Question from Derek
Hey Turf King/Gerry,
Hoping to pick your brain for some knowledge. I have noticed about a dozen small patches of this light green grass in my front lawn toward the end of last year and they have re-emerged this year. This grass grows significantly quicker than the surrounding lawn and is an undesirable light green colour.
I have already top dressed, aerated and overseeded for this season, but I do have seed left over if the best solution is to simply pull out these areas. Is this a weed/invasive grass?
I do not have any of this grass in my back yard which is significantly shadier.
Please advise, I have included pictures to provide more information.
Thank you much,
Derek
Hi Derek
Thanks for reaching out and sending photos
There are basically two possibilities for a lighter green grass with thicker blades that are present in the lawn this time of spring.
1- quack grass or twitch grass
2- tall fescue
Quack grass is a native grass in these parts so can grow from seeds in your lawn - this can come from seeds contained in the soil from sod, soil you purchase or dropped by birds
Tall fescue is not a normal grass found in this area but is sometimes used in certain grass seed mixes one may purchase
How to tell the difference
Tall fescue will pull up in clumps- once you remove that plant it is gone-
Quack grass, on the other hand has underground stems - they look like a root- but they connect one clump to another clump- they grow sideways 2-6 inches deep- if you pull up 2 clump or plants but leave the underground stem that connects them, that stem can regenerate and produce a new plant
It is difficult to tell exactly which one you have for the photo but it is one or the other
Curing the problem
Tall fescue can be pulled up or it can be removed with a thin layer like sod and the reseeded or re- sodded
Quack grass- because the underground stems can be deep is much more difficult
In the old days spraying with Roundup (a liquid herbicide) was the solution - Roundup will kill both quack grass as well as your lawn but a spot spray would get rid of quack grass completely. Unfortunately, it is no longer lawful to use Roundup for this purpose
Digging it out is a big task but can be done
Our lawn library has some tips on quack grass- mowing and care tips that help to crowd it out over time
https://www.turf-king.ca/lawn-library/172-weed-grasses-quack-grass
Please let us know if you need more info