower your property’s curb appeal.
How to Identify Grassy Weeds in Your Lawn
The key to managing these lawn imposters begins with learning how to identify grassy weeds. You can do this by considering the time of the year, growth pattern, leaf blade characteristics, and unique features that certain grassy weeds possess.
- Time of year: Many grassy weeds germinate in the spring and flourish in the summer. That means summer is a good time to start hunting for them in your lawn.
- Growth pattern: Look for grass growing in noticeable clumps or patches or plants that grow significantly faster than the rest of your lawn.
- Leaf blade characteristics: Compare any plant you suspect of being a grassy weed with your turfgrass. Examine the leaf blade width, color, and texture to see if it differs.
- Unique features: Look for plants that produce seed heads or flower stalks, plants that are noticeably taller than the surrounding grass, or stalks that look different from your normal lawn.
Types of Grassy Weeds
Many different plants fall into the category of grassy weeds, but there are a few types of grassy weeds that are especially common and troublesome for homeowners throughout the United States.
- Crabgrass: This summer annual is the bane of lawn aficionados everywhere. Its light green blades grow in a distinct star-shaped pattern that spreads from a central point like a crab’s legs. It thrives in hot, dry conditions and can produce a huge quantity of seeds each year, making it a recurring problem for many homeowners.
- Foxtail: Named for its distinctive seed heads that resemble a fox’s tail, this annual weed appears in late spring and early summer. It can grow up to three feet tall and thrives in soil with poor drainage. Get rid of this grassy weed as soon as you find it, as it can be dangerous to any pets that spend time in the yard.
- Quackgrass: This perennial grassy weed spreads through both seeds and underground rhizomes, making it difficult to defeat. It also grows an incredibly deep root system, making it especially hard to pull. To identify quackgrass, look for a plant with broad blades and a distinctive blue-green color.
- Annual bluegrass: This is one of the most widespread grassy weeds in the U.S. You can identify bluegrass by its light green color and boat-shaped leaf tips. Its white seed heads are also a distinctive feature.
- Bermudagrass: Sometimes used as turfgrass, bermudagrass becomes a grassy weed when you don’t want it in your lawn. This aggressive grower spreads through both above-ground stolons and underground rhizomes, allowing it to quickly overtake a lawn. Look for a plant with a gray-green color that doesn’t match your turfgrass.
How to Get Rid of Grassy Weeds
Figuring out how to get rid of grassy weeds can be tricky. If you only notice a small amount of weeds in your yard, you can manually pull them by hand or by using a shovel or trowel. Just make sure that you remove the entire weed, including the roots. This method may be less successful if the weeds spread through stolons or rhizomes. In those cases, you may find yourself pulling new weeds each year.
Using a selective herbicide is another common option for getting rid of weeds. Selective herbicides tend to work well on broadleaf weeds, but they can’t always distinguish certain types of grassy weeds from your turfgrass. You’ll first need to identify which types of grassy weeds you have in your yard, then check to see if a selective herbicide will work on them.
If grassy weeds have taken over the majority of your yard, it might be better to use a non-selective herbicide to kill all the plants so you can start over from scratch. It’s a drastic measure, but it might end up saving you from a lot of work and headaches in the long run.
Keep Your Lawn Healthy and Weed-Free
If you really want to know how to get rid of grassy weeds, play a good defense. That translates into taking great care of your lawn. The stronger and healthier your turfgrass, the harder it will be for grassy weeds to sneak in and put down roots (literally).
Ongoing lawn care means regularly mowing, watering, and fertilizing your lawn while also performing important seasonal chores like aeration and dethatching. If you don’t have the time or ability to do this on your own, hire a professional landscaping team like The Grounds Guys®. We are proud to offer commercial and residential weed control services as well as ongoing lawn care and landscaping.
Request a free estimate today.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and may not be applicable to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your home and property. The Grounds Guys are not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of this blog content or your actions. For the most accurate guidance, contact The Grounds Guys location nearest you for a comprehensive, on-site assessment.