I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Your weed is lush and green, actually looks much better than your
struggling to live puny grass. If you put more effort into your lawn
you wouldn't have weeds... regular watering and mowing will do
wonders.

brooklyn1 wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They
do no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass.
I am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish
green grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

I cannot say what it is but why is it so objectionable? Why must lawn be
one species?


http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Your weed is lush and green, actually looks much better than your
struggling to live puny grass. If you put more effort into your lawn
you wouldn't have weeds... regular watering and mowing will do
wonders.

Yep yep yep. Fertilise, mow, water, drill, roll, water, fertilise, mow,
weed, water, fertilise, mow, water, drill, roll, water, spray, fertilise,
mow, water, fertilise, mow, water, drill, roll, water, fertilise, mow,
water, fertilise, weed, mow, water, drill, roll, water, fertilise, mow,
water. That'l fix it.

David

I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many
places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent
source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn
grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the
grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Don't know the name of the weed but, am I'm going solo here,
I'd pull as much as possible and then add some round-up on
top
of the weeds root system. By using round-up please
understand
that you will be called names as I will. But a little dab
will do
ya!

Donna
in WA

On 7/4/10 2:00 PM, hr(bob) wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Looks like crab grass. If it is, note the following --

Crab grass generally indicates a lawn that is getting too much water too
often. If the summer rains are not sufficient, irrigate deeply and
infrequently. Try irrigating only once in 3 or 4 days. When you do
irrigate, cut the time in half and then irrigate twice with an hour
between; more water will soak into the soil instead of running off.
Adjust the duration such that, on the day before you irrigate, the lawn
(other than the crab grass) is not wilting.

There are various brands of lawn food that contain a herbicide that is
specific to crab grass. The herbicide can be toxic to animals,
including humans, if too much is applied to your lawn. Thus, avoid
using too much at a time; and don't use it at all if the amount of crab
grass is minor.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On Mon, 5 Jul 2010 08:34:52 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

brooklyn1 wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They
do no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass.
I am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish
green grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

I cannot say what it is but why is it so objectionable? Why must lawn be
one species?

They needn't be, except depending on the area involved... smaller
lawns are not very esthetically appealing when filled with patches of
different types of plants.... with larger areas one cannot see the
imperfections over great distances. My lawn is compased of probably a
hundred different plants but unless one walks about and looks up close
and personal they'd never know that not too long ago it was a hay
field, there's very little real lawn grass... if not for my regular
mowing it would be a wildflower meadow:
http://i49.tinypic.com/166evys.jpg

On Jul 4, 5:04*pm, brooklyn1 wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "

wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. *The spots of weeds *pop up with no apparent source. *They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. *I
am in the Chicago suburbs. *Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Your weed is lush and green, actually looks much better than your
struggling to live puny grass. *If you put more effort into your lawn
you wouldn't have weeds... regular watering and mowing will do
wonders.

The problem is that the "weed grass" turns brown very early in the
Fall while the "real grass" stays green for another 6 weeks at least.
I'll try some crabgrass killer and see if it has any effect. It is
not crabgrass in the traditional sense.

As to the posters who suggested more or less water and fertilizer, I
do fertilize my grass lightly, and have not needed to water so far
this Spring/Summer. With a 100 x 200 ft property, either in house or
lawn, getting down on my hands and knees to pull this stuff out is not
realistic. And we don't have any hungry teenagers in the neighborhood
who will pull weeds for $$$.

On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:05:27 -0700, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

On 7/4/10 2:00 PM, hr(bob) wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

Looks like crab grass. If it is, note the following --

Crab grass generally indicates a lawn that is getting too much water too
often. If the summer rains are not sufficient, irrigate deeply and
infrequently. Try irrigating only once in 3 or 4 days. When you do
irrigate, cut the time in half and then irrigate twice with an hour
between; more water will soak into the soil instead of running off.
Adjust the duration such that, on the day before you irrigate, the lawn
(other than the crab grass) is not wilting.

There are various brands of lawn food that contain a herbicide that is
specific to crab grass. The herbicide can be toxic to animals,
including humans, if too much is applied to your lawn. Thus, avoid
using too much at a time; and don't use it at all if the amount of crab
grass is minor.

Damn, you know nothing about crab grass. First of all that's not crab
grass. Crab grass flourishes in dry hot conditions. And there's no
specific crab grass killer... best one can do is to use a preemergent,
but once it germinates all one can do is bit by bit attempt to dig it
up, fruitless. Any defolient that will kill crab grass will kill
everything else. But that's not crab grass, looks nothing like crab
grass.

On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), hr(bob)
wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Not enough detail for an accurate diagnosis, but I suspect it's crabgrass,
an annual. If so, your choices are mowing practices and fertilizer or
chemical warfare.

