I live on the outskirts of town in a new development which has a high
weed population. My yard (St. Augustine grass) has developed a
vigorous infestation of some kind of grassy weed. It consists of
numerous grassy stalks growing out radially from a circular central
clump. (Anyone know what this pest is called?) Simply trying to pull
up these weeds usually only removes a fraction of the root system.
The weed structure itself looks somewhat similar to the St. Augustine,
except it grows much faster and is a deeper color, more bluish. Any
"easy" way to eliminate this stuff? (I.e., not involving a shovel &
re-sodding.) Do any of the commercial sprays work for killing
grass-type weeds, without harming St. Augustine grass?

It sounds like you have dalisgrass. It's difficult to eliminate. It's a highly
successional plant, meaning it is not an indicator weed that the soil is sparse
and void of nutrients. IT loves water and fertilizer. I have a problem up in
Dallas with it. I am an organic gardener so I got out early in the morning with
my trowel, weeder, and took it out by the roots one at a time.

If you see the hockey stick looking thing with seeds on it, you let it grow too
high. Mowing regularly at a height of about 3-4 inches, regularly, and hand
weeding making sure the soil is moist first, then going in and pulling it out
can help.

The other way to go is to use a chemical herbicide called MSMO. I wouldn't use
it, I don't recommend it, but it will help with the dalisgrass. I've only seen
it used on bermuda, so it may not be feasible on St. Augustine.

V


On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 22:18:18 -0500, zmike6 wrote:

I live on the outskirts of town in a new development which has a high
weed population. My yard (St. Augustine grass) has developed a
vigorous infestation of some kind of grassy weed. It consists of
numerous grassy stalks growing out radially from a circular central
clump. (Anyone know what this pest is called?) Simply trying to pull
up these weeds usually only removes a fraction of the root system.
The weed structure itself looks somewhat similar to the St. Augustine,
except it grows much faster and is a deeper color, more bluish. Any
"easy" way to eliminate this stuff? (I.e., not involving a shovel &
re-sodding.) Do any of the commercial sprays work for killing
grass-type weeds, without harming St. Augustine grass?

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 22:18:18 -0500, zmike6
wrote:

except it grows much faster and is a deeper color, more bluish. Any
"easy" way to eliminate this stuff? (I.e., not involving a shovel &
re-sodding.) Do any of the commercial sprays work for killing
grass-type weeds, without harming St. Augustine grass?


You can keep ahead of it with a shovel. Go out right after a rain or
after watering your yard and dig it up. You don't need to resod. The
St. Augustine will fill in the hole in a couple of weeks. My guess is
that the stuff is so closely related to St. Augustine that any
chemical that kills the invader will damage or kill the St. Augustine
as well.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor