grass weed spreading even more aggressively than stiltgrass

2 years ago

Now sure what this is...it is growing in full sun on the border between the too-swampy-to-mow and the normal part of my lawn. It has spread incredible fast in the last couple years.

Looks a bit like Microstegium but is clearly different.

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UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
Original Author

last year

I rarely bump one of my own threads but, just a warning, you're going to be hearing a lot about this weed in the next decade, I suspect. I did another round of control with Fusilade, but then noticed the extent to which is had spread beyond the initial area of infestation. I'm going to have to do another round this weekend! It's incredibly sneaky, even compared to Microstegium! It seems like

1) it can bloom at a lower height

2) it is happy to 'hide' down under the grass cut level (I cut high, 4 inches) unlike Microstegium that is always trying to get above the fescue. So this makes it harder to spot!

lastly

3) many people will see the broad leaves and confuse it with a broadleaved weed

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Comments (6)

bengz6westmd
2 years ago
More aggressive than stiltgrass? Impossible! I pulled up a hay-bale size mass of it from out around the house the other day.
Jay 6a Chicago
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
It's Arthraxon hispidus var. hispidus. It's from east Asia and extremely invasive. Might be more agressive than stiltgrass.
UpperBayGardener (zone 7) thanked Jay 6a Chicago
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UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
Original Author
2 years ago
FWIW, although not labeled for it, Fusilade II, at least makes it turn yellow and seem to start dying. It's definitely more aggressive than the stiltgrass; I would be using the Fluazifop in the area, anyhow, to treat Microstegium, but now there's much more of this stuff to treat!
bengz6westmd
2 years ago
I just pulled out (fortunately, easy to do) loads of stiltgrass around the house, so much that the pile ended up the size of a small hay-bale! That will be thoroughly dried-out/killed and used as "mulch" around some of my other trees.
UpperBayGardener (zone 7) thanked bengz6westmd
UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
Original Author
last year
FWIW a problem is that, I switched from Acclaim to Fusilade based on internet accounts that they are similar - which they are - and the fully in solution Fusilade seemed like it would be easier to measure than the annoying smelly suspension that is Acclaim. And it most definitely is. But there's a big problem: in a yard that is a mix of fescue and a bunch of other stuff, instead of pure fescue...the Fusilade just isn't sufficiently specific to weeds. Parts of the lower yard are looking so bad now, you'd think I'd just sprayed glyphosate to kill this damn stuff.

I think I got every last bit this time...feeeeewwww. But I'm probably going to switch back to Acclaim for future grassy weed control. My Microstegium problem has fortunately gone way down. Previous neighbors used to let their shady back yard get completely engulfed with it, and cut just infrequently enough that it could flower. New owners follow the religion of 'scalpliness is next to godliness' - so now the back yard is microstegium cut so close it's barely alive but, hey, at least it can't flower! But there will always be some of it blowing in from other yards.

This reminds me of a whole potential thread idea: what you're 'weed of the year', but I'll probably start that somewhere else. It's a surprise this year for me! And it isn't Arthraxon.