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249 Highland AvenueRochester, NY 14620-3036p. 585.461.1000f. 585.442.7577monroe@cornell.eduhttp://counties.cce.cornell.edu/monroe

Annual Bluegrass (

Poa annua)

In Lawns

If you see patches of light green grass in the spring or notice patches in your lawn that go to seedheavily producing silvery color very early in the growing season, you are probably cultivatingannual bluegrass, also known as

Poa annua.

In hot periods of the summer, you may notice thatthese patches of the lawn die out, which is also typical for this grass.If you get to know the life history of this grass and understand what you are working with, it isvery possible to either learn to live with it or learn to control it – whatever your pleasure is.Annual bluegrass grows best in cool moist conditions and where there is adequate moisture. It islikely to complete seriously with permanent grasses. It seems more tolerant of compacted soilsthan permanent grasses, and in many lawns it is encouraged by frequent watering and lowmowing heights. It will survive whether cut high or at ¼” (a truly adaptable grass). Once it has been given the upper hand, it perpetuates itself by producing an astounding number of seeds eachspring. These seeds germinate quickly (two or three days under good conditions) and growrapidly in the seedling stage; they will generally crowd out other perennial grasses in these areas).Its growth habits make it very difficult to control. In mild climates and mild seasons in warmer climates, it is sometimes considered a friend in the lawn because under those conditions it may persist as a perennial. Hence, the lawn turf is dense because of the presence of this grass.Unfortunately, it is not dependable through the summer months and often disappears duringhotter periods, leaving the remaining turf very thin and poor in appearance.

Shaded lawns

In lawns that are grown in shade or partial shade, annual bluegrass may actually be a blessing. Inshaded areas the soil temperatures stay cool enough that annual bluegrass can be a perennial plant, and, in addition, by staggered seedling germination throughout the year, it is able tomaintain enough healthy, actively growing plants to give a relatively heavy cover. Therefore, inareas of moderate to dense shade where annual bluegrass is present and persists year round, itmay be desirable to leave it alone, since the only alternative would be rough stalk bluegrass or one of the fescue grasses which are generally no more reliable than the annual bluegrass in theshaded areas.Therefore, before you consider annual bluegrass control or eradication, it is necessary to consider what is going to be left if you do prevent the annual bluegrass from dominating the grass area.

249 Highland AvenueRochester, NY 14620-3036p. 585.461.1000f. 585.442.7577monroe@cornell.eduhttp://counties.cce.cornell.edu/monroe

Lawns in the sun

The primary problem, however, is where annual bluegrass has been allowed to becomeestablished in areas of the full sun.Here it will appear first during March and early April as light green rapidly growing patches of grass that seem to outgrow all of the other varieties present. If fertilized and ample moisture is present, it will take off rapidly in early spring and form a dense, dark green, eye-pleasing turf.However, when the soil temperature warms to 95º-100º at the surface (and this is quite possibleon a bright day in late June or early July), the annual bluegrass will generally fade out of the picture within 24 – 48 hours, leaving unsightly brown areas. This sudden death is attributed bysome people to chinch bugs, grubs, lawn disease, fertilizer injury, or summer dormancy. Theheavy production of seed during April and early May in these areas will indicate to you that presence of the annual bluegrass and prepare you for the sudden collapse of the grass when thetemperature is warm.

Winter Injury

Even more unfortunate in our area is the fact that

Poa annua

is very susceptible to winter injury.Thus, it frequently dies out, producing spotty lawn in the spring. Winter-injured annual bluegrass has a matted, straw-yellow or gray-white appearance in the spring, making these areasespecially undesirable in an otherwise green lawn.This winter injury condition is often accompanied by snow mold injury. In time, they usuallygreen up as a dormant

Poa annua

seed germinates and develops.

Why it’s there

Annual bluegrass becomes established in lawn areas as a result of any one of a number of factors:



Very low cutting height that discourages perennial grasses from dominating.

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Excessive watering.

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Excessive compaction of the soil.

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Dense shade or partial sun and shade that prevents perennial grasses from competingeffectively with the annual bluegrass.

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The presence of annual bluegrass in perennial seed or sod as a contaminant.

Controlling

Poa annua

Early removal of solitary infestations has been successful when practiced diligently. Open spotsof exposed soil in lawns should be over-seeded to establish a vigorous turfgrass in order to prevent weeds such as annual bluegrass from becoming established.

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Increase mowing height to about 3 inches.

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Check the irrigation output to be sure shady areas are not getting too much water.Occasionally letting the lawn go “on the dry side”, even near to dormancy, helps protectagainst

Poa annua.

Consider drainage solutions when poor drainage is the underlying cause.