Poa Annua Annual Bluegrass

Poa Annua, also known as Annual Bluegrass, is a clumpy, grassy weed common in the Southeast. The leaf blade is smooth on both surfaces, and the tip is boat-shaped. A light-green to whitish seed head appears around April. Annual Bluegrass reproduces by seed, which germinates in September and October, but is not usually noticed as a problem until February or March.

The best control method is a pre-emergent herbicide, applied to all warm-season grasses such as Bermuda or Zoysia in September and October. Pre-emergent prevents seed from germinating, and Poa Annua/Annual Bluegrass is a seeding weed.

***Pre-emergent is not applied to Fescue in the fall due to aeration and overseeding. Whether you do this service yourself or have King GREEN do it for you, pre-emergent cannot be applied after overseeding because it will prevent the Fescue seed from germinating

If you are a new King GREEN customer, and did not receive the fall pre emergent applications (Round 6 and Round 7), this is the reason for the Poa Annua breakthrough. We recommend living with it through the spring, as it will naturally die out when the temperatures increase.

Poa Annua can be an eyesore in early Spring (especially for lawns that did not receive a fall pre-emergent), which is why we recommend to scalp your Bermuda or Zoysia at the start of the season (mid-late March) and bag those clippings. Even if Poa Annua is no longer active, it will remain visible until the grass is mowed on a weekly schedule.