I have a St Augustine lawn in Houston that has, until recently, been thick, free of weeds and nearly perfect. All of the sudden this year, there appears to be fescue type grass shooting up all over the front yard that grows about 6" tall in between weekly mowings. The yard looks like sh*t now except for right after its mowed.

What can I do to get rid of the fescue (or weeds that look just like it) without killing the St. Augustine?

You're doing it backwards...

kill the St. Augstine (it shouldn't be here anyways)

I'd like to know also. I have the same problem.

Couple of questions:

How are you mowing your St. Augustine? Mower setting low, med, or high?

Are you on a pre-emergent herbicide rotation?

I had all sorts of hell this spring with weeds, grasses, dandelions, etc. I just sprayed it all down with the liquid Weed and Feed (that you attach to hose), pulled out the biggest ones, mowed, and they haven't come back. I just did this a couple of weeks ago, so it isn't too late (under 85 degrees).

Have you looked at a thermometer lately? It's getting into the 90s daily.

lostboy: I have a lawn service. I would guess they mow at a medium height setting. They've put out weed & feed in granular form twice so far this year. Last time was about ten days ago.

[This message has been edited by Buck Turgidson (edited 5/12/2010 2:34p).]

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You're doing it backwards...

kill the St. Augstine (it shouldn't be here anyways)

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Absolutely true. Tradition and HOAs.

Use native plants and grasses.


[This message has been edited by aggiedent (edited 5/12/2010 2:25p).]

Yes, I looked at it 5 seconds ago.

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And killing all of the grass simply because it is not "native" is a great (and helpful) idea. I'm sure Buck appreciates the suggestions.

I doubt the "weed" is a Fescue. It is probably an annual ryegrass. Either way, focus on growing the St Augustine and let the heat take care of the other. Post a pic if you can.

"It is probably an annual ryegrass"

I thought that ryegrass was a type of fescue.

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Use native plants and grasses.

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Yes, because native grasses feel so wonderful under my bare feet.

I never understand this argument, which is typically made by people that enjoy hooking a hybrid bass now and then, eating a nice steak from a steer treated with antibiotics and vaccines, growing hybrid tomatoes and peppers in their vegetable garden, walking around in boots with synthetic leather soles and more or less enjoying modern human living with the exception of some stupid native grass fetish.

I am a modern human and take advantage of many of the advantages that our species has developed to make life both easier and more enjoyable, including freaking St. Augustine grass!

Now if you wake up in the morning in your log cabin, strap on a loin cloth and go out and cut your native grass lawn with flint tools just prior to scavenging for berries and grubs down by the creek, then my hat is off to you, sir.

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They've put out weed & feed in granular form twice so far this year.

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This is the problem. Put out a pre-emergent in the late fall and late winter. Fertilize early spring and fall. Putting weed killer out when it's time to fertilize is the wrong timing.

I would like to see a picture of the "fescue". It sounds like goose grass or crabgrass to me.

The only native lawn grass that comes to mind is buffalograss, and it is not really native to Houston, and fares rather poorly on acid sandy loams. St. Augustine is well adapted to that climate. Carry on.

I,too, get tired of these "use native grasses" idiots.

Get off of your high horse. No one is going to pull up a nice, beautiful St. Augustine lawn to put in some trash grass just because it grew here naturally.

Deal with it.

Not so fast ...

If I had an isolated home in the Hill Country/West/Central Texas, I would highly consider using buffalograss, but the vast majority of us live in neighborhoods where there are 1)trees that shade out buffalograss and 2)neighbors with something other than buffalograss that will quickly invade our high $$$$$$$$$ "native" lawn with bermuda and augustine.

Everythng has a place, and I am more into "adapted" plants than I am "native" ones. Had the OP said he had problem with a fescue lawn in Houston, I would be saying "serves you right!"

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I never understand this argument, which is typically made by people that enjoy hooking a hybrid bass now and then, eating a nice steak from a steer treated with antibiotics and vaccines, growing hybrid tomatoes and peppers in their vegetable garden, walking around in boots with synthetic leather soles and more or less enjoying modern human living with the exception of some stupid native grass fetish.

I am a modern human and take advantage of many of the advantages that our species has developed to make life both easier and more enjoyable, including freaking St. Augustine grass!

Now if you wake up in the morning in your log cabin, strap on a loin cloth and go out and cut your native grass lawn with flint tools just prior to scavenging for berries and grubs down by the creek, then my hat is off to you, sir.

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Wow. I'm trying to figure out where to start on this one because your so off base on almost EVERY point. Lets try in the order you raised the points.

1. I only fish saltwater. No hybrids.
2. My wifes family raised hormone /antibiotic free cattle on their ranch. The ranch is no longer in operation but my wife ONLY buys the same type drug free meats now.
3. We primaily buy our plants (veggie plants too) at Buchanon's in Houston, who specialize in native plants.
4. Funny about the boots. My last pair of boots was made from 100% recycled materials.

5. Lets look at how the introduction of alien species has gone for the state of Texas.

Well, the introduction of alien aquatic plants has choked off many lakes like Caddo and infected many others. How many millions does TP&W spend every year on alien aquatic plant control?

Chinese tallow, as one example, has become a weed in even our national forests destroying native understory. Again, millions are spend on control of alien plants.

How about Feral hogs, neutria, house sparrows, and european starlings. They have caused monetary damage to crops, displaced native species, and are a general nusance.

As for that St Augustine. Apart from needing tons of water, being prone to bug infestation and disease, and not being a great grass to walk on......yeah....it's great.

[This message has been edited by aggiedent (edited 5/13/2010 8:24a).]

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I thought that ryegrass was a type of fescue.

