Annual bluegrass is now very common in lawns and athletic fields, though it has been a problem on golf courses for years. Annual bluegrass is a lighter green than Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, and will thin and die during the heat and drought of August in Indiana. It’s especially noticeable now because of it’s prolific seedhead production (photo). Poa annua can be killed with drought stress this summer, and then germination can usually be minimized with a preemergence herbicide applied around Labor Day and again in the early spring. More information is available in “Control of Poa annua and Poa trivialis in Lawns” at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/AY-41-W.pdf. Though the new herbicide Velocity is labeled for annual bluegrass control in golf courses, it is not labeled for use in Kentucky bluegrass. There are a number of research projects across the country evaluating Velocity and others for control of annual bluegrass. Join us at Turf Field Day on July 26 to learn about our promising results with a number of herbicides (see the photo for some results we’ve seen so far this spring).