Mowing/Fertilizer:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4130305AAOLW1G
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawntal...home_lawns.cfm

ID: http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-car...-pictures.html
http://www.purdue.edu/envirosoft/law...t/herbici3.htm

Kay

On Jul 4, 9:42*pm, Kay Lancaster wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), hr(bob)

wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. *The spots of weeds *pop up with no apparent source. *They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. *I
am in the Chicago suburbs. *Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Not enough detail for an accurate diagnosis, but I suspect it's crabgrass,
an annual. *If so, your choices are mowing practices and fertilizer or
chemical warfare.

Mowing/Fertilizer:http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...s_in_home_lawn...

ID:http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-car...t/herbici3.htm

Kay

I'm 99.9% sure it is not what most of us here in the Midwest call
crabgrass. I have a few patches of crabgrass, but nothing like the
number of patches of what I showed in the picture. I hope to get a
sample to our local Morton Arboreteum, and see if anyone there has any
ideas. But, I'm not too hopeful as they are primarily interested in
woody plants and trees, not grasses.

In article
,
"hr(bob) " wrote:

On Jul 4, 9:42*pm, Kay Lancaster wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:00:56 -0700 (PDT), hr(bob)

wrote:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. *The spots of weeds *pop up with no apparent source. *They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. *I
am in the Chicago suburbs. *Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Not enough detail for an accurate diagnosis, but I suspect it's crabgrass,
an annual. *If so, your choices are mowing practices and fertilizer or
chemical warfare.

Mowing/Fertilizer:http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...20080714130305
AAOLW1Ghttp://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawntalk/managing_crabgrass_in_home_lawn
...

ID:http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-car...s.htmlhttp://w
ww.purdue.edu/envirosoft/lawn/src/pest/herbici3.htm

Kay

I'm 99.9% sure it is not what most of us here in the Midwest call
crabgrass. I have a few patches of crabgrass, but nothing like the
number of patches of what I showed in the picture. I hope to get a
sample to our local Morton Arboreteum, and see if anyone there has any
ideas. But, I'm not too hopeful as they are primarily interested in
woody plants and trees, not grasses.

If you have any sense inside that skull of yours, you will listen to
what Kay Lancaster has told you. She is very good at this stuff. It is
your best chance. Do as she says, or it is all on you.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/2/maude
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/2...al_crime_scene

It looks like crabgrass to me. The simplest way to eliminate it is to not
let it set seed (mow and compost the clippings) or germinate (pre-emergent
herbicide applied in late spring, after cool season grasses have germinated
but before crabgrass has germinated).

Mowing is pretty effective, since the seed is produced on stalks above the
height of a typical lawn. There won't be much to mow except those stalks,
so it may seem like not worth the effort, but mowing pays off the following
year. Mowing alone takes a few years to control crabgrass, until the seed
bank in the soil is used up.

Una

In ,
hr(bob) spewed forth:
I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Thanks,

Bob Hofmann

I'm no expert, but it looks almost like St Augustine grass, but I don't
think it would survive Chicago winters.
Find some MSMA and try it. If it's crabgrass, dallisgrass, goosegrass or
the like, it'll kill it.
They still have some here
http://www.horaneys.com/Products.asp...&ProductID=100

hrbob said:


I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Not crabgrass, as crabgrass is an annual.

Could be Nimblewill:
http://www.msuturfweeds.net/details/_/nimblewill_44/

It's perennial, has the leaf blades coming off of stalks so blends horribly
with typical lawn grasses, starts growing late, turns brown early.

You can spot treat with something like Roundup (or try dig it out) and
then patch with good seed or sod.

I've got some patches of it way in the back, and it doesn't play nice
with the other grasses at all. Nor is it pleasant to walk on.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Vegetables are like bombs packed tight with all kinds of important
nutrients..." --Largo Potter, Valkyria Chronicles

email valid but not regularly monitored

Pat Kiewicz writes:

hrbob said:


I have the invasive grass/weed shown in the picture in many places in
my lawn. The spots of weeds pop up with no apparent source. They do
no respond to weed killer, and they crowd out regular lawn grass. I
am in the Chicago suburbs. Can anyone tell me what the grayish green
grass/weed is and how to get rid of it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhofmann/4761771580/

Not crabgrass, as crabgrass is an annual.

Could be Nimblewill:
http://www.msuturfweeds.net/details/_/nimblewill_44/

It's perennial, has the leaf blades coming off of stalks so blends horribly
with typical lawn grasses, starts growing late, turns brown early.

You can spot treat with something like Roundup (or try dig it out) and
then patch with good seed or sod.

I've got some patches of it way in the back, and it doesn't play nice
with the other grasses at all. Nor is it pleasant to walk on.

I think you win the prize!

I have something that looks similar. Up until now I thought it was
nutgrass. Based on that I tried (a pre-emergent this year) no luck.

So far it looks like there is no good treatment for nimblewill other
than to nuke the lawn (Roundup). Not good. I've been pulling the stuff
for years with little success.