Weed: Annual Bluegrass
Annual bluegrass is a short, cool-season annual weed. But it can also be a biennial or perennial grass. The weed can have many generations within a season which makes controlling it tough.
Photo courtesy of The University of Maryland.
What does annual bluegrass look like?
This grassy weed generally appears in bunches or low clumps, 3 to 12 inches tall. Leaves are folded in the bud and it can easily be identified by the boat-shaped leaf tip. They have a wrinkled section near the middle of the blade and the seedhead is triangular in shape and is mostly present during the spring.
How can you prevent annual bluegrass?
The plant loves cool, moist places. It grows well in many places such as roadsides, lawns, gardens, fields, golf courses, and disturbed areas. If you see this weed, it could be a sign of compacted soil. See more about correcting compacted soil here.
There are a few things you can do to prevent annual bluegrass:
-Make sure your mower is set high, annual bluegrass prefers a low cut lawn.
-Water deeply and infrequently. It's shallow roots won't be able to reach down to the water.
-Treat with pre-emergent in the fall to prevent sprouting.
Appearance: Generally appears in bunches. Leaves are folded in the bud and it can easily be identified by the boat-shaped leaf tip. They have a wrinkled section near the middle of the blade and the seedhead is triangular in shape and is mostly present during the spring.
Life cycle: Winter annual
Where it grows: Roadsides, lawns, gardens, golf courses, fields, etc. It favors cool and moist conditions and loves compacted soils.
Reproduces by: Seed
How to prevent: Set your lawn mower to high, water deeply and infrequently, and treat with pre-emergent.
How to remove: Since roots are shallow, pulling by hand will be effective nd relatively easy if there are just a few plants. Treat with post-emergent if pullig isn't appealing.