Tall fescue offers good options for improving your lawn’s durability and resilience. However, it becomes an invasive weed when it grows in clumps in your grass lawn. With its natural growth habit and wide leaf blades, this weed can ruin the appearance of your lawn.
Tall fescue is difficult to control. It can occur in lawns such as perennial ryegrass and bluegrass. But when you follow steps on how to get rid of tall fescue clumps, your lawn will be weed-free.
Contents
- Steps on How to Get Rid Of Tall Fescue Clumps
- 1. Identify the tall fescue clumps
- 2. Find out where the tall fescue is concentrated
- 3. Treatment of the weed
- Here are steps for treating tall fescue grass
- FAQs about Getting Rid Of Tall Fescue Clumps
- Can you eliminate tall fescue clumps by digging them out?
- Which is the best method to get rid of fescue clumps?
- Can you prevent tall fescue weed from re-establishing?
- Author
Steps on How to Get Rid Of Tall Fescue Clumps
1. Identify the tall fescue clumps
Tall fescue identification will help you use the correct products and methods, which can save you time and money. So, how does tall fescue look like?
Tall fescue is a dark green weed that spreads via the seeds and stem. It germinates during the cool periods.
The stem can produce other small stems, and the roots’ depth ranges between 2-3 feet.
2. Find out where the tall fescue is concentrated
Now you are sure that you are dealing with tall fescue weed. What next? Perform an inspection to find out where the weed is more concentrated.
Also, try to figure out the factors that cause the weed to grow. This will help you know the method to use and where to focus your treatment.
3. Treatment of the weed
A good way of killing tall fescue is by using a non-selective post-emergent product. Herbicides such as Eraser 41% Glyphosate can get rid of tall fescue completely. However, this weed killer can damage your lawn when it comes in contact with the grass.
A selective herbicide cannot control tall fescue. This means that you cannot spray without killing the surrounding grass. So, how can you kill tall fescue without causing an impact on your lawn?
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Here are steps for treating tall fescue grass
- Mow the lawn.
- Water the lawn if you are in the summer season. Watering the lawn will allow the tall fescue weed to grow faster than your grass. When the lawn is 2-4 inches tall, the weed will be 6-7 inches.
- Wear protective gear such as gloves, goggles, and a long-sleeved shirt.
- Soak a sponge into the herbicide containing glyphosate. Perform this on an area away from your lawn. Squeeze excess solution, so it does not drip on your lawn.
- Use the sponge to brush the blades of tall fescue weed. Also, you can use a fan spray nozzle setting where tall fescue is concentrated. This will help you get an even fine coating on the weed.
- Dig the fescue clumps weed after it dries completely. Also, you can leave it to decompose completely. It is advisable to treat fescue when it is young. A mature weed is more resistant to chemicals. It may need repeated applications, and can take about two weeks to die.
- To prevent further infestations, it is good to water and fertilize your lawn more regularly.
FAQs about Getting Rid Of Tall Fescue Clumps
Can you eliminate tall fescue clumps by digging them out?
Yes, you can get rid of tall fescue clumps by digging. Herbicides can be toxic to your health, pets, or children.
Also, you can harm your lawn with weed killers. If you want to stay away from glyphosate, digging out the tall fescue clumps is a good alternative.
You can use a shovel to dig at least 3 inches into the soil. The roots of the weed grow deep in the soil. Thus, you may need gloves since vigorous pulling is needed to extract the clumps.
After removing the weed clump, refill the hole with soil and seed the space with grass.
Which is the best method to get rid of fescue clumps?
The best method of eliminating tall fescue clumps depends on the availability of the products, cost, and potential for soil erosion.
The use of post-emergent herbicide can be a good option for any site.
If your lawn has high erosive soil, a weed killer can be a good solution. But if you don’t have products and time to perform spraying, you can consider professional spraying services.
It is good to treat the weed when it is actively growing to get excellent results.
Although tall fescue clumps are difficult to remove without herbicide, you can dig out the clumps. This method can be a good choice if you have budgetary constraints.
All you need is to ensure that all the weed’s roots are removed to prevent it from growing back.
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Can you prevent tall fescue weed from re-establishing?
Yes, you can implement cultural practices to prevent tall fescue weed from growing back. Tall fescue weed is likely to grow when the soil is too compact.
Compact and hard soil can prevent your grass from absorbing moisture.
This can make fescue weed thrive more than your grass. But you can prevent this by aerating your soil. Other methods of keeping tall fescue away from your lawn include:
Tall fescue has a wide leaf blade, which makes it more visible in every lawn it grows. This perennial grass lives through the winter. Thus pre-emergent control methods might not be effective.
One of the reasons why tall fescue weeds thrive is the weather. Fescue loves wet springs while other grasses don’t. This makes the weed thrive more. But the good thing is that there are steps on how to get rid of tall fescue clumps and allow your grass to thrive.
Lowering the mowing heights between 1-2 inches is a good way to get rid of fescue weed and allow your grass to grow. Also, you can dig the clumps out or use herbicides. However, herbicides can kill your lawn. That’s why you need to spot-treat the weed.
This procedure might be challenging and time-consuming, especially where you need to treat a large area. In this situation, you can hire a spraying firm to perform the task on your behalf.
