These grasses must go

Q. For the last five to six years, certain parts of my lawn turn brown during the winter. The areas seem to be growing. Someone told me this is zoysiagrass. Is this true? Is it grubs? What can I do?

Denise from Poland

A. No, grubs are not the problem.

This early into winter, the problem is most likely not a disease. That’s the good news and the bad news.

The problem is most likely warm-season grasses growing in your lawn that you didn’t plant there. Zoysiagrass and nimblewill are the most common warm-season grasses. Zoysiagrass is a non-native plant that some tout as the miracle grass that needs less water and less mowing. Nimblewill is a native, warm-season perennial grass. Both are more trouble than you might think.

So, what is the problem with both of these? They are warm-season grasses! This means they look fine and look green during the summer, but they are brown and ugly from October through May. This dormancy looks like a dead lawn for most of the winter months and well into spring.

The best thing you can do to prevent these grasses from growing in and taking over your lawn is to manage a healthy turf. You can do this by doing a soil test and properly amending the soil, mowing at the proper height (around 3”), and keeping soil fertility at adequate levels. Keeping the thatch layer below Ω” thick will ensure water and nutrients get to the roots, along with reducing the potential for disease.

In the meantime, you’ll have to get rid of these warm weather grasses. Remove as much of the plant parts as you can with a sturdy garden rake. Each piece you miss may grow back. Never reseed into this dormant plant material. Grass seed is hairy and will never reach the soil surface to obtain proper germination.

While the best time to reseed is in the fall, you can do it in the spring. Reseed the area as early as you can in March to avoid competition with weed species. The earlier you can do it, the better chance you have for success.

To learn to better manage your lawn, visit http://go.osu.edu/managelawn.

To learn about grass species appropriate for our area, visit http://go.osu.edu/selectgrass.

Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hot line at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours are over for the growing season, but you can still call and submit questions. Hours vary throughout the winter season.