Last week we talked about dealing with Rescuegrass, but there's another grassy weed that's just as problematic this time of year: Poa Annua, also known as annual bluegrass.
A lot of people confuse Rescuegrass and Poa Annua since they both appear during the cooler months. However, they're actually pretty easy to tell apart if you see them side by side.
How to Identify Poa Annua
Poa Annua has several distinguishing characteristics that set it apart from Rescuegrass and your regular turf:
- It's a smaller, more compact weed
- It has a lighter shade of green compared to your lawn
- The blades are thinner than most turf grasses
- This time of year, it produces small white seed heads that are easy to spot
Those white blooms are often the giveaway. If you're walking across your lawn and notice patches of light green grass with tiny white flowering heads, you're almost certainly looking at Poa Annua.
For homeowners in Midlothian, Prosper, and throughout the DFW area, this weed is extremely common during late winter and early spring.
Why Poa Annua Is Difficult to Control
Like Rescuegrass, Poa Annua is a winter annual weed. It germinates in the fall when soil temperatures drop, grows throughout winter, produces seeds in early spring, and then dies off as temperatures rise.
The challenge with Poa Annua is that post-emergent herbicide options are limited. There are plenty of products labeled for Poa Annua control, but honestly, many of them just don't work well. We typically get decent results from products like Certainty and Revolver, but even those don't provide a 100% kill rate.
This is why fall pre-emergent is so crucial. Getting that application timed correctly minimizes breakthrough and prevents the problem from occurring in the first place. Homeowners in Prosper, Waxahachie, and throughout North Texas who stay on top of fall pre-emergent will see far less Poa Annua than those who skip it.
The Best Strategy: Wait It Out
If you're already dealing with Poa Annua in your lawn right now, here's the practical approach: wait it out.
Keep the weed mowed down to prevent it from producing more seeds and spreading further. As temperatures rise in the coming weeks, Poa Annua will naturally die off on its own—it simply can't survive warm weather.
This isn't a satisfying answer if you want instant results, but it's the most realistic approach given the limited effectiveness of post-emergent treatments.
Prevent It Next Year
Once the Poa Annua dies off this spring, the next step is planning ahead. Make sure you get your fall pre-emergent down when soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees—typically in September or early October in our area.
Fall pre-emergent creates a barrier that kills Poa Annua seeds as they germinate, preventing them from ever establishing in your lawn. It's the most effective way to control this weed, and it's far easier than trying to treat it after the fact.
Watch the video below to see what Poa Annua looks like and learn more about managing this common winter weed.
For professional weed control in Midlothian and Prosper, contact Vista Lawn and Pest.
