CLUMP GRASS / COARSE FESCUE CONTROL
WHAT IS THE UGLY CLUMP GRASS IN MY LAWN?
Perennial vs Annual
Are those unsightly clumps of grass in your lawn crabgrass? It’s unlikely, but you can easily find out. If they started growing in June, then they are most likely an annual which is probably crabgrass. If they’re thriving throughout the year, they are likely a perennial grass and not crabgrass.
Coarse Fescue, Native Grass, Quackgrass
These pesky perennial grasses can include species like coarse fescue, smooth brome, field grasses, or other native varieties. No matter what they are, their thick blades can disrupt the beauty of your lawn, and you may wonder if they can be eradicated without harming your desirable grasses. Until 2024, tall fescue was notoriously difficult to manage; it could only be killed using a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate. Thankfully, a game-changer has arrived: Tenacity. This specialized weed control product effectively targets these coarse-bladed grasses while preserving the health of your favorite lawn varieties.
Coarse Perennial Grasses Are Now Controllable
3x Applications To Control Ugly Grasses
Back-to-Back-to-Back
To effectively address those unsightly grasses in your lawn, consider the powerful solution of back-to-back-to-back applications of Tenacity, a specialized weed control product. Our experience shows that this approach can achieve an impressive control rate of 50-90% or even higher. The most significant results are often seen with grasses that resemble field grasses, while grasses more akin to turfgrass yield lower control rates. This occurs because turf-like grasses are frequently hybrids of improved turfgrass and native grass. Since Tenacity is non-toxic to improved turfgrasses, these hybrids are less likely to be effectively managed.
7-12 Days Apart
The treatment process involves three applications spaced about 7-12 days apart. Our trained technician will carefully spot spray the unwanted clumps in your lawn, and by the second application, you’ll likely notice the grasses starting to turn white. The third application will ensure their demise, allowing desirable grasses to reclaim the space in the following weeks.
The White Grass is Dyeing
A Unique Weed Control
What sets Tenacity apart is its unique formulation containing mesotrione, a synthetic herbicide recognized for its effectiveness. While mesotrione originates from a naturally occurring compound in the bottlebrush plant, its commercial formulation classifies it as a synthetic chemical. However, if it were directly extracted from the plant, it would be considered organic.
Prevents Photosynthesis
Mesotrione functions by inhibiting the enzyme HPPD, crucial for photosynthesis. It also halts carotenoid formation in susceptible plants, leading to the destruction of chlorophyll and cell membranes. This process causes the grass to turn white, ultimately resulting in its death. Within just 2-3 weeks after application, you’ll start to see the stark contrast with white blades appearing, signaling the beginning of a healthier lawn. Don’t let these unsightly grasses take over—opt for Tenacity and watch your lawn transform!
White Means the Weed Control is Working
Coarse Fescue / Clump Grass Killer for Lawns
Will My Clump Grass Die?
Due to the large number of grass varieties, we cannot guarantee control over all fescues and other grasses. However, we have observed that the closer the grass resembles field grass, the better control we achieve.
We Treat the Large Clumps
This spray is intended for use as a spot treatment for a few clumps of grass in an existing lawn. To set realistic expectations if the lawn is completely filled with these grasses, then we suggest a different approach of killing the entire lawn and starting over instead of trying to reclaim the lawn using this technique.
If you have coarse tall fescue, brome or pasture grasses growing in your Boulder or Fort Collins area lawn, call Organo-Lawn today and schedule an application to kill those grasses.
Less Likely to be Controlled
This coarse tall fescue appears to be a hybrid of unimproved and turf-type varieties, making it unlikely to be controlled.
More Likely to be Controlled
This clump of grass resembles a native grass, making it more likely to be controlled.
Tenacity Pesticide Fact Sheets
Application Season
Anytime that the grass is actively growing. This can be as early as April to the end of September.
Tenacity Information Sheets
Coarse Fescue, Native Grass, and Brome Treatment Information Sheets
Tenacity herbicide is registered with the EPA by BASF, EPA reg. #100-1267.
This post-emergent coarse fescue treatment is also registered with the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Schedule a Coarse Fescue / Ugly Clump Grass Treatment
Contact us if you have any questions about what Tenacity post-emergent coarse fescue killer can do for your lawn.