Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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Brian M
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Joined: July 16th, 2020, 8:10 am
Location: Westchester county, NY
Grass Type: TTTF/KBG
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Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by Brian M » April 9th, 2021, 11:36 am

Quick background:
I’m a beginner grass care nut. Live in Westchester County NY. Have northern mix lawn.

I found some(quit a lot) of what I believe is Poa-a and Poa-t in my yard. Lime-ish green color, boat shaped tips. Annua and flowering seed heads, trivialis does not. Am I correct so far?

From reading other posts treatment for annua is tenacity and pre-m, correct? What I don’t know is how often to spray tenacity or the time of year? And the pre-m I believe are prodiamine and dimersion? Is one better for spring and one better for fall? I also battle crab grass, if that’s important.

For the trivialis, it is mainly in one large patch approximately 200sqft, and then spots of them moving away. For such a large area, it’s in a good spot, down at the corner of the property under trees. I don’t even notice it unless I’m mowing down there. Can’t even see it from the house. For this I’m thinking to just RU it and do a mini reno on that area. Will this get rid of it for next year? My other thought is that because it’s in such a tucked away corner, is there a way of keeping it there and not letting it spread? If you need any additional info let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Brian

edslawn
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Joined: July 2nd, 2019, 9:22 pm
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Re: Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by edslawn » April 9th, 2021, 1:42 pm

Brian M wrote:
April 9th, 2021, 11:36 am
Quick background:
I’m a beginner grass care nut. Live in Westchester County NY. Have northern mix lawn.

I found some(quit a lot) of what I believe is Poa-a and Poa-t in my yard. Lime-ish green color, boat shaped tips. Annua and flowering seed heads, trivialis does not. Am I correct so far?

From reading other posts treatment for annua is tenacity and pre-m, correct? What I don’t know is how often to spray tenacity or the time of year? And the pre-m I believe are prodiamine and dimersion? Is one better for spring and one better for fall? I also battle crab grass, if that’s important.

For the trivialis, it is mainly in one large patch approximately 200sqft, and then spots of them moving away. For such a large area, it’s in a good spot, down at the corner of the property under trees. I don’t even notice it unless I’m mowing down there. Can’t even see it from the house. For this I’m thinking to just RU it and do a mini reno on that area. Will this get rid of it for next year? My other thought is that because it’s in such a tucked away corner, is there a way of keeping it there and not letting it spread? If you need any additional info let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Brian
If you search the site, you will see lots of good info, including that some of us do two things: 1) apply a fall and a spring application of prodiamine for year-round coverage of many pesky weeds, including crabgrass and poa. I'm pretty sure that the fall dose is targeted to poa. In addition, some apply a broad application of tenacity to "light up" the poa and identify the enemy, since it turns white when hit with tenacity.

Masbustelo
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Re: Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by Masbustelo » April 9th, 2021, 8:25 pm

If you have the Poa Trivialis, and if you are thinking of spraying roundup on it...I would say now is the best time to start spraying. It is very tender right now and will respond to the roundup. What I have read is that the earlier in the year you begin to spray it the higher % that more of it will be eliminated. You will more than likely need to spray multiple times.

northeastlawn
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Re: Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by northeastlawn » April 9th, 2021, 8:47 pm

Applying tenacity to tackle poa-a is an art form I have not yet mastered, especially when you see all the poa-a in my backyard.

I’ll tackle the pre-m though, prodiamine works on more weeds and lasts longer. The liquid concentrate is cheaper, although Lowe’s actually has a granular version of it this year. For dealing with poa-a in the late summer and fall, prodiamine is the way to go.

Dimension will work on poa-a but it’s really good for crab grass in the spring. It has the added benefit that it offers some post emergent benefits if you treat the lawn with a heavy dose. If the crab grass doesn’t get past a certain tillering (three leaves), dimension will still kill it. Fir this reason I think dimension gets the nod in the spring.

Dimension in concentrate form is more expensive than prodiamine, that and because prodiamine lasts longer, you will see people who spray use prodiamine, while people who like granular products go for dimension.

I have seen people split apps and even rotate pre-m’s. This year I’m putting dimension down first, then prodiamine late spring. Then 2 apps of prodiamine, august and October for poa-a. Just keep in mind each if these have yearly limits you have to follow.

Brian M
Posts: 31
Joined: July 16th, 2020, 8:10 am
Location: Westchester county, NY
Grass Type: TTTF/KBG
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by Brian M » April 9th, 2021, 10:27 pm

Thanks north east lawns, you answered a lot of my questions..
But what if I just dug it out? The annua, I know has seeds that I’d never get, and hopefully the pre-m limits them. But the big section of trivialis, it’s about 200sqft of weed, I’d. Could triple that to make sure I get everything. Go down 6-8 inches, bring in some nice top soil. Is that a permanent fix?


northeastlawn
Posts: 1259
Joined: June 1st, 2015, 3:10 pm
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Re: Poa-a and Poa-t questions

Post by northeastlawn » April 10th, 2021, 9:50 am

You will have to do a search on dealing with triv. Poa-a is shallow rooted and pulls out easily after a rain, the triv branches out like vines. If you dethatch or even scalp it, it branches off and comes back stronger. It’s bad stuff.

Using round up when it’s growing in the spring can sometimes kill some of it, you can dig it out, but there is often enough left behind to come back. There’s just no magic bullet, and you have to manage you expectations and plan on a long battle.

Poacure may be the thing we have always been hoping for, but it’s really not approved for home use and may never be.

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