Hard Grass

[Corinne]

I am not sure what you call it, but in some areas of my lawm, there are patches of grass that are hard and tough.

Other than trying to pull it out, does anyone know what I can do to get rid of it.

I understand that come July/August, it will spread even more due to seeds.

Thanks.

Corinne

[tinacci336]

If you sprayed it with a grass-- herbicide- I would think it would do the trick. Ortho use to have a product--Veg Kill" that if you sprayed it on it would kill any and evrything. But am not sure if it is still available. Talk to your local garden shop.

[trader4]

If by getting rid of it, you mean non selectively killing it, Roundup (glyphosate), which will kill most vegetation, will do the trick. You can reseed a week later. But depending on where you are, it's late to be seeding now. You may want to wait till Fall.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Sounds like "crab grass", a common type of lawn nuisance. There are products made to fertilize and eliminate crab grass at the same time. Keep your lawn cut on the high side so the good grass spreads and the crab grass gets less sun and dies or at least spreads less.

Check in any garden shop for what you need.

[Corinne]

Thank you. I will do that.

This is tucked into some very lush and green lawn. I bought this house a year ago, and the lawn has come a long way. I just need to get rid of a few patches of this hard grass.

Hopefully, what is recommended will not kill everything, but just the hard grass.

Thanks.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Corinne]

Yes, I have Roundup and it kills most everything. I am just afraid the spray will bleed into my healthy lawn. There are just a few patches of this hard grass.

I don't always explain myself too well.

Many thanks.

snipped-for-privacy@> If by getting rid of it, you mean non selectively killing it, Roundup

[Corinne]

I was wondering if this was the same thing.

Yes, I do keep the grass cut on the high side. It is very lush and green, and is choking out alot of this mess.

I bought this home a year ago, and the lawn has come a long way.

Many thanks.

Cor>

[Richard Thoms]

You need to do a little bit of research to figure out what you really have. "Hard Grass" could mean different things. What region do you live in? Here in the south I would think you're talking about maybe Bermuda grass? But it does not spread by seeds - insted it "runs" with creapers. It could be crabgrass like others have said but that isn't really "hard". Then there's johnson grass, dallas grass, ....

What you need to do will depend on what you have.

Checkout:

to identify grass types

checkout:

to indeify weed types

Hope that helps

[Norminn]

My first thought when I began reading was "Bermuda grass". Whew! Tough as a steel cable when you try to pull it out. Roundup would be my weapon of choice. Research is a good idea. County extension service may have folks who will ID it for you. Many good websites, too. Warm climate?

[Norminn]

I have used Roundup and an old paint brush to get really tough stuff without having to dig and damage the healthy stuff nearby. Roundup spray is great as long as it doesn't drift onto desireable plants; best done on a calm day. Paint brush for areas too small for spray. Works best on stuff that is growing more actively and has tender shoots - can cut back some larger weeds, wait for them to sprout new shoots and then hit it with Roundup. May take a repeat a week or two later, but persistance helps. It doesn't always act as quickly as expected, but I have never used it on anything that wasn't eventually eliminated.

[Joseph Meehan]

I am sorry, but we don't know where you live and what kind of grass you may have.

I suggest that you contact your local county extension office. It is a government service and they can give you some good advice, not tainted by a profit motive like you get at the garden center and they will know the local conditions. Look them up in your local phone book and give them a call.

[Art]

Lowes and Home Depot sell some spray bottles of crabgrass kiler for spot use. They are just simple pump sprayer like a bottle of Windex. The stuff works well on a variety of grassy weeds without damaging most good grasses.

[trader4]

In most of the US, it's unlikely that it's crabgrass, because it's just starting to germinate and doesn't become a noticeable problem until Jul/Aug.

[Art]

The Bayer weedkiller I am thinking of (sorry I can't be more specific but I've only seen 2 different ones from Bayer in pump bottles) killers other bad weeds and grasses besides crabgrass.

[Corinne]