Have you noticed a grass that almost resembles wheat growing in the lawn? Well, there’s a good chance that grass is called Poa Annua or Annual Blue Grass.
What is Poa Annua? Poa Annua or annual blue grass is a low growing widespread turf grass. This grass type prefers cooler and wet springs. It has a vivid green or apple green color. When mowed you can often see the seed heads 2-3 days later. This grass types resembles Kentucky Blue grass but lighter in color and has a shallow root system. When we start to get warmer temperature, usually late spring we will notice this grass will start to brown out leave bare spots.
How do I prevent Poa? Poa Annua is so widely spread that preventing this has become very difficult. There are some cultural practices that you as a homeowner can do to help prevent rapid spread of Poa in your lawn.
Avoid Over watering – Water deeply and infrequently. Watering every day will help the spread of Poa.
Mow Lawn at Highest setting – Keep your lawn mowed at 3 inches. Because Poa is low growing the higher you keep the lawn the less chance Poa can survive.
Regular Fertilization – Make sure lawn is fertilized on a regular basis. MissionGreen Lawn Service offers a signature program to help ensure timely application.
Core Aerate and Over Seed – Poa desires bare areas and thin lawns where it can establish itself. Core Aeration and Over Seeding will help provide a lush thick lawn, preventing Poa and other weeds from germinating.
Be patient – Poa Annua is short lived, if you can wait it out, warmer temps are on the horizon and soon this grass type will brown out and die before you know it.
