[giansean]

Hi. I have been living with this grassy weed throughout my yard (especially the less tended portions) for several years. It's hard to pin a source on it but seems to have cropped up within five years or so while we were going through construction. Our lot is sloped and it is very pervasive on the lower portion which is not really fertilized/weeded, but has also had taken hold in our upper back yard (completely reseeded in 2018) but that may be due to seeds still present.

This grass is slightly more yellow-light green, has grooves and a mid-rib, and grows taller than the KBG and TTFT that surrounds it... if left alone it will be six-ish inches or so above. It does not appear to have rhizomes when pulled but also seems to pop up where it feels like, and will bunch if you eventually let it. At first I thought it was quackgrass, but on inspection it doesn't have the same parts. Next best guess is orchard grass.

I've attached some images that can hopefully help... can take more if needed. I also am including some older pics of how bad it had got in 2017 or so (before we re-did the lawn).

Thanks for any info!

 

[de-nagorg]

Take your sample to your County Agriculture office, ask there.

They have experts for your area, and you pay taxes for this " free" service.


ED

 

[giansean]

Good call... it's 10 minutes away too and they will do an initial eval via email! (good deal for times like this)

 

[DoomsDave]

@giansean, looks like tall fescue - but check with your ag people and let us know what they tell you.

 

[DoomsDave]

It looks like K-31 tall fescue . . . .

 

[giansean]

So they got back to me really quick and said they believe it is orchard grass (presence of ligule vs TF) but if I want to be sure I can send them a sample. Unfortunately I have plenty so at some point will mail one in and report back. I'm just so thrilled it's not quack and hence will not get any worse, or re-invade it's old territory.

I also have a one theory as to how it got so bad. The contractors who reseeded (with annual rye... thanks a-holes!) also used hay instead of straw as mulch. If it was hay they got from some guy's orchard grass field, there you go. It probably took over once the annual died off and just kept coming back.

 

[de-nagorg]

If there is any within a mile of you, the seed blew in during a wind storm.

I have a constant fight with Cheat Grass, here and the nearly constant breeze.


ED

 

[DoomsDave]

So they got back to me really quick and said they believe it is orchard grass (presence of ligule vs TF) but if I want to be sure I can send them a sample. Unfortunately I have plenty so at some point will mail one in and report back. I'm just so thrilled it's not quack and hence will not get any worse, or re-invade it's old territory.

I also have a one theory as to how it got so bad. The contractors who reseeded (with annual rye... thanks a-holes!) also used hay instead of straw as mulch. If it was hay they got from some guy's orchard grass field, there you go. It probably took over once the annual died off and just kept coming back.

Thanks for sharing the verdict. Never heard of O-grass, learn something new every day!

According to this, it's far from the noxious weeds that quack grass and cheat grass can be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactylis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactylis_glomerata

 

[giansean]

No problem and yeah it's a struggle when you are around nature. I'm pretty stoked though... I was convinced it was quack and always pulling the things and looking for rhizomes. Apparently if you truly have quack or similar, they are impossible NOT to find. Prayers for our best possible lawns brothers

 

[DoomsDave]

No problem and yeah it's a struggle when you are around nature. I'm pretty stoked though... I was convinced it was quack and always pulling the things and looking for rhizomes. Apparently if you truly have quack or similar, they are impossible NOT to find. Prayers for our best possible lawns brothers

If that ID is accurate, it would appear you have a good chance to get rid of the OG, if you want to. A good shot with some glyphosate, and kaboom, gone.

Or, you can dig out the clumps, maybe make green Boris Johnson toupees out of them . . .

(Sorry, Devil done' git into me.) :vs_cool: :devil3:

If it hasn't had the chance to go do seed, that should be the end of it. If it's been there for years, be prepared for regrowth from seeds. And be ready to strike like Thunderball.

 

[giansean]

Yeah it's annoying enough already how integrated it is within the good grass. I may be forced to rig up a PVC wick and do the "brush the tall tips" trick to get started. Other areas all deserve to die. Well, at least it's all green