Can you help me identify what kind of grass/weed this is?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76611144@N00/

Here's the problem, I've been trying to grow tall fescue on my yard. Every spring, the fescue comes up, but when the hot summer days come they brown out and this weird grass comes up. Problem is, I don't know what kind of grass this is. Is it even a grass or is a weed? What is it? And why does it take over when it gets too hot?

Thanks for your help.

2006-08-03T10:27:57Z

I love in Virginia.

2006-08-03T18:47:23Z

crab grass? Great... I can't remove the roots because my whole lawn is actually now crab grass!

plantmd2006-08-04T06:28:12Z

Favorite Answer

Grassy weeds are some of the hardest to identify because they look so similar. I don't think that it is a type of crabgrass, although it is difficult to tell from the picture. Crabgrass is a clumping, trailing grass, the one in your picture does not appear to have those characteristics.

Check out this website: http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/teaching/NRES300/weed%20identification.html

Scroll down to the grassy weed identification portion. This will show you how to ID the plant, or at least you'll have a better ides of what you have.

Here's another really good site where you plug in the information on the weed you have (the above link can help you determine some characteristics) and it will narrow down some weeds for you!

http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/weedid/

This one from VIRGINIA TECH is even better!!!

http://whizlab.isis.vt.edu/servlet/wid?table=grasses

OK, that should really help you out!!

prosopopoeia2006-08-03T11:31:34Z

Maybe quack grass or crab grass?

The better question is, why is your tall fescue turning brown. It is pretty drought and heat tolerant unless you have a bad variety. Are you certain you don't have a fine fescue, which is not sun tolerant?

Anonymous2006-08-03T10:24:21Z

It looks like grass. Try googling Grass Types

bstevens852006-08-03T10:33:06Z

It looks like it could be foxtail or quack grass, but most likely it is a foxtail. Foxtail doesn't come on untill later in the year and grows quickly in hot weather.

retrac_enyaw032006-08-03T18:22:56Z

crab grass, it grows in clumps like that, if left alone, it will actually start to hill.it is very difficult to get rid of, all roots must be removed.

Show more answers (2)