# Sudden blast of tall grass - what is it?



## ahur (Oct 4, 2019)

Hi All,

This is my first spring in this new house, and my first spring caring for a lawn. I was on my way to my shed to sharpen my mower blades for the first mow, and noticed a patch of something much taller and a brighter than the surrounding area. I took a couple of pictures - can anyone point me in a direction to identify what I'm seeing, or tell me what would make for a better picture of what I have, please?





I'm new and I don't know much - so please talk slow, I'm taking notes.

Cheers.


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## stevehollx (Apr 8, 2020)

Crabgrass. Hit it with Weed B Gon Crabgrass (not the standard Weed B Gon; quinclorac is the active ingredient).

Then consider putting crabgrass pre-emergent down. Probably still in the window for Michigan. Prodiamine if you have a sprayer.


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## troksd (Jul 27, 2018)

Perhaps we need to identify the grass 1st. Quinclorac controls a short list of grasses (Crabgrass, Foxtail, Signal....).

Welcome to the forum fellow Charlottean!!



stevehollx said:


> Crabgrass. Hit it with Weed B Gon Crabgrass (not the standard Weed B Gon; quinclorac is the active ingredient).
> 
> Then consider putting crabgrass pre-emergent down. Probably still in the window for Michigan. Prodiamine if you have a sprayer.


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## troksd (Jul 27, 2018)

Can take a close up of the grass. Need a pic that includes the tip, front and back of a blade. Also one that shows the vernation (new leaf still embedded in the sheaf of the stalk). Also a pic of a dug up plant (check for rhizomes)



ahur said:


> Hi All,
> 
> This is my first spring in this new house, and my first spring caring for a lawn. I was on my way to my shed to sharpen my mower blades for the first mow, and noticed a patch of something much taller and a brighter than the surrounding area. I took a couple of pictures - can anyone point me in a direction to identify what I'm seeing, or tell me what would make for a better picture of what I have, please?


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## JimFromLawnGuyland (Jan 15, 2020)

I'm pretty sure that isn't crabgrass, also a newbie myself. There are alot of grassy weeds that look like it but since your just coming out of frost I doubt that's what it is. I have alot of foxtail grass this season which resembles the photo in your picture. I know that tenacity ( mesotrione) damaged it but I also was going to try weed be gone and would like to see the results you have.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

stevehollx said:


> Crabgrass. Hit it with Weed B Gon Crabgrass (not the standard Weed B Gon; quinclorac is the active ingredient).
> 
> Then consider putting crabgrass pre-emergent down. Probably still in the window for Michigan. Prodiamine if you have a sprayer.


There is no way we could have crabgrass in Michigan in Apr. It has not even germinated. June/July for that size is more possible.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

Quack grass? I have seen some in my yard and I am just shaking off the frost. It grows taller an faster than anything else...


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## troksd (Jul 27, 2018)

We need better pics. Quackgrass has a distinctive clasping auricle - I can't tell from the pics above.












Babameca said:


> Quack grass? I have seen some in my yard and I am just shaking off the frost. It grows taller an faster than anything else...


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@troksd Good reference! I 'extrapolated' but being able to see one auricle on focus on the last picture.


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## ahur (Oct 4, 2019)

All,

Thank you for all your feedback. I have a pre-m ready to apply, but it has been snowing in my area of Michigan for the last two or three days, and it has been hard to get motivated to throw down in an on-and-off white-out. I will grab better pictures in the morning.

Cheers.


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## mrp116 (Mar 2, 2020)

There is no way that's crab grass in Michigan. I live in central VA with an immediate neighbor that does nothing to their yard, and as a result, they have nothing but crabgrass and weeds (lucky me). They don't even have crab grass yet that has fully gotten going.


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## Wolverine (Jan 17, 2018)

If it is a small patch i would dig it out and remove.


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## ahur (Oct 4, 2019)

Good Morning.

Today, I woke up to more snowing AND a severe thunderstorm alert. Michigan.

I plucked a sample for better viewing.


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## gasdoc (Jul 24, 2019)

I have something similar. The conclusion I came to is barnyard grass. The key differentiator is ABSENCE of ligule. I hand pulled a bunch, if it's not a huge area it's certainly doable. Once it warms up a little more j might do a tenacity app. Tenacity is labeled for barnyard.

To be honest these grassy weeds are very difficult to ID. I think a trial of tenacity is not a bad strategy but there are many perennial grasses that it won't touch. In those cases there only options are glyphosate or hand pulling


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## Lobster Poutine (Apr 4, 2020)

ive got a combo of tenacity and Quinclorac 75 DF to try on my grassy weeds post emergent and I'm going to try prodiamine as a pre emergent to see if i can control my grassy weeds. they seem to be my biggest issue.

killed it all and stripped with roundup about 10 years ago and resodded. let it go one summer without proper maintenance or the ability to source selective herbicide after the provincial ban and blammo....ruined.


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## ahur (Oct 4, 2019)

Based on a little bit of reading and image hunting. I think it might be barnyard grass.  The auricles looks similar, but not quite the same as quackgrass, to my eye. I see talk about about purple blades, which I recall seeing last summer and fall. I will pick up some quinclorac for an application.

Any recommendations about applying quinclorac AND a broadcast pre-M?


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## Kaba (Mar 29, 2019)

Doesn't barnyard grass show up in summer as an annual?

I hate being the "KY-31 guy" but it is prominent in spring, has a semi-clasping auricle, prominent veins and a barely visible ligule and a broad collar which to my amateur eye looks consistent.

http://purdueturftips.blogspot.com/2015/03/weed-of-month-for-march-2015-is-tall.html

There are not a ton of grassy weeds that excel in very early spring. KY-31 and Annual Rye (which yours is not) are 2 of them that do. KY-31 turns a lot more blue-green once soil temps are warmer in my experience, but early when there is still frosty mornings it can be more yellow-green.


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## ahur (Oct 4, 2019)

@Kaba, I think that would be preferable, KY-31, yes?

I looked back at the label of the seed mix I put down in the fall, Scotts Sun and Shade. In retrospect, I imagine that there was a better choice to have made. I see that the lot was actually a year old when I put it down in the fall, and had .25% Other Crop & .01% Weed Seed.



9.71% Majesty II Perennial Ryegrass
9.70% Vision Perennial Ryegrass
7.71% Wendy Jean Creeping Red Fescue
7.61% Fenway Creeping Red Fescue
4.71% Wildhorse Kentucky Bluegrass
4.70% Abbey Kentucky Bluegrass
3.85% Treazure II Chewings Fescue


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## whitetrash paradise (Mar 25, 2020)

@ahur we're you able to get rid of this? If so, what did you use?

I did 3 rounds of Scott's seed ( sun & shade and dense shade mix) last year under some trees and am having a lot of this pop up.


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