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Lawn weed help

sherenmariesherenmarie Posts: 4
in Problem solving
Please could anyone help, we moved into a new house last year & there is some brown weed type thing growing all over our grass, anyone had anything similar, what is it & how best to get rid?

Posts

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    edited April 2018
    That's field woodrush, Sherenmarie.  The brown stuff is the flower heads.  If you cut the grass now, you'll remove those brown bits and it'll look more like grass... you can use a lawn weekiller (with a feed, because the lawn looks a bit hungry) if you like, but it's hard to kill.  Given that the leaves look like grass, you might decide you can live with it once the flowers are mown off.  It likes damp conditions so spiking your lawn would help too.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • sherenmariesherenmarie Posts: 4
    Thank you Liriodendron for replying so quick, that's really helpful, we'll try a weedkiller, we were going to mow it tomorrow but just wanted to check it wouldn't spread it further as didn't seem to have it last summer. Thank you
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    It spreads by seeds and by spreading roots, so if you cut the grass regularly you should be able to stop it setting seeds, at any rate.  Leave the lawn for a few days after mowing before you put on the weedkiller - the weeds need to be growing vigorously before you treat them.  If you google "field woodrush in lawn" you'll get more information about the best way of getting rid of it.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • sherenmariesherenmarie Posts: 4
    Thank you  :)
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    There does not seem to be much lawn grass in your photo. I would also get rid of the moss as well and see what you are left with. You may need to reseed. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Xander RanderXander Rander Posts: 70
    Agree with @hogweed , your grass has been suffocated by thatch and moss! Your grass will thank you for a thousand life times if you scarified your lawn :D
  • Dave HumbyDave Humby Posts: 1,145
    As far as I know, and in my experience, lawn weed killer will have no impact on Woodrush. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    That's been my experience too Dave, although I have read that it works better if applied in late summer. 
    Ive found that regular mowing and improving the condition and drainage of the lawn significantly reduces it, in time. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Dave HumbyDave Humby Posts: 1,145
    There is a product in the US that I looked at previously Dove. Called Sedgehammer+ and claims to kill the plant (sedges in general) while not damaging the lawn. I did consider it but went the 'manual' root with mine of digging it out. I wasn't convinced it would be compatible with our grasses and didn't fancy total devastation plus it looks like a fairly strong chemical. I still have Woodrush but not to the extent it was. Looking at the OP's pics I think I would be tempted to give it a go seeing as it's such a big area or Glyphosate approach and start again. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hmmm think you were wise Dave  ... from my farming experience a weedkiller kills either broad leaved weeds or narrow leaved ones ... not sure that they can distinguish between two types of narrow leaved plants ... yet 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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