Patchy lawn - Ask Extension
I have a tall fescue lawn. Over the past several years, the lawn has a lighter green grass growing in patches. I have attached two pictures, one showi...
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Patchy lawn #865851
Asked April 25, 2024, 10:07 AM EDT
I have a tall fescue lawn. Over the past several years, the lawn has a lighter green grass growing in patches. I have attached two pictures, one showing the lawn and the light green patch (one of many). The second picture is a close up of the "invasive" grass, Can you help me identify the light green grass and how to control it? I have a 3 acre lawn that will need to be treated,
Thank you.
Fairfield County Ohio
Expert Response
Dear Mark,
Did you notice if those patches of grass were there over the winter, and if so, were they brown? It may be a weedy variety of grass called nimblewill. The best description and photos of it that I found were on the Purdue Extension website:
Nimblewill | Purdue University Turfgrass Science at Purdue University.
The bad news is that only a non-specific herbicide is available for homeowner use to kill it -- meaning that the herbicide will kill your desirable grass as well. So careful application is required, maybe as many as three times, and patience is necessary to allow those patches to die back before you can overseed.
There are two new selective herbicides as well, but as you will read, Purdue recommends that homeowners hire lawn care professionals to apply them, since they are used at a very low rate and could still prove dangerous to your existing lawn.
As opposed to broadleaf weeds, any weedy type of grass is more difficult to eradicate because the remedy harms your desirable grass. We have nimblewill in our lawn, but it is nowhere close to being three acres as yours is, so I sympathize. Best of luck.
Did you notice if those patches of grass were there over the winter, and if so, were they brown? It may be a weedy variety of grass called nimblewill. The best description and photos of it that I found were on the Purdue Extension website:
Nimblewill | Purdue University Turfgrass Science at Purdue University.
The bad news is that only a non-specific herbicide is available for homeowner use to kill it -- meaning that the herbicide will kill your desirable grass as well. So careful application is required, maybe as many as three times, and patience is necessary to allow those patches to die back before you can overseed.
There are two new selective herbicides as well, but as you will read, Purdue recommends that homeowners hire lawn care professionals to apply them, since they are used at a very low rate and could still prove dangerous to your existing lawn.
As opposed to broadleaf weeds, any weedy type of grass is more difficult to eradicate because the remedy harms your desirable grass. We have nimblewill in our lawn, but it is nowhere close to being three acres as yours is, so I sympathize. Best of luck.
