Quackgrass are Back

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redleader74
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Quackgrass are Back

Post by redleader74 » March 25th, 2022, 2:50 pm

Hello Everyone, so it's the time of year again and quackgrass are back in full force....but fortunately or not, mainly in my backyard lawn and not the front. You turn your back on your lawn for more than a week and suddenly quack is everywhere. So I went went through with a small foam brush and some roundup, applying it on as much quack as I could find, whether it's on the leaves, the seedheads, or whatever. I went through a fairly painstaking process last year to and by fall most of it was gone. So I'm just wondering did I not kill it all of last year and it just went through it's regularly seasonal dormancy? Or is it just flying in from all my other neighbor's weed infested yards?

This year I've also started attacking a bunch of tall fescue clumps, which of course results in ineveitable brown patches everwhere. How long should I wait before digging up the dead patches and reseeding that area (I guess the same question applies to all the collateral damage that will happen from dealing with quack)?

Thanks!

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turf_toes
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by turf_toes » March 25th, 2022, 4:05 pm

It could be either or both.

R2k
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by R2k » April 16th, 2023, 9:02 pm

I believe I have quackgrass...so do my neighbors. It's a very tough weed to eradicate. I've given up completely and I still love my lawn even with the quackgrass!

If you're unaware, quackgrass has rhizomes that spread underground and quite far. When I kill some quackgrass using Roundup, it just re-sprouts from the extensive roots/rhizomes. Roundup kills the top growth of quackgrass, but not the root/rhizomes. Even if I nuke my whole yard with Roundup, I'd have to water and fallow for months to kill all the new quackgrass that sprouts from the roots/rhizomes. I have nuked my entire backyard 2x to renovate over the years with Roundup and my quackgrass friends always regenerate from the roots/rhizomes first before my grass seed sprouts. They are always there for me! Fallowing for months is not an option for me.

Even if fallowing did work to kill ALL Quackgrass rhizomes...my neighbors have it too. Their quack would just creep back in underground and reinfect my lawn after all that embarrassment and hard work.

From my understanding, quackgrass loves weak soil/areas where the grass isn't thriving. Fix the weak soil/grass and you'll at least have nice grass there too! That doesn't mean the quack goes away though.

I believe in this forum someone was experimenting with low-cutting heights to starve the roots of the quack top growth. I never followed up after the realization that my neighbors have it and it'll continue to reinfect my lawn. It's something farmers deal with in agriculture and it's a nightmare for them too.

Make sure you've got the right weed identified (I am no expert), but if you've got the real deal...best of luck to you.

Again, it's an opportunistic weed that looks for weak areas to thrive in. Fix the weak areas so grass can thrive and the quack will be less noticeable in my opinion. I use TTTF/KBG and I still love taking care of my lawn even with the quack! I have adjusted my standards and I still enjoy the hobby.

Also, I'm just a regular dummy...no expert. This blurb has been my experience. I'm unaware of any herbicides that control Quackgrass effectively.


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andy10917
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by andy10917 » April 16th, 2023, 9:20 pm

"Certainty" is labelled for Quackgrass, but it isn't exactly a cheap product (although "Sertay" generic is cheaper), so I'd get a Cooperative Extension to say that you have in fact Quackgrass. Upon validation, try "Certainty/Sertay" on it (if you haven't already tried it).

Please follow up with us if you proceed...

R2k
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by R2k » April 16th, 2023, 10:15 pm

Andy,

I see Certainty is labeled for Quackgrass. Obviously, this is news to me.

I'll start doing my homework on Certainty, but I'll ask some quick questions now.

#1: Timing-wise, is now the right time for me to use Certainty or better in the fall? My area will begin to see stressful heat around mid-May to late May and I don't have an irrigation system.

#2: I'm sure I'll find out through homework, but does Certainty kill Quackgrass roots/rhizomes directly or do you have to keep killing the top-growth of Quack until the roots/rhizomes are starved of energy and die?

Thank you for pointing out Certainty as an option. I will evaluate it!


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andy10917
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Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by andy10917 » April 16th, 2023, 10:37 pm

R2K, I've used Certainty for Poa Triv, but not Quackgrass. I can't say for sure whether a couple of treatments (what they recommend) finishes the job in one season.

My experience with the product and research indicates that it works best when the first treatment is near the "stressful heat", and follow it with a total number of 3 treatments 21 days apart, ending around September 15. Again, my experience is based on Poa Triv and not Quackgrass. YMMV...

R2k
Posts: 61
Joined: August 11th, 2022, 10:27 pm
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Lawn Size: 5000-10000
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Re: Quackgrass are Back

Post by R2k » April 16th, 2023, 10:59 pm

As I was reading the label, it has a footnote for quack that Certainty is a partial control/suppression for quack. They don't explain the limitation. Any insight as to why put that disclaimer in there? They have that same footnote on Poa annua, so I figure you may have some insight from that perspective.

I'll keep doing my homework and see if it's a good fit.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insight.

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