Hello - I have done a little research on the Internet to find out why my lawn, in just 2 years, has turned from a perfectly healthy looking lawn to a total disaster! I live in Langley, BC. I am attaching pictures of what is invading my yard. I believe it to be poa annua but I am not certain. Can someone confirm? I suspect there may be little I can do but if there is a remedy to my problem, please let me know! Also, there appears to be a rusty tinge to some of the grass. Is this indicative of anything? Joel
The big patches of coarse grass are not Poa annua; may be Lolium perenne but several other species also possible. Photo #5 might have some Poa annua on the right-hand side of the pic (note the numerous small flower spikes), but accurate grass identification generally needs observation of near-microscopic detail of the flower structure. Mown grass without flower spikes usually can't be identified other than rough guesswork based on overall plant vigour, probability, and general abundance in cultivation (or DNA tests, if you're really desparate and very rich!).
Thanks Michael. If some of what you see is not Poa annua, then might there be a way to eradicate? The area is prone to dampness and standing water. I do plan to implement a drainage solution, but in the short term, is there anything I might be able to apply to the grass to help stop the "weeds" from spreading? Joel
Removing coarse grasses from a lawn is not easy! Any herbicide that would kill the coarse grasses would also kill the desirable finer grasses.
Hand removal is the best bet. Maybe not fun, but can be therapeudic*. Poa annua will at least burn out of lawns in hot weather and as the good grasses fill in it becomes harder for it to resprout next spring. I agree, it is in one picture up in the right, but I am unfamiliar with the other grass. I have patches of P. annua I have to work at in my creeping thyme every year. *I love weeding!...Every summer I work at eradicating a small patch of Bermuda and also white clover in my small lawn. I enjoy it.
