# Help! Quackgrass popping up everywhere!



## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

After learning a tremendous amount from this forum last year, in the fall I:

Killed Weeds / Old clumping tall fescue
Aerated
Slit Seed
Broadcast seed.

Put down a mixture of 4th Millennium and SSS Tall Fescue Blend.

Lawn looked amazing last fall and this spring, compliments from everyone in the neighborhood.

Late spring I started seeing weedy grass popping up and growing faster than the tall fescue. After identifying it as quackgrass (clasping auricles) I tried:

Mixture 1: Gordons Ornamec 170 Grass Herbicide, Tenacity, Triclopyr,

Mixture 2: Fusilade II

I essentially sprayed the entire backyard with the Ornamec 170 mixture. It stunted the fescue pretty severely. Maybe one leaf / stem of some quackgrass was spotted and turned slightly brown after a couple days (PICTURE #3).....but it seems to have come back after 2 weeks unfazed.

Fusilade II I only sprayed in a small couple spots because I was afraid it might kill everything. The few spots I sprayed seem like everything died and the grass just seemed to melt/brown out. I feel like I might of well just sprayed round up.

Any suggestions? Wife think the lawn looks great but the quackgrass is driving me nuts and I know it's only going to go nuts. She also doesn't want to spend money on doing a full renovation and she doesn't want to have a whole yard dead for appearances sake.


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## Coy9901 (Oct 15, 2018)

Wish that I could help more with this, but I'd stay away from the Fusilade II. I used it last fall and it smoked most (all) of the fescue it touched!


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

I usually order from Do My Own, but I'm hoping there's something else I'm not familiar that someone can recommend.

It's too much to manually paint. Right now each plant is 1 or 2 stems so it blends well once cut, but it's only a matter of time.


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## Babaganoosh (Apr 21, 2019)

Spray each plant with glysophate. Some sprayers have a little cone that goes on the wand near the tip to contain the spray to a small area.

Reseed those sections in the fall. Yes it sucks hard. You could use a plugger and take plugs from a part of the yard you don't see as much.


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

Is it possible I didn't spray enough of the Trimec mix on each plant. The fact that Pic 3 shows it's enough to damage / turn brown gives me hope.

Ornamec Over the top is roughly 7% Fluazifop-P-butyl

What I used, the 170 is 1.7%

Fusilade is 24%

I'm wondering if I should try the Ornamec Over the Top...


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

Bumping up to see if anyone has used Ornamec over the top for quack.

Thanks

Jim


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## mooch91 (May 5, 2019)

Sure it's not annual ryegrass?


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## rob13psu (May 20, 2018)

mooch91 said:


> Sure it's not annual ryegrass?


+1 for Annual Rye


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

That would make my day! I'm going to research that now.

What are you seeing that makes you think it's annual rye?


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

Quack has crazy thick and hardy rhizomes.. dig down a little, you will know if you see them it's quack. If it's just roots and a clump of grass then it's rye.


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## td_05 (Mar 28, 2019)

If it is annual rye, does that mean there is a better selective to kill it?


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

I had some success killing my rye by nailing it with tenacity and repeatedly letting it grow tall and knocking it down. Like 4-5" to 2.5"
That being said, its an annual, dont let it seed and put down pre m and you wont see it next year.


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

td_05 said:


> If it is annual rye, does that mean there is a better selective to kill it?


I just ran through everything on DoMyOwn, and anything that would control ryegrass was for warm season grass and was not indicated for use on tall fescue or KBG.


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

Thick n Dense said:


> I had some success killing my rye by nailing it with tenacity and repeatedly letting it grow tall and knocking it down. Like 4-5" to 2.5"
> That being said, its an annual, dont let it seed and put down pre m and you wont see it next year.


So when you hit it with Tenacity it turned white for a while or did you just notice stunted growth? How many times until you think it was dead?


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

JTQ911 said:


> Thick n Dense said:
> 
> 
> > I had some success killing my rye by nailing it with tenacity and repeatedly letting it grow tall and knocking it down. Like 4-5" to 2.5"
> ...


It did turn white. I did two apps at 4 oz rate couple weeks apart. 
I threw some urea in to to promote absortion be careful though. Go with ams not sure its critical though. I slowed my walking speed down a tad to make sure I hit it all. It was from a patch of scotts temporary grass product. I threw down on a slope to prevent runoff while kbg was germinating. I let it seed and it came back this year.

I did mow a lot trying to kill it, so be commited to mowing twice a weak.

I guess I should also add that I was doing a spring N program by spoon feeding eitherbalanced or urea everyweek so this stuff grew a ton, that probably help as well.

You just gott be like dikembe mutombo and when you see it thriving, say, not in my house and knock it down.


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

So I dug up a few today...

I didn't see any rhizomes in all the roots. There were plenty of shoots / stems all close to the ground that I thought were initially the rhizomes.

How did would you expect to see rhizomes?

I may have to repeat this exercise tomorrow and post pictures.

I am cautiously optimistic this is annual rye.

Thanks everyone so far for your help.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

JTQ911 said:


> td_05 said:
> 
> 
> > If it is annual rye, does that mean there is a better selective to kill it?
> ...


i have never used it before but nc state website recommends Echelon (sulfentrazone+prodiamine) as a post and pre for annual rye.


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## LIgrass (May 26, 2017)

JTQ911 said:


> So I dug up a few today...
> 
> I didn't see any rhizomes in all the roots. There were plenty of shoots / stems all close to the ground that I thought were initially the rhizomes.
> 
> ...


When you pull them up you will see the individual plants connected to a network of underground rhizomes like this pic - 







If you're not seeing any of those when you pull them and dig down then it's probably just annual rye


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

Hopefully this doesnt hijack your thread but I would also like some advice on a similar looking plant in my yard. I've noticed the one glossy side of the blade and stolons instead of rhizomes, which leads me to believe annual rye. But still not 100% confident


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