How To Kill Dallisgrass? 5 Ways To Get Rid of The Hazards In Your Lawn

Dallisgrass weed may appear to be a small problem but for people like homeowners, gardeners who are very much concerned about the greenery, this is a very major problem. If you are a homeowner who is troubled with increased growth of dallisgrass in his or her lawn and is looking for the ways for how to kill dallisgrass, then you have come to the right place as this article has the solution that you are seeking.

More...

What is Dallisgrass?

Dallisgrass is a weed that is commonly found in the southern part of the USA. It grows during the summer season and likes being in the region that is warm and moist. This troublesome weed can be identified without any difficulty and can also be killed.

What is Dallisgrass

What does Dallisgrass look like?

Its appearance can be in different forms. It may look like a grass clump or a coarse leaf that is 4-10 inches long. It can also look like a stem that is 6 inches long. The seed stalk form of this problematic weed has around 5 fingers.

Impact of Dallisgrass 

  • Dallisgrass forms an unsightly clump in turfgrass which can cause trouble in home landscapes, playing fields, and golf courses. The texture of these clumps is very coarse in comparison to other grasses. They are commonly found in recreational areas like parks, golf courses, and lawns.
  • Dallisgrass can create hazards in play areas and sports fields, which can make people fall. The growth rate of dallisgrass is faster in comparison to turfgrass. It can also make the appearance of lawns rough as well as uneven. It can create hazards for athletes and obstructions for golf players.

Identifying Dallisgrass

If you are an inhabitant of a place where dallisgrass is present then you will never face any problem in identifying it. It grows in public as well as private areas. This weed generally grows in clumps of circular shape. When these clumps grow they become so huge that the inner circle dies and the outer one keeps on growing further.

The worst thing about this weed is that it stifles the grass when it grows and extends. Homeowners face a lot of difficulty in controlling its growth as it spreads quickly in the moist soil. Dallisgrass can be grown in both clayey as well as sandy soils. This grass grows at a quicker pace in comparison to the normal grass.

  • Watch this video to learn how to identify dallisgrass:

How To Kill Dallisgrass?

There is not just one way to kill dallisgrass growing in your garden instead there are a multitude of steps that you can take to reduce and control its growth. If you want to get a guide on how to kill dallisgrass, then you can continue reading.

1. Digging Up Dallisgrass

The initial thing that you are required to do is to dig the dallisgrass’ clumps in the lawn by using trowels and shovels. It is important for you to get a hold of its root system, to slow down their come back as they are definitely going to return. If any of the root pieces are left in the ground, then they can come up again very quickly and easily.

Digging Up Dallisgrass

2. Use Pre-emergents

Another thing that you can do for killing the dallisgrass is pre-emergent control. A large number of seeds are produced by dallisgrass, which have spikes that are very long. Every spike has around 2-10 spikelets. Each spikelet has a minimum of two rows of seeds. All these seeds will get spread in your lawn just by a single blow of wind.

It is important for you to look for a pre-emergent herbicide, which you can spray in your yard. Pre-emergent herbicide works well for crabgrass and it is also a great solution for killing Dallisgrass. These herbicides help in preventing the growth and germination of seeds that are spread by the animals or wind.

Via Amazon.com

​​​​3. Use Post Emergents

There are times when dallisgrass does not stop growing no matter which option we adopt for killing them. In such a scenario, you are required to dig out the weeds, whenever you identify them in your lawn. This is a physical method and it does not stop the weeds from spreading.

Another method that you can use to stop the dallisgrass is to make use of post-emergent herbicides. You can also make use of post emergent treatments that are used for killing crabgrass. Nevertheless, you are required to apply these herbicides in several intervals that are in a gap of two or three weeks to control the growth of dallisgrass.

Recommended Products

4. Healthy Lawn Management

One of the ways for controlling and reducing the dallisgrass growth is to make a densely planted and healthy lawn through proper fertilization, mowing, and watering. In order to prevent the dangerous dallisgrass weeds from taking control, you must quickly fill the bare spots by adding seeds. A lawn that is well-maintained and thick, where there is no place for unwanted seeds to grow is the perfect dallisgrass killer. It becomes hard for the dallisgrass seeds to grow and germinate in a lawn that is thick.

You must cut the lawn from time to time if you want a lawn to remain healthy. Don’t make the grass too short. The perfect length for grass is one-third inches. It ensures the longevity of grass. It is important for the healthy grass to be tall to prevent the growth of dallisgrass.

Healthy Lawn Management

5. Mulching In The Garden Beds

Dallisgrass is not only found in the lawn but you can also see them in the garden bed. You are required to take out all the clumps from the garden. After that, cover it by adding a layer of mulch on its top. The thickness of the mulch should not be less than three inches to control the growth of dallisgrass weeds. Not only that, mulch stops the birds from eating grass seed and spreading the seeds of dallisgrass.

How To Kill Dallisgrass

How to dig out Dallisgrass manually?

Sometimes you require a lot more things than just a gagger or lawn sweeper for maintaining the beauty of your yard. Obviously, a lot of you must have tried out pulling dallisgrass previously but were not able to get any results. As taking out the grass seeds manually is a strenuous thing, it is recommended to use a method that can save energy and time. You must take the help of others while digging it out manually as doing it all by yourself can be very challenging.

Here are the steps that you have to follow for killing the dallisgrass manually:

  • Spray water in your yard: Spraying water makes the soil that is beneath the Dallisgrass easy for digging into the soil.
  • Identify the regions that are infected: Make sure all the infected areas are identified because if you lose even a single dallisgrass it would multiply fast and thus waste your entire effort.
  • Begin with the digging: Mark the infected areas and make sure you dig out the whole root mass of the Dallisgrass. Even if a single root strand is left, it will start growing again.

How to use Herbicide

Using herbicides is the most effective way of killing dallisgrass. These herbicides are also known as weed killers. Glyphosate is a very distinct type of weed killer, which has been created with the purpose of killing undesirable weeds like Pampas grass or dallisgrass. It is generally used by the farmers for killing the annoying grasses without causing any harm to the important crops.

This method is perfect for those gardeners whose yards are terribly affected by dallisgrass. This procedure involves selecting an area that is infected and spraying chemicals in that area to ensure that it does not get close to the important crops. If your yard is terribly infected, then you will be required to remove everything from the lawn and start afresh.

check-square

Identification of The Infected Area

According to this method, there is no requirement for you to soften soil or water grass as you are going to move forward with the identification of the area that is infected. You need to only follow the exact instructions for identifying an infected area that are given above in this article.

check-square

Make The Chemical

Glyphosate herbicide is a very treacherous chemical to be applied. It is advisable for you to spray it on the grass by pouring it in a pump sprayer for safety reasons. Other than safety, this procedure of applying the chemical is very easy as it enables you to have a complete control of the chemical while spraying. Also, it is advised to use the Glyphosate herbicide. Moreover, it should not consist of any active ingredients.

check-square

Now Sprinkle It On The Dallisgrass

Keep a carton of milk on the area that is infected by the dallisgrass. Now add the spray’s mouth on the carton’s top. The carton will act as the protector defending the grass that is good and simultaneously it will reduce the life of the dallisgrass persisting in your yard.

  • If you want to know how to kill dallisgrass in Southern Lawns, then you must take a look at this video:

Conclusion

So, this was all about dallisgrass and the various methods that you can use for killing it. The article also summarizes its shape, size, and its impact. If you like this article, then please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you have any thoughts in your mind regarding the topic, then you can express them by leaving your comments in the comment section below.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments