Just What Is Nimblewill
Nimblewill, or Muhlenbergia schreberi, is an annual grass-like weed that grows in patches and has become a common problem across many lawns and open spaces all over the United States. It is native to the USA, most commonly in the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest areas.
It is often mistaken for other grass that grow in mat-forming growth patterns, such as creeping bentgrass or bermudagrass.
This grass may be used to protect certain crops in the southeastern states because it is resistant to moderately low temperatures and invasive insect species.
Where Theres Nimblewill Theres A Way: 5 Ways To Control It
If your landscape is damp, Nimblewill will move in. You can arm your soil with compost to help it drain better. Diverting water away from the troubled areas will also help a lot you can do this with a small, dry stream bed or ditch.
Nimblewill can survive in the sun, but would much rather live in the shade. Disrupt its home by removing branches of overhanging trees, and let the sun do the rest of the work.
A well-fed yard is typically a nimblewill-free yard. By keeping your grass blades thick and healthy, the weed wont be able to establish itself.
Fortunately, the roots of Nimblewill are shallow. So if you see em, go ahead and pull em. Just know that you might be pulling up seeds as well.
If Nimblewill is too well-established, spot treat it with Roundup® Ready-To-Use Weed & Grass Killer III and thatll be the end of your Nimblewill problem.
Remember to protect any desirable plants in the area youre spraying, as our products will kill them if they come in contact.
How Can I Prevent Nimblewill
Prevention is always the best medicine, so they say. Its the same with weedy grasses in your otherwise unvaried lawn. Healthy, thick grass will out-complete Nimblewill every time. We have a few favorite Organic Lawn Care recommendations that we always share with customers. These tips will help your lawn stay green and out-compete weedy grasses as well as other weeds found in lawns.
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Whats That Brown Spot: Nimblewill In Lawns
Nimblewill is a weed that thin patches in lawns. Since nimblewill is a warm-season grass, it will turn brown at the first frost and is very slow to green-up in the spring. The brown patches seen in lawns in the early spring may be nimblewill contamination. This weed spreads from seeds produced and stolons.
There is some encouraging research on selective control of nimblewill. Mesotrione selectively controls nimblewill growing in a cool-season turf. Mesotrione is available to professional turf managers but not available to homeowners however, professionals can be hired to apply this chemical. Tenacity received registration for use on lawns and it can also be used on other turf sites.
Control of perennial grassy weeds is a very difficult and time-consuming process. One must weigh the advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether to attempt control. Many homeowners may be better off just tolerating perennial grassy weeds in their lawns.
| Nimblewill patches in a lawn. The turf appears to be dead, but this is just dormant patches of nimblewill |
| A closer up view of these patches of nimblewill. |
| A view of the base of this dormant plant shows that there is new growth already initiated for this spring despite the fact that it still looks completely dormant. |
| Nimblewill will commonly produce a seedhead. The seeds on the seedhead will have a small hair-like extension called an awn. This is helpful for positive identification of this weed. |
Things You Should Know
- If you want to kill nimblewill but nothing else, apply the selective herbicide Tenacity to the plant several times during the summer.
- Non-selective herbicides are also effective, but they’ll kill any of the surrounding plants in the area as well.
- You could also simply pull up the nimblewill by hand if you prefer not to use chemicals.
- To keep the nimblewill from growing back, use a preemergent herbicide, avoid overwatering your lawn, and consider overseeding the area with extra grass.
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Whats The Best Way To Get Rid Of Crowsfoot
Cultural Control of Crowsfoot. Hand weeding and practicing excellent turf grass management are the least invasive methods of killing crowsfoot grass. Lawns with thick, healthy grass offer inhospitable pockets for the weed to take hold. The plants die back in winter, but new seedlings form in spring in dead zones of lawn grass.
How To Eliminate Nimblewill From Your Yard
Do you have a lawn that is full of weeds? Are you finding yourself pulling out nimblewill more than grass?
Nimblewill is a weed that is often difficult to identify, but once you do it can be easily removed. However, if left untreated, nimblewill will spread and overtake your lawn. It might be small in size, but it can grow large enough to choke the life out of your prized lawn or garden plants.
Luckily, there are multiple things you can do when dealing with this invasive weed. Read on as we show you how to identify nimblewill and how to get rid of it if you find it growing on your property.
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How To Identify Nimblewill Grass
How You Can Identify Nimblewill
The Nimblewill weed has purplish or green stems that stand out from the ground, which are topped with furry spikelets and seedheads that look like the top of a long grass.
Nimbleweed essentially looks like other types of turf grass, which is why its really hard to exactly identify. However, it grows in clusters and is more wiry and brittle than normal lawn grass.
It is most easily identifiable in the winter or other cool months, because it turns brown more quickly than other grasses. If you have Nimblewill, the winter months will certainly let you know.
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Nimblewill Is Tough To Kill
Dear Dr. Dirt: I have discovered several patches of nimblewill in my lawn. I was told that the only way to get rid of it was to use Roundup, which I did in March. I have bluegrass ready to plant. Should the dead nimblewill be removed, or can I just scratch and sow the seed? Gary, Indianapolis
Dear Reader: Yes, the nimblewill foliage is dead, but the roots are alive and well. Once the soil warms, the roots will produce new foliage and you will be back to square one. Roundup enters plants only through green tissue where it moves to the roots and hopefully kills them. Thus, spraying with Roundup in March was a lost cause.
Just like crabgrass, the foliage of nimblewill is killed by frost and freezing temperatures in the fall. As a result, nimblewill is often mistaken for crabgrass. However, the dead crabgrass foliage mats and that of nimblewill remains upright for positive identification.
In early August, you will be able to spot the patches of nimblewill. At this time, spray with Roundup. In a few weeks, there may be new nimblewill growth. Thus, you will have to spray again. By mid-September, you can scratch the patches of dead nimblewill and plant grass seed. Apply a lawn fertilizer at seeding. Fertilize with a regular turf fertilizer in November. In mid-March of the following year, apply a crabgrass preventer to stop any germinating nimblewill seed. That should be the end of nimblewill.
Other Weed Control Considerations
If your neighbors have nimblewill, but you do not yet, it is important to use a preemergent herbicide each spring. The preemergent is most often added to spring fertilizers and are labeled as crabgrass preventer, etc.
Commercial preemergents are generally stronger than homeowner versions and some commercial brands last all season. The homeowner varieties often last only four months and may need a second application by mid-summer. Keep in mind that frequent heavy rains stress preemergents, shorten their lifespan, and decrease their ability to stop weed seed germination.
If you have a cool season grass, you may be able to limit the growth and spread of nimblewill by over-seeding each year in the fall. A thick, vibrant lawn is a strong deterrent for most weeds and may greatly hinder growth of nimblewill as well. A well maintained and thick lawn, accompanied by frequent mowing, is the best defense against many invasive weeds and cuts down on herbicide use as well.
For warm season grasses, maintaining a thick, healthy lawn, such as bermudagrass, zoysia, and others will generally choke out many weeds and keep them from advancing. Follow good maintenance, mowing, and fertilization practices for your specific grass type.
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How To Remove Nimblewill From Your Yard
Identifying what Nimblewill looks like, and where it grows, is only half the battle. Now its time to remove this irritating weed from your yard.
Luckily, there are many ways to treat this weed. Read on to learn about the most common treatment methods you can use to eliminate Nimblewill from your property.
How To Kill Nimblewill
This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz and by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Hall. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 18,961 times.
Nimblewill, or Muhlenbergia schreberi, is a grassy weed that quickly spreads into lawns and beds of grass. Nimblewill’s patchy appearance and tendency to turn brown before other grasses make it an unwelcome visitor in most lawns. Fortunately, there are a variety of methods you can use to get rid of nimblewill and keep it out of your lawn for good.
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How Can I Get Rid Of Nimblewill
Nimblewill has a thick root system that tends to stay intact when pulled. This makes removal by hand pulling easy, compared to other weedy grasses. However, you must really remove the entire patch, as it can spread through stolons left behind. Do reseed with preferred grasses immediately .
Traditionally, most people have resorted to using Roundup to kill Nimblewill before reseeding. We dont love the idea of using Roundup, but if you do use go this route, be sure to do so when the plant is green and actively growing, rather than when it has turned brown. Spraying when Nimblewill is brown and dormant will not work and is a needless use of a chemical. A newer, less toxic herbicide made from the bottlebrush plant, Tenacity, is now available that may also suppress Nimblewill without killing the desirable grasses around it.
Hand pulling or digging out a patch and adding some new soil and seed is a good way to keep small patches from becoming big patches.
Nimblewill does best in poorly-drained soils that stay moist. We like to recommend Liquid Aeration in the Spring and Fall to help loosen the soil. This will also reduce thatch and encourage grass roots to grow deeper. As an added bonus, more air in your soil will encourage more microorganisms and a larger biota including earthworms and insects, making your soil richer and healthier. Core Aeration is not great to do because it will spread the Nimblewill by moving the plugs around the lawn.
Which Is Best For Lawn Between Nimblewill And Bermuda Grass
The best grass for lawns is Bermuda. It will give a lush green look to your yard, and it has many benefits such as:
- Best-looking results when grown in full sun. You will get an overall brown appearance in light shade with uneven blades that dont bunch up well or stay neatly cut.
- Best for hot southern climates with high temperatures in summer and low in winter since Bermuda grass can withstand significant sunlight without wilting or going dormant. Also, this type of lawn wont go to seed very easily.
- The best option is if you want a uniform appearance for your yard. The outer edges of the blades are uniform, leaving a nice neat line between them to make it look finished.
- It has an excellent texture that looks good even if youre not mowing every day.
- You can plant it in bare spots in your yard.
Nimblewill grass doesnt have the same benefits that Bermuda grass has, but it does have some advantages of its own:
- It blends well with other types of landscape plants. In addition, the more common varieties are tolerant to shade and drought, which is important for some people.
- It does better in hot weather than Bermuda grass. You can plant it even if your lawn was already established before you brought the house there, but make sure to keep an eye on it during dry periods because this type of grass needs constant watering.
- Its easier to establish than the Bermuda grass. So if youre getting a new lawn installed, it wont be as much work for your landscapers.
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How To Remove Nimblewill From The Lawn
Nimblewill is a type of plant that can be found in gardens, parks, and other areas. It can grow up to two feet tall and has white flowers that bloom during the summer.
One way to kill Nimblewill plants is by using a weed killer like glyphosate or triclopyr. To kill it, you have to thoroughly cover the plant with a strong herbicide solution and let it soak for at least 24 hours before mowing or raking.
After having a Nimblewill infestation, you can use weed killers to kill all the existing plants. The best herbicide for killing this plant is glyphosate which will work in the spring and fall seasons. It also works well on other weeds that are hard to control, like dandelions, thistles, and grassy weeds.
Another way to kill Nimblewill plants is by using a chemical spray. To do this, you have to mix the mixture with water in a ratio of 1/4 cup per gallon then apply it onto your lawn or garden.
It will burn any green leaves on the plant and kill it. Again, this is a quick fix, but if you have to do this many times, ensure that your lawn or garden doesnt get too dry because overwatering can reduce effectiveness.
To prevent Nimblewill from spreading in your yard, mow the grass as short as possible. Cutting the grass too long will make it easier for Nimblewill to take root in your garden or yard.
Time To Attack That Pesky Nimblewill
It seems like lawns went from brown to green in no time! However, they dont look all that great right now.
Early spring when lawns begin to green up they tend to look quite straggly and rough. Turfgrass species arent all growing at the same rate in the beginning.
The result of this uneven growth is a lawn with various colors of green and patchiness. Just give it a few mowings, and it will correct itself.
A problem that is showing up very clearly in lawns is a perennial grassy weed called nimblewill.
This perennial is actually considered a weed in most lawns consisting of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and turf type tall fescue lawns.
Youll notice that all of the desirable species are green right now, and the nimblewill is still brown. I see quite a bit of this as I travel around the Miami Valley.
Nimblewill is a very aggressive perennial weed that encroaches in areas of thinning lawn and can eventually take over a large patch. Enough of these large patches and you end up with a lawn that has more nimblewill than desirable turf.
Since nimblewill is a perennial grassy weed, the only thing that will control it is to kill it with glyphosate, such as Roundup weed killer.
There are a few things to keep in mind before you begin your attack. First of all, glyphosate will kill all green tissue that it comes in contact, including the good turf.
You will have to reseed those areas that you killed out. This can be accomplished in a week or ten days after spray application.
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Nimblewill One Tough Lawn Weed
Did you notice round, straw-colored areas of dead grass in your lawn this past winter? And then did you notice that those same spots turned green when other plants started growing and blooming in spring? If so, your lawn may be plagued with nimblewill, a tough weed to control.
Nimblewill is a perennial warm-season grass weed that has a straw-brown appearance during its winter dormancy . During active growth, the color changes to dull blue-green, although some describe it as pale-green or gray-green. Its leaves range in size from 1 to 3 inches, and a quarter-inch wide. It tolerates a variety of soils and conditions and very often grows in shady areas that desirable grasses snub.
Patches of dormant nimblewill in early spring
Nimblewill, a native, is one of our most common grass-weed problems. Other perennial grass weeds in Virginia are bermudagrass, dallisgrass, orchardgrass and quackgrass. According to Professor Shawn Askew, an extension turfgrass weed specialist at Virginia Tech, nimblewill is in every lawn in Virginia. Given that notoriety, nimblewill might also be considered among those weeds hardest to control. Pre-emergent and broadleaf weed herbicides have no effect on the nimblewill that established itself in a prior season.
Nimblewill stems, leaves and seed heads are easy to identify
Bermudagrass, also known as wiregrass, resembles nimblewill
Herbicide controls