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No, they are completely different. Can you post a pic or give a very detailed description of the weed? If it is a summer weed, such as crabgrass, the remedy is very different than if it is ryegrass. If need be, look up various weeds online and post a link to the picture. I am suspecting annual ryegrass, crabgrass, dallisgrass, vasey grass, or nutsedge with a strong lean towards annual ryegrass.

We have a landscaper coming over today to bid on some other work. We saved some entire root-to-head examples for him to look at.

Upon closer inspection last night, it looks like a bunch of my problem may really be Dallis grass or something similar. I hope I'm wrong.

Aggiedent - how about wheat, oats, soybeans, lettuce, bos taurus and bos indicus cattle? What about alfalfa, oranges, apples, crepe myrtles, etc .........

We'd be in a world of hurt without introduced plants. As far as water use goes, St. Augustine does use more water than many other species, but much of that is a management problem. I water mine less than most folks with bermuda simply because I manage it properly. Grubs and insects like buffalograss, too. Native plants are not a magic cure-all, and planting them will not make a white buffalo appear in your yard.

Adapted, ADAPTED, ADAPTED is the key.

aggiedent,

That is fine if you do all that stuff. It doesn't change the fact that its not practical or preferable to a vast majority of the population.

Of course, I don't get my kicks from being high browed about eating "drug free" beef or wearing recycled boots or buying ugly plants.



What is choking out Caddo wasn't introduced, and has nothing to do with St. Augustine.

Boots from 100% recycled material??

Please leave Texas. Now. Sheesh.




Ok, don't leave Texas. We need all the Aggies we can get. But at least get you some leather boots to go with that drug free beef my man.

Not stirring a pot, but can anyone tell a grass that is better to walk on barefoot than St. Augustine? (besides winter rye, in the winter.) Bermuda makes me itch, and i can't afford to redo my whole lawn with zoysia.

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2. My wifes family raised hormone /antibiotic free cattle on their ranch. The ranch is no longer in operation

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Two points here:

1)Shocking that a ranch specializing in the raising of sickly cattle is no longer in operation.

2)Serves your wife right for raising an imported/invasive species instead raising native buffalo.

B-1 83.

You have no argument on my part regarding crop plants. You will get no argument from me on superior engineered crop plants either.

I'm primarily referring to residential settings. I'm not bothered that people use ornimentals in their landscape, because my wife and I do as well. A few alien plants here and there is cool.

I'm just an advocate in using as much native plants, especially in residential areas, as possible for a number of reasons. They tolerate our weather conditions better, they require less water and fertilizer to keep healthy, they attract wildlife better, etc.

I refer you to a book by Douglas W Tallamy, "Bringing Nature Home. How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants." Doug is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at The University of Delaware

I saw him speak 2 months ago in Houston. A real low key guy. Presents the relationship between native plants and a healthier ecosystem in your yard. From birds to butterflys to beneficial insects.

Also, the idea that native plants are mostly ugly is made by someone who doesn't have a clue. We have many beautiful trees, bushes, and flowers in our yard that are native to east or central Texas. Sadly our HOA requires St Augustine which we have slowly reduced to a bare minimum as we have added beds and ponds.

While certainly non native crops have been a real Godsend, a lot of alien plants destined for residential settings and a lot of imported alien wildlife has been a disaster.

One other note to Gigemags05 who stated:

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What is choking out Caddo wasn't introduced, and has nothing to do with St. Augustine.

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Wrong. A native of Brazil.

From TP&W

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AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department today launched a public awareness campaign asking people to help control one of the most dangerous invasive aquatic species the state has ever known — giant salvinia.

A native of Brazil, giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is a floating, rootless fern that can double its coverage area in less than a week. The invasive plant, first discovered in a small pond near Houston in 1998, has been reported in 17 Texas lakes, including some of the state’s most popular recreational water bodies: Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, Caddo Lake, Sheldon Lake, Lake Texana and Lake Conroe.

Left unchecked, giant salvinia can choke off boating and fishing access to an entire lake, clog power plant water intakes, and displace beneficial native plants needed by fish.

"Not only is giant salvinia endangering the ecology of our Texas lakes, it’s threatening the economies of lakeside communities that depend on fishing, boating, and tourism," said Carter Smith, TPWD executive director.

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The Texas State leglislature funded TP&W $1.5 million in 2010 to fight invasive species.

That money does not include money spent by federal and local goverments in Texas nor private business.

RM1993...grow up.

The family operation, which was only a small secondary business in the Diboll area, only was discontinued because my inlaws retired.

I doubt many of you that have St. Augistine have the proper amount of shade for it and over water instead.

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Upon closer inspection last night, it looks like a bunch of my problem may really be Dallis grass or something similar. I hope I'm wrong.

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If it's Dallis grass good luck. What I normally do is yank out the smaller ones by hand. For the larger ones, I use Round-up, but instead of just spraying it and killing everything the Round-up touches i soak a paper towel or towel in the Round-up and apply that to the weed. After a week it should be dead all the way to the roots and then I just mow over it.

Dallis grass sucks.

I guess I used the wrong term... I guess you could call it an "introduced" species.

But the real fact of it is that no one purposely brought it over here to grow in our lakes. It got there by accident and is a huge problem.

Like I stated, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with someone growing St. Augustine in their yard. The two are completely unrelated and to even infer that there is a relation is ignorant.

Okay, I decided for a gruelling and costly conventional assault rather than the nuclear option.

Had two guys in my yard from 8AM to 5PM hand dig every ****ing weed plus root (4 big green bags in total). Found out there was some Bermuda creeping in too - yanked that out. Filled in the resulting bare spots with St. Augustine sod, and laid down more granular pre-emergent. Lawn looks perfect again (until the sod patches temporarily go brown).

SUCK IT MOTHER NATURE!

Kjodie
Try a fine bladed Zoysia, like Emerald of Zeon