01/24/2019
It’s that time of year again. Your dormant bermuda or zoysia turf is overrun with green patches of annual bluegrass, or as it is called by its scientific name, poa annua.
Annual bluegrass is a winter annual grassy w**d that first germinates in the fall. It will continue germinating during warmer periods of the winter and will grow to several inches tall by the spring. It then will begin producing large amounts of seeds before dying off in warmer weather. The seeds, of course, germinate again the following fall and the cycle starts again with a more significant infestation. Cutting the grass close does not help because poa annua will form seed heads very quickly after mowing. It also seems to grow more prolifically in wetter areas of your lawn.
Fortunately, there are multiple herbicide control strategies that are usually successful. First, an effective pre-emergent applied in early fall can help control most of the problem before it even starts. Pre-emergent herbicides kill new seedlings as soon as they germinate.
For the smaller percentage of seedlings that survive the pre-emergent barrier, there are effective post-emergent herbicides. Also, it often can take 2-3 applications for complete control, so be patient with our efforts in controlling this w**d from your dormant bermuda and zoysia turf.
It is important to note that because annual bluegrass is a grassy w**d, the standard broadleaf w**d killing herbicides that kill other w**ds such as henbit, clover, chickw**d, dandelions, etc., are useless against annual bluegrass. It requires special products that target grassy w**ds. Many other companies do not include post-emergent grassy w**d or annual bluegrass control with their program and up-charge you for it. We do include it with our program because it is such a nuisance and we want our customers’ lawns looking as good as possible as a reflection of our work.
So don’t let poa annua trouble you too much. Be patient and let the herbicides work and your dormant bermuda or zoysia turf will be w**d-free again soon!
