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If yellow to brown spots appear on an actually beautiful lawn in spring, this can be due to the common panicle that is spreading here. The wild grass can spread very quickly via seeds and reacts to drought more quickly than the cultivated grass.
In a nutshell
- Poa trivialis spreads by seed and can quickly be blown from a neighboring field into your own yard
- good lawn care as a good prevention against the common meadow grass
- regular scarifying can remove unwanted wild grass
- unsightly holes in the lawn can be closed by reseeding
- if all else fails, use herbicides and lay a new lawn
Identify bluegrass
If an actually lush green lawn is suddenly traversed by yellow to brown spots, then this could be the common panicle, which has settled here in various places after a seed flight from the neighboring field or meadow:
Common panicle (Poa trivialis)
- perennial wild grass
- very rapid spread by seed flight
- does not tolerate drought
- then shows yellow to brown spots
- lighter than a typical cultivated lawn grass
- can be recognized by its light green color
- has shallow roots
- can easily be ripped out
- retires in the fall
- there are holes in the surface
Even though it seems like the meadow meadow grass is gone in the fall, it has just retreated above ground and is dormant. After some time it will sprout again and can thus spread even further on the area.
Notice: The unsightly spots in a lawn that the panicles can cause are often mistaken for a fungal infection and then unfortunately treated completely incorrectly with fungicides and the like.
Combat common panicle
It is not easy to remove the common panicle, once it has established itself, from the once beautiful lawn. This requires many steps that are primarily aimed at strengthening the cultivated grass and weakening the wild grass that is widespread here:
Regular lawn mowing makes Poa trivialis more difficult to spread.
- mow very short several times
- then mulch well
- gives the cultivated grasses strength through nutrients
- wait a few weeks
- then scarify the area completely
- this will remove Poa trivialis
- bald spots appear
- sow new seeds
- water well
Tip: If there are only individual spots in the lawn on which the common panicle grows, you should tear them out or cut them out as soon as you see them. This way the plant has no chance to spread further and simply overgrow and displace the cultivated grass.
Worst case herbicides
If the entire lawn is infested with common meadow grass, for example because the lawn has not been properly cared for in recent years, the only thing that usually helps is the use of herbicides - which we once again expressly advise against:
In order to curb the colonization of wild grasses, such as common meadow grass, rolled turf also requires good care.
- apply in the fall
- not only destroy the bluegrass
- even cultivated grass plants become victims
- after application, dig up the total area
- remove all old plant parts
- can be added to compost
- alternatively distribute new fresh soil
- give up fresh lawn seeds in the spring
- or use ready-made turf
- then scarify and mow regularly
Tip: If a lawn area is not mowed too short overall during normal care, the plants experience less stress and are more resilient. In addition, these grasses shade the soil more intensively, making it more difficult for seeds from the outside to settle and germinate here.
frequently asked Questions
Why should I scarify the lawn regularly?By scarifying, weeds and meadow grass, which has significantly shorter roots, are torn out of the area. Especially when there are already brown spots on the area because the wild grass has died due to lack of water. The spots can then be reintegrated into the entire area with new seeds.
Scarifying by hand, isn't that very exhausting?Yes, scarifying can be very tiring. If you have problems with wild grass seeds being blown over every year, you should think about a combination device. Because the trade has been offering lawn mowers for a long time, which also offer the function of scarifying. So you can combine two work steps in one.
How can I stop the seeds from spreading further?The common panicle only develops its seeds in the summer months, when it has become warm enough, which are then carried in all directions by the wind. To avoid this, you can mow your lawn regularly on a weekly basis. The shorter Poa trivialis is kept, the less seed formation occurs.
Why should I fight bluegrass in my lawn at all?Although Poa trivialis blends in well with a lawn, it still has the trait of suffocating cultivated weed plants over time. This is how the perennial wild grass plant spreads further and further. The light green grass forms thick mats of stalks and unfortunately is not very attractive and aesthetically pleasing.