Can anyone identifiy this grass/weed for me?

tigger123

Hi All,

Can anyone identify this for me? I've tried a few different weed killers and can't seem to shift it. I mowed the grass on Saturday, and it's come again extremely strong.

It's so stubborn, and its driving me crazy!

20230418_172347.jpg

The Continental Op

Without looking into it too closely I would guess its couch grass or scutch. Cut more often and it should go.

looksee

You can either live with it and keep cutting, eventually you will have patches of it all over the place, but that's likely to happen whatever you do. Or you can dig it out. If you do that you will have to ensure you get every last tiny bit of root - long white roots - including the bits that break off. Put in some new soil and grass seed. There is no guarantee it will not come back. Having said all that, what weedkiller did you use, and when? Because it has that bright sickly green that can suggest it is very slowly working.

tigger123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120492683#Comment_120492683

Can't remember exactly the name of the weed killer, but it came in a white 1 litre tall bottle; I had to dilute it down about 10 times, so I assume it was pretty strong.

Haven't used it since last year.

Head's melted with this stuff. It's spreading throughout the garden too.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120492683#Comment_120492683

I'd imagine the colour is just from being recently cut, the lower growth always look a bit yellowy before greening up.

OP as Continental suggests mow it more regularly, it discourages it while encouraging finer grasses. Lawn weedkillers will have little to no effect, you'd have to spray it with glyphosate to kill it off.

looksee

Ah, no. If it was last year then it would not be doing anything now.

I really don't know enough about lawn grass to be of much help, it might be Yorkshire Fog which is bright green and soft, whereas scutch is darker and coarse, rather tough. Its hard to identify grass from a general photo. I think the general theory of dig it up or spray it, maybe do a bit of research on which weedkillers will be most effective on grasses.

The Continental Op

Boxing off the grass and slashing the clumps with a spade or edging iron every time you cut the lawn also helps weaken it. Leaving the grass on if its long can end up supressing some of the better grass species leaving more room for the couch to move into.

I'm an avid user of glyphosate but it really doesn't work on a lawn. You kill a good bit of the weed grass but then other weeds mover right into the space, plus it looks a dog. If you weaken it slowly better species of grass will take over as the couch gets less.

Don't cut closer as that will weaken the other grasses in the lawn. You can however do a cut two days or so after the first (box on or off) which really will help weaken it.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120493021#Comment_120493021

Your right probably is yorkshire fog and slashing and boxing off are the best way of getting rid of it.

Just out of interest I'll mention another commercial way to get rid of it. You use this expensive tool

https://www.fairwayproductsonline.co.uk/specialist-greenkeeper-tools/square-turf-renovator

cut out the sod and replace it with a sod cut with the same tool from another area of grass. Easy on a golf course as you have loads of grass, but they'd never let weed grasses get that bad.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120493025#Comment_120493025

Yep i'd agree that spot treating with glyphosate here would leave a spotty mess given the amount present. There is the nuclear option of spraying off the whole thing (several times), and re-seeding, but regular mowing is the way i'd go (it doesn't look like it gets that but perhaps it was the first cut of the year!).

tigger123

Thanks everyone for your help - it really is appreciated! :)

wildwillow

Greenkeepers aerate and rake lots of sand into the greens to encourage the finer grasses to grow. I have used this to transform a neglected lawn and it does work.

Collect the grass if possible as it over fertilisers the stronger grass. Regular mowing, as in every few days in fast growing season, at a reasonable height will eventually give you a very good lawn.