Poa is one of the most challenging weeds to control in commercial landscaping, and requires lots of water to keep green, its invasive and spreads by seed in the summer months reemerging later in fall- winter months; it has been identified as one of the most difficult weeds to manage in a drought, “its name is annual blue grass “Poa annua”.
it re-seeds itself prolifically in the fall during the cooler seasons! Annual bluegrass is outwardly attractive in the winter but just wait until spring! The thick mat of bluegrass chokes out the better turf underneath and requires ridiculous amounts of water to keep green.
Every blade (of which there are thousands) seems to be covered with seeds. When hot weather arrives, the bluegrass dies out, leaving a large bare spot and a legacy of thousands of seed for next fall to cycle all over again.
Cultural programs must be designed to change the environmental conditions favorable to poa growth.In the hotter months, deep watering at infrequent intervals to cause drought stress to the poa and raise the mowing height at 3-inches or more to shade the poa may help. In the fall, Aerate the lawn to reduce soil compaction that poa favors, it may also be helpful to rake in organic amendment after aeration to help improve water infiltration. Poa annua thrives in the shade-part shade and likes wet, soggy and compacted soil conditions, so water management is key.
In addition to cultural control measures, commercial lawn care companies should consider a more aggressive approach by controlling with a pre-emergent weed chemical in the late summer-early fall along with a light lawn aeration. Timing of the chemical application is absolutely critical to get the most effective control.
There are special blended pre-emergent products on the local market that suppress poa annua, specifically formulated for our local Bay Area climate, resulting in improved control and is safe to use in apartment landscaping.
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FloraTerra is a Leading company providing commercial property and hoa landscaping in and around the San Jose bay area, we provide landscape care and maintenance services for apartment complexes, shopping centers and office park landscaping , providing a complete range of services for property managers, community developers and property owners.
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