# Poa taking over my yard



## Burnzy34 (10 mo ago)

I believe I have a combination of poa trivialis and annua that continues to spread in my yard despite my best efforts. Last year, I spot treated with glyco, picked the roots as much as I could when it was dead, then overseeded. The new grass grew in nicely, but then was overtaken during the late fall / winter. It is now to the point where it is too much of my yard to spot treat with glyco without my yard looking horrible. I also planted a new lawn in the back yard last year, and this now has some new poa as well and it seems to be spreading quickly. I used Preen crabgrass control in both the front and back at the start of winter last year, which is supposed to control poa species, but I did not reapply. I have read that pre-emergent is the best way to fight this, but I feel it is too late and the damage has been done. It's like all my time spent in getting this beautiful lawn is getting ruined and I don't know what else to do. I don't want to spot treat with glyco every year, as the yard looks terrible and there is too much of it now. See attached pictures. Appreciate any and all advice. I live in Western Washington in the North Seattle metro.


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## jduncan (Jul 22, 2017)

Hey Burnzy,
I feel your pain. I'm in Seattle also and have fighting the Poa A battle for at least ten years. My strategy for the last few years has been a tank mix of Ethofumesate (.33 fl oz per K) and Tenacity (.12 fl oz per K). Three apps two weeks apart. Last fall I sprayed on 10/9, 10/23 and 11/6. So far this has worked well. As for this spring and summer I'd get your pre-emergent down asap. I'd also think you'd benefit from Anuew as a PGR. I've got all of these products and would be happy to give you a hand. Your sprayer game has to be top notch when using Etho.


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## Don_Julio (Aug 16, 2021)

This is depressing to read. I pray I do not get this problem. I noticed some in my backyard last fall. I just put my first app of Pre-M two days ago. I do not want to go through all this work and have to start over again in the near future.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

@Burnzy34 I think the advice from @jduncan is a great place to start. The battle with poa a in the PNW is a tough one as it is often a perennial biotype.

Here is a resource compiled from a couple of PNW university extensions. The chemicals listed for control are not cheap and need to be applied with the utmost caution.

https://pnwhandbooks.org/weed/horticultural/turfgrass/annual-bluegrass

https://pnwhandbooks.org/weed/horticultural/turfgrass/annual-bluegrass-weed-control-turf


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Before you battle poa a, make sure it is poa. It does not look like poa to me. Post better pictures in the weed Id area. It almost looks like annual ryegrass. What seeds did you use last year?


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## Burnzy34 (10 mo ago)

@g-man Ok I will do so. There are two different types that have grew in. Some look like poa annua and some look like poa triv. I will take closer picures and post in the weed ID section. I used JB sun and shade mix which includes chewing's fescue, red fescue and perennial ryegrass.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

In the PNW Poa is almost impossible to eliminate. 
Do what I did. Switch to growing Poa. Pic taken today.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

I found the only way to control POA is a constant pre M barrier year round and even that takes a few years to eliminate it and doing a over seed just complicates things.


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

You know what must be done…


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## stevehollx (Apr 8, 2020)

Shindoman said:


> In the PNW Poa is almost impossible to eliminate.
> Do what I did. Switch to growing Poa. Pic taken today.


What does it look like in peak summer? Poa A is toast here by early May. :bandit:


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

stevehollx said:


> Shindoman said:
> 
> 
> > In the PNW Poa is almost impossible to eliminate.
> ...


It never really gets that hot here compared to the rest of North America. In the heat of the summer the bentgrass will dominate and thrive. Here's a pic from early July 2021.


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## jduncan (Jul 22, 2017)

It looks like the OP is mowing at rotary height. I've never seen a 2 Putt/True Putt mix with bent at anything higher than tee box height. Does this mix work at 2"?


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## cleohioturf (Jul 20, 2020)

I would guess, without having used that mix, it will not be good at 2" plus.

I am flooded with poa and bent. Its common around here, as much as I have tried to eliminate, I am now moving towards incorporating.

Keep trying to talk myself out of a full 007 bent, just let it be.


