Quackgrass

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Description:

QUACKGRASS - Agropyron repens L.

Poaceae - (Grass family)

Quackgrass is an aggressive perennial grass reproducing by seed, or spreading by a shallow mass of long, slender, branching rhizomes. Rhizomes are usually yellowish-white, sharp-pointed, somewhat fleshy. They are able to penetrate hard soils or even tubers and roots of other plants. Stems are erect and usually 1 to 3 feet tall. Leaf blades are 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, flat, pointed and have small auricles (ear-like appendages) at the junction of blade and sheath. Leaf sheaths and the upper surface of leaf blades may be thinly covered with soft hairs. Spikelets are arranged in two long rows, borne flatwise to the stem. Florets are awnless, or with short straight awns.

Quackgrass was introduced from the Mediterranean area. It has spread over much of North America, adapting well to moist soils in cool temperate climates. Quackgrass reduces productivity in crops, rangeland and pasture. It is also a nuisance in lawns, ornamentals and home gardens and is believed to be allelopathic. Because of the ability of broken rhizome segments to grow and produce new plants, it is extremely difficult to control mechanically.

Synonym: Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv.

(Courtesy of Weeds of the West)

Control Strategies:

Tiny pieces of Quackgrass roots resprout. Tillage moves the plant all over the field or garden in just a year or two. Fortunately, glyphosate kills Quackgrass rather easily. While it is very hard to kill every last plant, two quarts of glyphosate per acre any time the grass is green and taller than 8" will kill most of it.  It is a little hard to spray in the spring before planting for most crops, but some people have been successful treating before planting beans or sorghum/sudan. There are few herbicides that will actually control Quackgrass in crops, so you need to plan ahead and spray between crops in the fall.

To learn about biological control agents for Quackgrass visit this link.