How to fight annual bluegrass in your lawn?
You find annual bluegrass or Poa annua everywhere: in car parks, between paving stones and borders, but unfortunately also in your lawn.
Annual bluegrass
Due to its shallow rooting, annual bluegrass tolerates treading only moderately to poorly. It can easily be kicked out, causing bald patches. This does not only look unattractive but also brings the quality of your lawn down. The culprit can be easily recognised by its light green, hairless leaves. It flowers at a young age and all year round. While flowering, it develops small panicles with white to light green hairs. Annual bluegrass does not grow taller than 25-30 cm. It was created by crossing the two species of meadow grass: Poa Infirma and Poa Supina. This combination created a very strong variety that germinates at soil temperatures as low as 7°C and takes up any bare spot.
Causes
Annual bluegrass very quickly forms seeds that are carried into your garden by birds and wind. Do you have a densely packed lawn? Then it can nestle in your lawn. Because wild grass produces seed so quickly, it is important to remove it as soon as possible before it can continue to spread. There is nothing you can do about the amount of wild grass in your area. So it is important to keep your grass mat as healthy as possible so that annual bluegrass does not get a chance to grow.
SOS en RPR as a solution?
- I have often been given the tip to mow the lawn on a regular basis: up to twice a week for several weeks at a time. As this seemed the cheapest and easiest solution, I tried it. Unfortunately, my annual bluegrass just kept on growing. Please let me know if this helps you!
- A strong lawn begins with the use of thick & healthy grass seed, good fertilisation and maintenance. This can prevent many problems. We therefore note that annual bluegrass usually develops when non-quality grass seed is used or as a result of poor maintenance/fertilisation.
- In recent years, the lawn has suffered greatly due to dry summers. Read here how you can restore your lawn after a hot & dry summer. If you do not sow the bare spots between September and March, they will soon be filled by annual bluegrass and/or weeds.
- Has the annual bluegrass managed to get in between your beautiful lawn? Then fight it out with a fast-germinating grass seed with SOS (Super Over Seeding) technology. This seed already germinates at temperatures of 6°C, which is earlier than the annual bluegrass that germinates at about 7-8°C. So you can perfectly sow in the winter with these mixtures.
- RPR grass seed also offers a solution. This mixture germinates quickly and forms a very strong turf where the grass sprouts itself. This gives you a very dense and strong turf, which gives street grass less chance.
Roadmap
- Remove the annual bluegrass as best you can. Unfortunately, this can only be done manually. Chemical products are forbidden for private use. The 'weed killers' that are still available work on the basis of acids (acetic or pelargic acid) and also burn your lawn.
- Fill in pits with weed-free soil. Do not use compost as it is often not yet digested and may burn the grass seed or contain weed seeds.
- Then immediately sprinkle with recovery lawn SOS (small bare spots) or grass seed mixture with RPR technology (larger spots). Here are some practical tips for sowing!
- Rake up the soil and tamp it down.
- Water regularly (twice a week)
- Are there still weeds or annual bluegrasses around when your grass seed is germinating? Remove them as soon as possible while the soil is still loose!
Do you suffer from clover? Then you can apply Clever off. This product works quickly and is harmless to the environment. Remember, however, that clover also provides nitrogen to the soil, so you don't have to fertilise as much. So a bit of clover certainly cannot do any harm. We also sell self-sowing lawn clover.
Maintaining your lawn properly
In order to avoid annual bluegrass, you must therefore have a strong and healthy turf without bald spots. This is easier said than done. It requires a lot of time and follow-up. Maintaining your lawn takes a whole article, but it always comes down to the same thing: you have to put in a lot of time and use the right tools.
Some advice:
- Mow the grass weekly. The longer you wait, the worse.
- Do not cut your grass too short. This can damage the grass, especially in warm weather.
- Do you spot weeds, couch grass or moss? Remove them as soon as possible!
- Lime in the autumn or early spring. Measuring is knowing: go to a garden centre for a lime analysis or carry out an analysis yourself with a kit.
- Fertilise: Grass is a plant and needs nutrients. Do you want a lawn in top condition? Then you need to fertilise at least twice a year. There are huge differences in price and quality, and it is certainly the case that the most expensive fertilisers are not always the best. So inform yourself well or get advice.
- In addition to annual bluegrass, moss and weeds can also spoil your beautiful lawn. Prevent moss formation by giving the lawn sufficient fertiliser and not mowing it too short. It is also advisable to detach annually to give your lawn an airy coat.
- Do dandelions and buttercups appear in your grass? Then you should remove them manually with a knife or special weed whacker.
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