Our lawns represent us to the world, and they’re the first things our guests and loved ones see when they visit. Unfortunately, perennial grasses such as Quackgrass, also called Elymus repens, thrive in the same sorts of conditions as bluegrass and other grass varieties that homeowners love to plant. Knowing how to get rid of Quackgrass is a crucial skill if you wish to enjoy a weed-free lawn.
When you know how to kill Quackgrass, you can respond swiftly and confidently the next time you encounter an infestation. This guide looks at different methods of responding to patches of Quackgrass when you discover them on your lawn. We help you set up a game plan to preserve desired plants, and you’ll also get some fantastic tips on eliminating Quackgrass and other grass weeds such as crabgrass and tall fescue.
Our guide even includes a dynamite recipe for homemade Quackgrass killer. Follow our DIY solutions to kill invasive grass on your property and maintain a green, lush lawn with nothing but grass blades as far as the eye can see. You’ll be ready for any weed emergency you encounter.
How to Kill Quackgrass
When getting rid of Quackgrass or other unwanted weeds in your lawn or garden, your first move should be to take non-invasive, low-impact steps to ensure that you don’t lose additional lawn space or plants. Most methods that kill Quackgrass also work for a variety of other weeds, too.
Quackgrass and most other weeds are fast-growing, and they demand an immediate response if you wish to keep them at bay and force them to retreat. A reliable approach to fighting Quackgrass and invasive vegetation includes initial actions you should take upon discovery.
Early Response Actions
This section deals with steps you can take to combat Quackgrass if you catch it early in its lifecycle. In this section, we walk you through identifying Quackgrass so that you can be sure you’re dealing with the bad stuff. You’ll also get advice on preserving valued plants and a method of addressing weed patches without resorting to invasive techniques.
Most people prefer to use natural ways to get rid of weeds so we have included some effective weed killer solutions that don’t involve chemical intervention. However, sometimes commercial solutions end up being the strongest ways to eliminate weeds. We have a few ideas about that, too.
Make Sure You’re Dealing with Quackgrass
Quack grass plants require a specific approach when you set out to eliminate weeds from your lawn. However, they often blend in with desirable grasses and can be difficult to spot until they mature and push past the other grasses.
If you have a sharp eye, though, you can identify new Quackgrass and prevent it from taking over your landscape. Quackgrass looks like a few other kinds of grass such as ryegrass, with thin, pale green leaves and spiky auricles. But, unlike similar-looking grasses, Quackgrass also has rhizomes, which produce thousands of new plants over a year.
The two kinds of grass often grow around each other, which is one reason why using mulch produced from ryegrass is risky and can introduce Quackgrass to your lawn. When you locate a suspicious-looking grass plant and see rhizomes, you’ve probably got Quackgrass.
Relocate Plants You Wish to Save
Weeds such as Quackgrass work by overpowering existing plants and bullying their way to the top spot on your lawn. You’ll have to be able to face off against these tough customers, and you’ll want to give them everything you’ve got to take care of them.
You can’t do that if you’re trying to avoid damaging prized plants near where the weeds are growing. Any plan for fighting weeds on your lawn will be more effective if you make sure to move your valued greenery.
The first time you spot Quackgrass encroaching on your lawn, swing into action. Prepare a new temporary home for your plants in a comfy pot with lots of potting soil, fresh water, and tasty fertilizer.
Make sure to dig up the entire root ball, and give the plants extra TLC for a while after transplanting them to reduce shock. Replant them in their original locations after you thoroughly eradicate the weeds.
Crowd Out the Quackgrass
When Quackgrass grows unchecked, it is an aggressive plant that spreads rapidly and takes up resources that your lawn grass needs to grow and thrive. To combat this sort of attack and get rid of Quack grass, you’ll need to be even more aggressive and overwhelm the weeds.
Planting new grass seed in areas where you see Quackgrass growing can often take care of your weed issue without requiring you to do any damage to the topsoil. This also works quite well as a way to kill crabgrass, too.
To eliminate your Quackgrass problem, fill a seed spreader with a grass seed such as bluegrass, buckwheat, or ryegrass, and distribute new seed in areas that have signs of Quackgrass growth.
Spread more seed than is required, and give it lots of care to ensure that it has the optimum opportunity for growth. Water your new grass as needed, and feed with a nitrogen fertilizer.
The fertilizer suppresses the Quackgrass and encourages good grass growth. If you give the new grass lots of attention, it should overpower and starve out the Quackgrass. Mowing the new grass will also help remove the Quackgrass.
