A Guide to the most common lawn weeds
WINTER GRASS About the weed Winter Grass is a widespread weed problem throughout Australia and is more prevalent in winter and spring. Winter Grass is characterised by its ...
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Winter grass is a highly common weed in most lawns throughout Australia. It has a bright green leaf which is very soft in it’s early life cycle, and will most commonly appear at the beginning of winter and can often last until the New Year. It’s bright green leaf makes the grass very apparent as a weed in home lawns, and it never mows very well, neither with a rotary or cylinder mower.
The weed can become a real problem over time as the many generations create more and more root systems, which will keep filling the soil like spiders’ webs. The root systems are very intensive and will eventually fill the soil and choke out the lawn’s own root system.
The herbicide for Winter Grass is the most unique amongst most other herbicides. This is because it acts on the root system of Winter Grass rather than on the leaf system like other poisons.
Winter Grass poison can be bought in a concentrated form in a small bottle, usually for less than $20. It is then mixed with water in a spray bottle and sprayed onto the lawn as per manufacturer’s instructions. Because this herbicide works on the root system, it must be watered immediately into the lawn after application.
One of the most important factors in controlling Winter Grass is to treat it as early as possible in it’s lifecycle. The more Winter Grass matures, the more difficult it is to kill, and it can often resist weed sprays. The other reason to treat this weed early is to kill it off before it has a chance to produce a new generation of weed seeds, which will only create more Winter Grass in the years to come.
Expect to treat Winter Grass for a few years running, as the seed banks will take some time to deplete their stocks in the soil.
Winter grass needs to be treated as early in its life cycle as possible, in fact the best time to treat Winter Grass is before it is even seen. This is when the Winter Grass seeds have germinated in the soil but have yet to emerge into the lawns surface.
This may seem like a tricky act, but it really is very easy. If you have had Winter Grass in your lawns in previous years, then you will most certainly have it this year. So, if Winter Grass is expected, you simply apply the Winter Grass poison in May, knowing that the weed has already germinated within the soil.
