ridding my lawn from witchgrass

Question

I seeded last summer but with the heat, much of it didn’t germinate. With a fixed budget, I was unable to seed again. Witchgrass took over. Now I hope to seed the bare lawn again but still have the “stems” of the plants. Is it best to weed and feed first to eradicate the beast or should I seed first and try to choke it out, then weed and feed to rid the remaining plants?

Answer 1

What type of grass were you trying to grow last summer? The type of grass and the age and quality of the grass seed mix you bought makes a huge difference in the quality of your lawn. Witchgrass is an annual grass and it will die when cold weather returns to your area (if you have cold winters). Your main task (if you’re trying to save money) will be to keep the witchgrass mowed down to discourage seed production for next year. If you must, you can also try an annual-weed killer specifically designed to control witchgrass (there are many). Just go to your local garden shop and read the herbicide labels to see if witchgrass is listed as one of the plants each herbicide will kill. Don’t use an herbicide containing atrazine because it doesn’t work on witchgrass. Avoid glyphosate unless you are planning to kill everything that is growing where the witchgrass is located. Continue to use a hoe, weed-whacker, and/or lawn mower to keep the witchgrass down and prevent from going to seed.If you have simply done that, the witchgrass will be considerably less next year. Make sure you pick the right kind of grass seed for your area.