Getting Rid of Quackgrass
When you’re dealing with weeds in lawn care, prevention isn’t going to keep your lawn safe forever. No amount of seeding will help if you have a weed problem that gets too far gone, after all. At some point, you’re probably going to encounter a patch of Quackgrass that you’ll need to kill to get your lawn back to beautiful.
Homemade Quackgrass Killer and More
This section looks at different ways to kill off your Quackgrass and keep it from returning. We show you how to dig it out while minimizing the chance of the weeds spreading further.
And, you’ll also get a great DIY recipe for folks who wish to avoid harsh chemicals. No weed will be safe from your reach after you finish this section.
Carefully Dig up the Quackgrass
Your initial instinct when you run across Quackgrass growing on your lawn is to reach for it and yank it up. That can sometimes take care of your issue when the plant is young, but it’s easy to spread seeds around and leave yourself with a bigger mess than you already had.
Because Quackgrass tends to disintegrate and spread when you dig it up, it’s essential to take care when doing so. Never use a rototiller on Quackgrass; you’ll break up the Quackgrass rhizomes and spread the seed all over the yard.
Use a shovel or another digging tool to dig a circle a foot in diameter around the weed and dig down about a foot into the soil to make sure you get the entire root ball.
Even a scrap of the plant can result in new growth, so take your time and make sure you get every bit of the underground stems. Throw the weeds into a trash bag and seal it. Seed the area with new grass to prevent the weed from returning.
However, be sure to wear protective clothing and gloves to prevent the spread of urushiol on your skin and increase the potential for an allergic reaction.
Solarize Them
Like all plants, Quackgrass will die if you exceed their physical limits. Too much heat will take care of your weed problem without hassle.
If your Quackgrass issue gets bad enough, a plastic covering will allow sunlight through and create an environment your weeds can’t tolerate. This method doesn’t discriminate as to the sorts of plants that it impacts, so be ready to replant the entire section of the lawn after you take care of the Quackgrass.
To get rid of Japanese Knotweed, Quackgrass or another patch of unwanted vegetation, spread a clear plastic covering across the area you wish to address. Use duct tape to secure the covering to any fencing or walls, and weigh it down with stones or other heavy objects.
Make sure there isn’t anywhere through which sunlight or air can seep to ensure that this method works best. Wait six weeks or more before removing the plastic.
Use a DIY Herbicide
Quackgrass control in lawns will likely come down to herbicides at some point. You don’t have to go right for the top-shelf commercial products, though. Even folks who want to avoid using dangerous weed killers have options for sprays that will take care of Quackgrass.
Our recipe for a vinegar-based weed killer is just what you need to eliminate Quackgrass and other grassy weeds from your lawn. Your household white vinegar won’t cut it, though; pick up industrial-strength vinegar with an acidity of around 10%.
Always wear safety equipment and appropriate clothing when you use industrial-strength vinegar. Get rid of crabgrass naturally, as well as Quackgrass and other nasty weeds, by adding ten drops of citrus oil for every two cups of vinegar until you fill the sprayer.
Wait for at least a day after a rainstorm to apply the herbicide, and don’t use it if rain is forecast within the next day or two to ensure that the spray has time to take hold. Spray each plant thoroughly to coat all the leaf blades, and let the mixture soak down into the root systems. Quackgrass control using this method requires patience, so be prepared to respray every few days for at least the next few weeks.
Hit Them with Commercial Weed Killer
Quackgrass is famous for being stubborn and sticking around, so the day might very well arrive when you’re out of options. No need to despair, though. All kinds of commercial herbicides will take care of your Quackgrass troubles and leave the entire lawn looking like a well-tended golf course.
It’s a good idea to give your yard treatment with a pre-emergent herbicide such as Barricade or Roundup that prevents weeds such as Quackgrass from finding a foothold. Attacking the weeds after they sprout requires a different tack. You can use herbicides with glyphosate as the active ingredient or another post-emergent herbicide to target grasses such as Quackgrass.
The instruction for use for these sorts of weed killers will usually require you to use a paint brush to get the herbicide on the stem and roots. Selective herbicides will not be appropriate for Quackgrass, however.
We hope you had a dynamite time exploring our recommendations for getting rid of Quackgrass in your lawn. Our lawns make a strong impression on the world, and we want to keep them looking gorgeous.
Weeds such as Quackgrass can ruin an attractive turf and leave it looking shabby and poorly tended. Our guide on how to kill Quackgrass helps you find the perfect attack plan to fight off the weeds.
Thanks for reading our homemade Quackgrass killer tips. Facebook and Pinterest are great places to share how to get rid of Quackgrass, as you might enjoy helping others learn about killing Quackgrass with vinegar and other methods in the same way you did.