- Posted by: Lauren Fordyce
![Mature dallisgrass plant, Paspalum dilatatum. [Credit: K Windbiel-Rojas]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/95301small.jpg)
Knowing what weedy grass you have in your lawn or landscape is very important in being able to properly control it. Dallisgrass is a common perennial weed that is easily identified and grows in uneven clumps in lawns and turf. This growth pattern creates a tripping hazard as well as a poor playing surface for parks, front lawns, and athletic fields. Clumps must be dug out to prevent its growth. Solarization with clear plastic can help control dallisgrass.
For more details about the biology of dallisgrass, management methods, and extensive information about herbicides, see the newly updated Pest Notes: Dallisgrass, authored by UC Cooperative Extension...
- Author: Elaine Lander
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Recent wet weather in many parts of the state has spurred emergence of winter weeds. How these weeds are managed varies by the type of weed and where it's growing. In IPM, identification is always the first step toward effective pest management. A few common weeds you may be seeing in your garden or landscape now are profiled below.
Oxalis
Also known as Bermuda buttercup, buttercup oxalis, or sourgrass, this weed grows throughout California's coastal and inland landscapes. It can be a weed in lawns, flowerbeds, groundcovers, and shruby areas around the home. It has an upright growth with 3 heart-shaped leaflets and produces bright yellow flowers in late winter or early spring. See
- Author: Elaine Lander
(Credit: RM Davis)
Recent rainfall and cool weather in many parts of the state are favorable for mushrooms that you may have been seeing in lawns. While they may be a surprising sight, mushroom-producing fungi are generally not considered to be a pest because most do not cause lawn diseases. Armillaria mushrooms indicate the presence of decaying tree roots below ground. Other mushrooms decompose underground organic matter and may be considered beneficial since they make nutrients available to lawns and other plants.
Mushrooms are the visible reproductive structures of some types of fungi. Picking or removing the structures can minimize the spread to a new site, but it won't kill the underground mycelia from which the mushrooms are growing....
- Author: Elaine Lander
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
As the days get shorter and the temperatures begin to cool, now is the time to practice weed management for annual cool-season weeds. It's also not too early to consider management for weeds that emerge in springtime.
Using integrated pest management (IPM) methods can help reduce the presence of most weeds. In lawns, good practices such as proper watering, mowing, and fertilizing can help maintain healthy turfgrass. Likewise, in landscapes, hand-weeding, cultivation, and use of mulches can be effective in controlling weeds. More specific information about these and other IPM practices can be found in our Pest Notes publications on
- Author: Janet Hartin
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
Your customers want their lawns to be beautiful and functional (Figure 1) but dead patches or other problems sometimes occur. Figuring out the cause of turfgrass damage can be a challenge since many plant pathogens affect grasses as well as numerous abiotic (non-living) disorders. can impact the quality of lawns, playing fields, and other turf areas.
Keeping turfgrass healthy is essential for reducing damage due to both diseases and abiotic disorders. Following recommended practices regarding irrigation scheduling, integrated pest management, fertility, mowing height, soil aeration, and other measures is your customer's best line of defense.
