Weeds taking over organic Bermuda lawn

16 years ago

Hey everyone, I posted this in the weed forum, but I thought I'd post here too since I visit this forum quite a bit and know you know what you are talking about. I need help in identifying this weed. It is running rampant in my front yard. We've had lots of rain lately, so that's probably helping. I've just started going organic over the last two year or so, so no pre-m was used. I use SBM and alfalfa pellets, but never can find any CGM around here (Fort Smith, AR) to use as a pre-m.

Is this crabgrass? It's so widespread and not in clumps like I usually see it.

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Comments (6)

rcnaylor
16 years ago
I'd guess quack grass. If so, the good news is its an annual. but, it re-seeds like crazy.

Of course, the best defense against weeds in any lawn is a good thick grass. With bermuda it likes alot of nitrogen in the summer and likes to be mowed pretty low and OFTEN.

I try to stay mostly organic but used pre-m on an area that my dogs keep worn down and that had a bad infestation of quack grass last year. It seems to have helped alot.
okcdan
16 years ago
I have some of this stuff (whatever it is) in my back yard where I dug out a post that was sunk in concrete. After I dug out the concrete, I filled it with dirt. It's left about a 2' circle of bare dirt. This stuff germinated from some weeds seeds I guess. As the bermuda spreads to cover, it's crowding this stuff out. Mow often, mow low, fertilze once a month & it'll make it's way outta there.

(PS. the only reason I think this stuff germinated there is due to all the rain we've had here in Oklahoma the last several weeks. I've had measurable rain at my house now for the last 20 straight days! Once we get back to the normal Oklahoma hot dry weather & I'm back to only watering twice a month, while mowing every 3rd day, my lawn is so dense virtually NO weeds survive.)

Good day, Dan
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I think you might be safe ignoring our typical warnings for summer applications of anything. How often do you get temperatures above 85 in the summer? If your temps typically run in the high 70s to low 80s, then you can do what you want. You have what the rest of us would consider to be fall type weather while we're suffering in more heat. The white flowered plant is Dutch white clover. The yellow flowered plant is black medic. Between the two of these weeds, I would much rather live with the clover. At least it becomes dense and looks fairly lush. Black medic just looks scrappy. To eliminate these completely requires something like Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. If you think you can get rid of these organically then you'll have a future of internal conflict with reality. The mix you are using with vinegar will kill the tops of many plants, but only rarely kills the root. Plus it works best on hot sunny days...which you don't really get up there on the lake. I am a 100% organic fertilizer kind of guy and have been for 15 years. At the same time I see the value to having a nice lawn with no weeds. What you might consider is using the chemicals one or two times up front to get rid of them, then follow that up with a grass "densification" program to help keep weeds out in the future. Reseed the thin areas with Kentucky bluegrass. KBG is the kind of grass that will spread to fill in thin areas in the future. In your area it may go through the summer with only rainfall. Otherwise, it may go dormant in the summer dry spell and/or heat, such as it is in Racine. Fall is generally the time of year to reseed northern grasses. In your case you might start toward the end of July and get good results. My organic fertilizer of choice is alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow). I like it because it is available at every feed store in my area, and it works. You might find that something like soybean meal, corn gluten meal, corn meal, cottonseed meal, or Milorganite is more available to you. Certainly Milorganite is available in Racine!! The application rate for all of these is 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You might be able to get a discount on a pallet for your acreage. If you live in an affluent area and want to keep your lawn up to their standards, it's going to cost you some money.
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rcnaylor
16 years ago
I did it again. Mixed up quack grass and goose grass. Its goose grass if you ask me.

Here's a ling with pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: goose grass
turfer
16 years ago
That looks like smooth crab grass but it might be goose grass because these look the same unless we identified the seed heads. From the picture it doesn't look like it is covered with hair, in which case - it would have been Hairy Crab Grass.

Check out link I found on smooth crab grass (http://www.msuturfweeds.net/details/_/smooth_crabgrass_49). There is also information on hairy crab grass from the same website.

I live in Springdale, AR and found bulk corn gluten meal in Fayetteville, AR. It's a feed store on 6th Street. There is also one in Johnson, AR where they sell bagged corn gluten meal, check out their website - you might be able to order online (http://www.nitron.com/).
syman
16 years ago
I thought Corn Gluten Meal works only as a pre-emergent. Since the crabgrass is already well established, dont you think its too late for CGM to be effective?Is there a post-emergent organic alternative? Or is that what the Vinegar soultion is supposed to be ie post emergent.
razorbird
Original Author
16 years ago
The CGM would be a pre-m. I might try to head up to Fayetteville next spring to get some. I'm going to see what frequent mowing will do as we start to heat up and dry out here, but I might give the baking soda a try in a couple of spots. I've used a vinegar solution as a spot treatment before with fairly good results as well.

Weeds taking over organic Bermuda lawn

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rcnaylor

okcdan

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Weeds taking over organic Bermuda lawn

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rcnaylor

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