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## jduncan (Jul 22, 2017)

I know that color is comparative,,, and mazama and poa are on opposite sides of the scale for sure. Try the combo of etho + meso,,, three apps right up against first frost. The bent will be toast and the poa will be reduced by 80 percent. In 2 or 3 years and you'll be poa free. (I edited the last comment out) I've been following both Shindoman and Rule11's transition to poa and they both have amazing lawns.


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## zeroibis (Sep 28, 2020)

When reading this UGA study I found some great references to using MESO as a post emergent. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/yu_jialin_201412_phd.pdf



> Mesotrione is a PRE herbicide but also provides POST control of annual bluegrass
> (Anonymous 2013; Askew et al. 2003; Hart and McCullough 2009). Newly seeded or
> established cool-season turfgrasses including Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall
> fescue are tolerant to mesotrione (Askew et al. 2003; Blume 2009; S Bhowmik 2009; Hart and
> ...


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## Argus (9 mo ago)

My backyard was over run this winter with POA. I have 20-30 large (2 foot wide) patches throughout the lawn. I understand that by treating with pre-emergent over time I may be able to control it. But what do I do about what's there now? I am going to aerate and overseed in late April early May, so I understand it's probably not good to treat with a post-emergent now as it will make it hard for the new grass to germinate. Is it okay to leave in place for this season and start the pre-emergent routine this fall? Or should I spot with Glysophate and kill it now. If I do use Glysophate, do I just leave the dead Poa where it is, or do I have to dig it up before overseeding? And, none of my immediate neighbors seem to have any poa. Any idea why I got it so bad?


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## Square_Dancer (10 mo ago)

Is the second picture in the OP Poa Triv or Poa Annua? 
Whatever it is, I've got it going on in my lawn at the moment!


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## GreenMountainLawn (Jul 23, 2019)

That second close-up pic does not look like Poa A, better chance of it being Triv, but I not sure if it is really Triv either. Like G-Man said maybe annual Rye or some other undesirable.


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## Argus (9 mo ago)

does anyone know if adding Turf Mark blue dye will reduce the effectiveness of glysophate. I put some glyshophate down with dye and it doesn't seem to be working. How long does glysophate need to work?


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

Argus said:


> does anyone know if adding Turf Mark blue dye will reduce the effectiveness of glysophate. I put some glyshophate down with dye and it doesn't seem to be working. How long does glysophate need to work?


It doesn't seem to hurt a thing. I smoked 100sf of triv this spring with dye mixed in the tank. It did take longer than I expected. It was 10 days before anything looked sick. It's toast now.


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## Scagfreedom48z+ (Oct 6, 2018)

I've been digging out spots like crazy, dropping new soil in and having seed primed with roots release to go. It's been relatively satisfying that I'm putting a dent in it. I just hope the grass matures enough by the heat of summer. I do have irrigation but still concerned


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## PNW_George (May 28, 2018)

Argus said:


> does anyone know if adding Turf Mark blue dye will reduce the effectiveness of glysophate. I put some glyshophate down with dye and it doesn't seem to be working. How long does glysophate need to work?


It has been very cool all April in the PNW. Glyphosate works best and fastest when temperatures get closer to 60 degrees and above. It should still work, eventually, but you might need to reapply after the temperature warms up.

_Extremely cool or cloudy weather following treatment may slow activity of this product and delay
development of visual symptoms._


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## Captquin (Aug 22, 2019)

jduncan said:


> Hey Burnzy,
> I feel your pain. I'm in Seattle also and have fighting the Poa A battle for at least ten years. My strategy for the last few years has been a tank mix of Ethofumesate (.33 fl oz per K) and Tenacity (.12 fl oz per K). Three apps two weeks apart. Last fall I sprayed on 10/9, 10/23 and 11/6. So far this has worked well. As for this spring and summer I'd get your pre-emergent down asap. I'd also think you'd benefit from Anuew as a PGR. I've got all of these products and would be happy to give you a hand. Your sprayer game has to be top notch when using Etho.


Would this work now and during the summer if Poa persists?


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## jduncan (Jul 22, 2017)

I've never tried it during the heat of the summer. Maybe some have and will chime in. Here's the label: https://www.pestrong.com/attachment.php?id_attachment=3536 
It shows mostly fall apps, with some grass types having a spring follow-up. And here's a thread that has some other strategies including the WSU plan that I've been using: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=21538


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