How do I kill quackgrass?

Kathy Schaefer
by Kathy Schaefer
  8 answers
  • Ken Erickson Ken Erickson on Apr 28, 2019

    Check with a local nursery or lawn maintenance service.

  • Dee Dee on Apr 28, 2019

    Get a good weed and feed fertilizer.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 28, 2019

    Round-Up......Quackgrass is an insidious, rhizomatous, perennial grassy weed that infests turf and ornamental beds. Quackgrass stands out in turf this time of year due to its rapid top growth. This is a one-time-of-year occurrence due to the top growth difference when quackgrass could be effectively wicked with a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate to kill the quackgrass without injuring the desirable turf, removal can be a very challenging task due to the intricate rhizome root system in quackgrass. Tugging from the top often results in snapping the top leaves off and leaving the rhizomes to regrow more quackgrass,

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    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 29, 2019

      No it only kills what you directly spray it on.....it's absorbed thru plant leaves then into stem/stalk then root system. you need to add food coloring so you can tell where you are spraying ,hold sprayer down on plant you are spraying,don't spray in wind slightest breeze,don't get in wet solution(it dries quickly),wear disposable gloves.....follow the safety instructions on bottle it has always said "hazardous" the safety instructions have always been on containers. no special mix of it,buying concentrate & mixing yourself is best but it comes premixed. just respray asap if you see any new growing and do not let it get seeds to spread even more. the more you kill just the tops the more the roots spread underground.the grass will regrow in the spots the quackgrass has died off.once grass regrows adding additional grass seeds should smother out any new quack grass. just look for new quack grass starting and spray it before it gets out of control again.get a good 2 gallon pump sprayer and not a back pack if it leaks on you well you could be joining all the civil suits of people who did not heed hazardous warnings.

  • Cor32419347 Cor32419347 on Apr 28, 2019

    You can also burn it out.

    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 29, 2019

      The burning of quackgrass stems is not a highly recommended strategy.Probably not legal in most areas due to burn regulations. A single burn carried out in May stimulates the production of quackgrass stems. However, REPEATED burning in the spring (from May to early June) can significantly weaken the quackgrass. Quackgrass is highly sensitive to burning just before it flowers. Burning quackgrass seeds and rhizomes and spreading the ashes afterwards in the area to be protected is a technique used in biodynamics to make the quackgrass less vigorous or even to eradicate it. Depending on the site/lrg acreage/fields this method can only have significant results after a few years. The homeopathic approach of this technique should be even more effective. The procedures to follow are outlined • Obtain some dried rhizomes and quackgrass seeds. It is often easy to obtain large quantities of quackgrass seeds in places where clover seeds are screened. • Burn the seeds and rhizomes together in a wood stove (preferably using beech wood) or coal stove. It is easier to burn the seeds to ash by injecting some air during combustion. • Grind the ashes of the seeds and rhizomes together in a mortar for an hour (dynamization). Mix 1 part ash with 9 parts water. Stir for three minutes. The result is known as D1 Mixture. • Take 1 part of D1 Mixture and mix with 9 parts water. Stir for three minutes. The result is D2 Mixture. • Repeat the same operation until you obtain a D8 Mixture, which corresponds to the eighth dilution. A portion of the water can be discarded each time, rather than using all of the liquid produced, which would require large, awkward containers. • The "Quackgrass D8 Mixture" should then be sprayed on the field at a rate of 15 to 40 litres/hectare three consecutive times, preferably when the moon is in Sagittarius, according to the Biodynamic Calendar. Not feasible for lawns.

  • Dfm Dfm on Apr 28, 2019

    Boiled water on the weed.

  • Dana Ellebracht Dana Ellebracht on Apr 29, 2019

    One gallon vinegar, 2 cups Epsom salts, 1 quarter cup Dawn blue dish soap. Mix together and spray or paint onto unwanted plants. Make sure to do that on a warm sunny day for best results.

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    • Dana Ellebracht Dana Ellebracht on Apr 29, 2019

      You can grow other plants after the dead ones are gone. I sprayed the poison ivy with this mix. Wildflowers grew later that year in the same place. If it is all in the same small area, you could place plastic bags or tarps on it. Lack of sunlight will kill the plant as well.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 29, 2019

    you could start harvesting it.....Quackgrass, which is rich in silica, potassium and other minerals, has always been used as a natural medicine. The rhizomes contain an active ingredient called triticine, as well as a sugar called mannitol. These are given as decoctions or infusions used as diuretics as well as used to treat urinary problems, rheumatism, gout and cystitis.During the food shortages of the First World War, bread made from quackgrass was popular in southern Germany. The seeds as well as the rhizomes were used to produce a nutritious flour to replace wheat and other grains. Dried rhizomes can also be used to make artist's brushes. As well, quackgrass roots contain a substance that is fatal to slugs. Dogs, cats and wild animals eat the leaves to facilitate digestion or induce vomiting when they are sick. A few kilograms of quackgrass rhizomes mixed in with the daily feed of a horse will give the horse a shiny coat.