Help identifying this grass please?

[anirak]

 Hi, Can anyone identify this grass? It's taking over my lawn and preventing the Kikuyu from growing. It starts off green then dies over summer.

 

 

 

 

 

  Thanks

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @anirak. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about identifying grass.

It appears to be one of the seed-bearing native grasses similar to Wallaby grass. It's completely taken over some areas, and the seeds will germinate next year. It will likely be an ongoing battle, but it'd be best to try and poison it in winter before it goes to seed. Be careful though as these non-selective weedkillers will also kill you Kikuyu if you spray it. After a couple of years of doing this, it will start to diminish, and you can re-seed with your Kikuyu. 

Once it's gone to seed, there's not really much you can do until the following year. You could consider de-thatching the lawn, which might collect the dropped seed and will strip out the dead material.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[anirak]

Thanks for your reply @MitchellMc 

It certainly does look like a type of Wallaby grass. 

Great to finally know what it is and how to tackle it.  

Do you recommend something in particular to poison it with? Something pet friendly and I'd rather not use gyphosate.

Thanks

[robchin]

A weed wand is great for this sort of thing. These weed pullers are as well. 

Yates Zero Weeding Herbicide Applicator Brush - Bunnings Australia

Fiskars 4 Prongs Xact Weed Puller - Bunnings Australia

[MitchellMc]

You might like to have a read through this wonderful article on How to remove weeds without harming your pets, @anirak.

As long as you follow directions, either Eco-Organic Garden 1L Ready To Use Slasher Organic Weedkiller or Seasol EarthCare 3L Organic Weedkiller are perfectly safe to use around your pets and do not contain glyphosate. I'd recommend keeping your pets out of the area until the products have dried. Remember, these products are non-selective and will kill all of the grass. You might like to purchase one of those products in their concentrate form, mix it up and use the Yates Zero Weeding Herbicide Applicator Brush @robchin has mentioned above. It's much easier to paint the invasive grass with the brush than to avoid your Kikuyu with a spray.

Mitchell

[anirak]

Yes, the weed puller is great! Unfortunately it's not worked on this grass. It's hard to find the base of the plant as it's spread so much and now it's dry, it breaks up and spreads seed everywhere. I'm going to try the wand though, looks handy for other weeds in my garden too. Thanks.