How to Keep Quack Grass Out of My Flower Beds

Quackgrass is a cool-weather perennial grass that can invade flower beds. According to the University of Minnesota, it is considered one of three of the most invasive weed species in the world. Because of its vigorous reproductive abilities, quackgrass needs only a few weeks to take over gardens and lawns. If you determine the offender is quackgrass, there are ways to remove it from garden beds and restore the health of your yard.

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Towel
• Herbicide

Instructions

1. Look for long stems and leaves that are free of tiny hairs from its base to the middle of the blade, but may have hairs on the upper portion. Flowers look like long narrow spikes arranged in two rows. Typically, quackgrass looks like overgrown, messy grass that grows in clumps.

2. Pour hot water on the quackgrass on the hottest part of the day. It is important to reduce the amount of quackgrass in your flower bed to minimize the amount of herbicide you will have to spray.

3. Wait the next day to wet the area again. Dig a few inches from the quackgrass with a spade. Place the spade underneath the root system and lift out the quackgrass. Try to get as much of its rhizomes (underground stems) as you can, because it still can spread with the stems removed.

4. Place towels over all your ornamental plants. Choose a day that isn't windy or rainy.

5. Spray your quackgrass with a herbicide that contains glyphosate, such as Roundup, Sidekick and Erase. Make sure to spray all the way to the base of the plant. Repeat in a couple of weeks, following the label's directions.

Tips & Warnings

• Build a border between your flower bed and lawn to reduce the quackgrass' ability to spread.

• Wash off any plants that were accidentally sprayed with herbicide with water and dry them with a towel.

References

• University of Minnesota: Quackgrass