The Grass Doctor

Is it grass or a weed in my lawn?

I can't figure it out! It spreads pretty quickly and is really soft to the bare foot. It almost is like a centipede grass however it's darker green then i believe centipede is (lime green color). My lawn is primarily fescue, however i've put down scotts weed killer several times and it doesn't seem to do anything to these large patches. Is this a grass or weed?? It's darker green and the blades are pretty wide.

Public Comments

1. sounds like you have got some moss creeping in
2. Is it Crabgrass http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADBS_enUS292US292&q=crabgrass+pictures&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=5ThbStTXI5TgNcCo4UI&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1 Or is it Bermuda grass? http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBS_enUS292US292&q=bermuda+grass+pictures&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=XzlbSpfgMYWGNqj5hUM&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1 It's a type of grass but either one most people don't want. and they make specific sprays to remove it from the lawn.
3. It's a weed. I remember my teacher once said, anything unwanted in your garden is a weed. For example you planted johnson grass in your backyard but there were also vegetables appeared among the grasses, the vegetables are considered as weeds.
4. Sounds like a grass, or "grassy weed". From your description that is about all I can say for sure. To get rid of it you may need a non-selective killer such as roundup or its generic equivalent, or you can hand pull it. This will also kill your fescue so you will have to reseed that area. If you are "lucky" and it is crab grass, it will die out in the winter or it is easy to pull. To keep it from coming back use a pre-emergent like Dimension or Barricade. Put this down in mid to late feb and again 6 to 8 weeks later - it will keep the crab grass from sprouting in the spring. Fill in any bare spots in the fall with seed and starter fertilizer with tupersan. Cover lightly with hay and keep it wet for a few weeks. If you plant in the spring or summer you will likely lose a lot of your new grass and you will use a ton of water. Fescue does not like to grow in the summer heat. Pre-emergents will have no effect on currently growing weeds. To get the most out of your post-emergents - weed and feed - lay them down at about 4 in the morning, or late at night when the dew has hit the grass. This allows the granuals to stick to the weed leave where it can be absorbed and do its job. You might also try a liquid weed killer. Just be sure to follow the directions to the letter. Underdosing will give you poor results and over dosing can cause disease and won't work any better anyway. Use post-emergent in the spring or late summer, early fall - they don't work as well in the summer heat and may stress your grass out. Keep your lawn mowed to 3.5 inches - or even 4(depends on the type of grass you have so ask your Extension office). This will help to minimize weeds and conserve water. Visit your county Extension on the web for the best solutions for your area. They are the best free experts you will find. Google "your county extension" and you should find it, or give them a call. Your tax dollars are at work there!
5. Crab grass has a broad leaf, is not affected by most weed killers and requires a special herbicide (labeled crabgrass killer).
6. There are many weed grasses.It sounds like crabgrass. Broadleaf weed killers like the Scott's stuff will have no effect on them so stop needlessly poisoning the environment. As stated above using a preemergent herbicide is the best approach but these will have no effect on established weeds. You have 3 choices - Live with them, hand dig or them out and reseed, or RoundUp the whole patch and reseed after a couple of weeks so the RoundUp has time to break down.
7. If the lawn weed killer doesn't kill it, and it doesn't mind being mowed, then it's a kind of grass. The only question then is: do you mind it being there? If so, you will have to do quite a bit of work, killing the relevant areas with a general weedkiller and re-seeding them, with all the associated work and time until the seed is established. Even then, you could find it comes back, as the present outbreak must have arrived from somewhere. Alternatively, if it's green and soft, you could leave it, most lawns are quite a mix of things when you look close up.
8. Hey Matt, best suggestion I can give you is get some roundup. Spray the area's and kill the grass. Get a small tiller like a mantis and till the ground adding some new bagged topsoil with good minerals and fertilizer in it. Plant the type of grass seed you want in those area's. Cover with straw and water,water,water. New grass germinating in 10-14 days. Good luck.