Goosegrass Control: How To Get Rid of Goosegrass

Goosegrass is a warm-weather weed that can easily stand out due to its spread out tufts of grass and grass blades that resemble little fingers. Goosegrass is a resilient grass that can establish itself in a variety of soils, even ones that are compacted and stressed. It is an annual grass, but in tropical conditions, it could be perennial.

Goosegrass is especially common in areas where there is a lot of foot traffic or along sidewalks or walkways. This explains why athletic fields and golf courses commonly get infested by goosegrass. Goosegrass also likes to grow in areas where the weather constantly fluctuates.

Goosegrass has thick leaf blades that are difficult to cut with a mower and even after a close trim, lawn grass will look unkempt and unattractive if the weed is present. Goosegrass is most prominent in warm summer periods but may persist into winter in temperate zones.

If you are tired of dealing with goosegrass on your lawn, our DIY goosegrass treatment guide will show you exactly what you need to do to get rid of goosegrass permanently. Following our step-by-step instructions and use our professional herbicide recommendations and you will remove goosegrass and save money too.

Identification

Before you can move forward with a treatment program, you need to properly identify Goosegrass by knowing what it looks like. Misidentification of Goosegrass can lead to you using the wrong herbicides, which can cost you time and money. Here are some traits to look out for when identifying Goosegrass:

• Goosegrass can be identified via its finger-like seed head. Looking at it from the top it almost looks like a wagon wheel in that it has spokes that come out.
• Goosegrass forms leafy tufts which look like they are reclining. The color is emerald green with older blades having a small bit of white on their damaged edges.
• Another distinguishing trait is that this grass can stick to your clothing if you brush up against it because of all the small little hairs it has.
• Goosegrass has a strong, complicated root system and readily invades hard, compacted soils found in high traffic areas. It adapts well to close, frequent mowing and even produces seed when mowed at very low heights such as when they have invaded putting greens on golf courses.

Use the descriptions and image above to help you to identify Goosegrass. If you are not sure whether the weed on your lawn is goosegrass or not, contact us and we will properly Identify the plant for you as well as give you the proper product recommendations and tips on how to kill goosegrass.

Inspection

After you have confirmed that the weed you are encountering is Goosegrass, you can then move forward with an inspection. During this phase, you will need to pinpoint the areas where Goosegrass is growing and what the conditions of the area are which are allowing the weed to thrive. This will help you to determine where to focus your herbicide treatment.

Where to Inspect

Goosegrass likes to germinate in hard or compacted areas such as an area in your yard that gets a lot of heavy foot traffic. Goosegrass also springs up around sidewalks and pathways.

What To Look For

You are looking for grass that are growing in spread out tufts where the blades spread out like fingers. Once you have determined how large a Goosegrass invasion you have, you will then know where to focus your chemical herbicide applications.

Treatment

Controlling Goosegrass can be particularly difficult since Goosegrass has been known to become completely resistant to a variety of pre and post-emergent herbicide applications. Our recommendations have the best potential of managing the goosegrass on your lawn.

For goosegrass that is already established, apply Tenacity, which is a selective, systemic herbicide that does a great job against Goosegrass while sparing harm to desired turfgrasses.

Please be sure that when handling any type of herbicide, you are properly protecting your skin and eyes with safety equipment (goggles, gloves and long-sleeved clothing).

Step 1: Measure Yard and Mix Tenacity

Before mixing Tenacity into your sprayer, determine how much Tenacity you need by measuring the square footage of your target area (measure and calculate the length of your lawn x width). For best results in eradicating Goosegrass from your lawn, it is recommended to mix Tenacity with a non-ionic surfactant, such as Nanotek Surfactant. This will help the Tenacity to better stick to the goosegrass and not runoff.

For spot treatments, you can treat 1,000 sq. ft. by using 1 teaspoon (0.16 oz.) of Tenacity along with 3 teaspoons (0.5 oz.) of non-ionic surfactant in a gallon of water. Use the syringe that comes with the Tenacity for precise measuring.

Step 2: Apply Tenacity to Goosegrass

Once the Tenacity is well-mixed in your sprayer, apply the product to the Goosegrass using a fan nozzle setting. This will shoot a mist that will evenly coat the Goosegrass. Apply to the point of wet, but just before the point of runoff. We recommend follow up applications after 2 to 3 weeks until the Goosegrass is completely dead.

Prevention

The best way to keep Goosegrass off your lawn is by preventing it from growing. We recommend using a pre-emergent called Barricade. When applied at the right time, this will help to keep Goosegrass seeds from germinating on your lawn. Timing is key for the best results.

Barricade which contains Prodiamine, a highly effective active ingredient that controls and prevents seeds from sprouting. Depending on your turfgrass type, Barricade can be applied at a rate from 2.5 pounds to 6 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. (read the label to find the proper rate for your turf type). Measure the square footage of your lawn to determine how much Barricade you will need.

Once you have measured the appropriate amount based on your calculations, load the barricade granules at the right calibration setting into a hand or push spreader and then apply the granules until your lawn is covered evenly to get a uniform application. After broadcasting the granules, you should then water in and activate them with at least 0.5 inches of water.

Apply Barricade in the February/March timeframe. Going this route, we would recommend doing a follow-up application around the springtime going into Summer around May.

Some cultural practices which helps your chances in keeping Goosegrass away is making sure your yard is healthy and densely planted with turf. Goosegrass is known to be persistent and will grow on bare areas if not managed right away.

Overseed bare areas to prevent goosegrass seeds from germinating. Leaving no room for Goosegrass to germinate will surely kill the unwanted weeds. Moreover, lawn mowers used to mow goosegrass should be cleaned to eliminate seeds that may be left clinging on the mower.

Aerate your lawn to remove the compaction in the soil and avoid overwatering to help lessen the chances of goosegrass making a comeback.

Key Takeaways

What is Goosegrass?

• Goosegrass is a difficult-to-control summer annual weed that has been popping up everywhere across the United States and other regions of the world.

How To Get Rid of Goosegrass

• We recommend post-emergent treatment of Goosegrass by using Tenacity Herbicide when the plant has emerged to keep Goosegrass under control.

Preventing Reinfestation of Goosegrass

• Preventing Goosegrass from making a comeback requires a good lawn maintenance routine which promotes a dense nutrient-rich turf.
• You can also apply pre-emergent applications of Barricade Herbicide before the growing season to keep Goosegrass weed seeds from germinating.