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weed identification: is this quackgrass?

9 years ago

My backyard is filled with two weeds: oxalis and whatever this is (see attached image). I think it might be quackgrass.
The roots run. I pulled up one root that was almost 18" long before it broke off.

The yard is also very uneven. I would like to kill all the grass, rake it out so it is smooth and then reseed or sod it. The yard is a 27'x55' rectangle.

I want to know what weed this is so I know what I'm up against.

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

jeanne
9 years ago
Compare your weed to nutsedge.
jean001a
9 years ago
To determine if it's nutsedge, see this
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7432.html

Here is a link that might be useful: 2 different nutsedges
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I find with quack the best defense is a good offense. Take good care of your lawn and it will get choked out. But notwithstanding... when I first sodded my yard I had some spots of quackgrass that came from the nursery. I was told to mow my grass very short in the spot with quack. The quack rows faster / higher than the lawn, so using a string soaked in non-selective roundup carefully run the string over the longer quack. This avoids killing the rest of your lawn.
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Tillage and hand weeding of the sprouts is your most likely route to control if you don't want to use herbicides. Glyphosate is highly effective, however as mentioned it will take several applications, and nature abhors a void so roots from the quackgrass outside the sprayed area will quickly colonize back in, which means continuing control efforts. Tillage will also require continued control effots. Putting out a barrier on top of the ground may work, however these roots can go quite a ways and you probably don't want that much barrier. Putting in a root barrier significantly deeper than you tried might work, but it also needs to be a bit above the surface to keep the roots from going over. Not to deny your neighbor's problems, but I really can't imagine the neighbor would contact herbicides you apply if applied correctly unless they are spending a lot of time on your property and in the treated areas.
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Comments (1)
Look for "clasping auricles" at the collar that is one of the hallmarks of Quackgrass. Your pic doesn't seem to have this.
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Comments (13)
Sedges generally do not have rounded stems - they will be flattened or triangular in shape and solid....grasses are rounded and usually with hollow stems (although at that size, that may be hard to determine). Sedges also tend not have any sheaths (the dry material showing). In any case, if it is not something you want in your lawn, it is safe to consider it a weed :-) RoundUp/glyphosate will take care of it but it may need several applications before full control. And it will also kill off any of the desired turf grass it comes in contact with. It is also getting pretty late in the season to be overseeding in your area now. Tricky to get the new grass to grow and develop a decent root system before really cold weather sets in. You might want to repost this in theLawn Care forum. There are a couple of lawn gurus who frequently post there that are very good at ID'ing weed grasses and recommending specific herbicides that will address these and not kill off the rest of the lawn as well. And they can also explain the ins and outs of reseeding and when best to do so in your area. But I am afraid you might have missed the mark this season.
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Kimmsr
9 years ago
The roots of Nutsedge run fairly close to the soil surface and are quite thin(24 gauge wire) and produce small nut like nodules at the ends of a root while the roots of Quack Grass can run fairly deep (I've found them 10 inches down) and will produce a set of hairy rootlets about every 6 inches or so and are often about #2 pencil lead thick.
The photo does look to me like Quack Grass, not Nutsedge.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quackgrass

This post was edited by kimmsr on Thu, May 23, 13 at 7:25
jaybuff
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks everyone! I took a look at nutsedge and it does not flower like that. I'm pretty sure it's quack grass.

Since the whole yard is nothing but weeds and uneven I plan to kill it all with glyphosate then use a rototiller so I can rake it flat before planting an 80% fescue blend.

Thanks!
Beeone
9 years ago
That is not quackgrass. The presentation of the stems and the midrib in the leaves are wrong.

I'm not familiar with johnson grass, although it is often considered the southern equivalent to quack grass (in terms of invasiveness and just plain old nastiness). It does have a different look from quack grass, though, particularly the seed heads.
northstarkdj
last year
This looks like Goose grass.

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