# invasive grass taking over Kentucky bluegrass



## annie68164

I've been searching the net trying to figure out what is taking over my lawn. I have Kentucky bluegrass that is being crowded out by a thicker- bladed light-green grass that grows at least twice as fast. It's taking over quickly and I'm not sure how to stop it. I know it's not crabgrass, it's actually not unattractive and doesn't seem to be sprouting anything. It's just it's destroying the blue and it grows way too damn fast. My lawn has tons of that white clover stuff and elephant ear too.(think that's what it is called) I usually use Scott's Weed and Feed in spring, then I just applied their anytime fertilizer which consists of Nitrogen, Sulphur and some Iron. I tried Ortho's Weed and feed that you attach to your hose but I don't think I had enough water pressue (well water) for the stuff to come out of the applicator. I did the whole lawn and the bottle was still full. Very frustrating! Any advice would be great!


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## GardenConcepts

A picture would help, but it sounds like Yellow Nutsedge. Weed and feed won't kill it. I think it has been mentioned here before- SedgeHammer- kills Nutsedge.


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## cgoll

The OP's description sounds like a grass I have in my yard. The Chemlawn guy told me it was 'orchard grass'. Also said nothing would kill it (except for Round-up).

If it is nutsedge it will have a triangular stem cross section.


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## FrankL

Crabgrass is like that as well. Sometimes you can get a special formulation of weed killer for a type of weed. Ortho has a Crabgrass formulation. You can try to spray those spots and also dig it out. Check with a local nursery or the state or county agent. Theere may be a state web or university web site with info on weeds found in your area. 

Frank Lardino


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## moondawg

It's been going "nuts" here as well. Only my 2 neighbors with EXTREMELY thick lawns have been able to avoid it. I agree that I think it's Yellow Nutsedge. My yard is new, was not thick, and YN completely took over.


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## Parch702

*Invasive Grass in NE Phila PA*

Sounds like I have something similar. Light green grass growing in patches, grows twice as fast as the native species and has a triangular stem at ground level. 

Been fighting this thing for 3 years now by pulling out some of the interior stems, but this year it just seemed to take off. Also seems like it's spreading below the surface as the grass has never gotten high enough to go to seed.

Have attached pix. If you have any comments I like to hear them. Thanks in advance


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## GardenConcepts

Definitely Yellow Nutsedge.

Check out this .pdf from Perdue University on control options:

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/agry-98-04.pdf


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## Parch702

*Thanks Chris,*

I read the Purdue report, seems I need to wait til next spring to take care of it.

Someone recommended Sedgehammer as a herbicide. Do you know of it and does it work? Would I also need to wait til next spring before applying?

I live in Philly, maybe I'll stop by next trip up north, see what your business is and say hi.

Thanks again,
Mike.


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## RDS

Glad I found this thread -- I've been pulling this stuff out, and didn't know what it was called. It does pull out rather easily, which is nice, but come spring I will go chemical on it now that I know what it is.


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## kredman

We have the same thing. Thanks for the link to the pdf!


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## SPS-1

I have been seeing it too. Used to be that I didn't worry about it because it doesn't really look so bad when its just a few blades. Then, on the forum, I read about how it spreads and is hard to kill. I have been pulling it by hand this year. Actually, I think I am winning the fight, but some always seems to come back. My grass is not strong, and I do have occasional weed problems. I am beginning to think the clay level (high) in my soil is the root problem for my lawn


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## moondawg

SPS-1 said:


> I have been seeing it too. Used to be that I didn't worry about it because it doesn't really look so bad when its just a few blades. Then, on the forum, I read about how it spreads and is hard to kill. I have been pulling it by hand this year. Actually, I think I am winning the fight, but some always seems to come back. My grass is not strong, and I do have occasional weed problems. I am beginning to think the clay level (high) in my soil is the root problem for my lawn


Yes, we have a ton of clay here as well. The heat and dry has really been knocking this back of late. I think it really took off this year because we had (in central indiana) an extraordinarily wet summer.


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## Allison1888

*weed*

We have that as well and it is a bear to get rid of. Thanks for the tips.


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## annie68164

The grass in this post's photos is something I have abit of too but not the main culprit. I'll try to post photos. My dad thought it was something called "water grass" due to our very wet year (central Iowa). He said it's popping up in everyone's lawns. From what I've read about controlling undesirable grass/weeds we are to fertilize in an appropriate, timely manner to get our good grass thick and healthy enough to block out the bad. Also there are pre-emergents for some of these undesirables like crabgrass. I plan to use that next spring. It's so thick and our yard is so huge no way I can pull the stuff out by hand. It has spread big time now. My yard looks terrible. :furious:


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## Roarck

*What worked for me*

Mowing it short once a week got rid of those grass types for me. The KTB was ok with being mowed short, but it damaged that weird green grass until it eventually died off and the KTB spread over them. By short I mean the normal recommended height for KTB.


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## annie68164

I figured out that grass taking over last year was crabgrass. Am planning to put on a pre-emergent any day now. I did that a few years ago and had no crabgrass so hopefully it'll work this year. Apparently if you don't do it EVERY SINGLE YEAR that stuff comes back with a vengence.


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## Erimess

Wow, I should have come to this place a long time ago. Now that I'm here, I'm thinking up all sorts of stuff. I always did wonder if someone could spot something from a picture.

Anyway - you can move this is you don't like that this old thread got drug up (hey, not by me) - but I'm having a hard time telling from the pictures if this is what I've had or not. So far it hasn't come up this year, which totally shocks me, so I also have a bit of a faded memory on exactly what it looks like.

But, I do recall it always reminded me of green onions. In fact, my neighbor tried to tell me it was wild onions, but when my brother looked closely at it, he said no. But he didn't know what it was.

Does this stuff remind you of green onions? And it pulls up (root and all) fairly easily if you grab down by the ground?

(I do have something new coming up this year, and have pics of it, but I'll start a new post.)


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## moondawg

No, this is entirely different than wild onions. Believe me, you'd know if it was wild onions. Because your mower would REEK when you were done mowing. I've got wild onions as well, and I can barely stand to be in the garage with my mower for the first couple mowings of the season. The key with the onions is to not let them get tall enough to spread their seeds, I've heard. 

If you pull a wild onion out of the ground, there will be a little onion bulb on the bottom. 

Plus, the nutsedge is a very light yellow-green, and the onions are just the same color as green onions or chives.


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## Erimess

Actually, I said they "reminded me" of green onions. It was my neighbor who claimed they were wild onion, and my brother said no they weren't.

I don't remember the color - certainly not yellowish. I think I'll just have to wait until they come up again this year to remember what it looked like. (Or find the pictures I'd swear I took.)


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