Description
Dallisgrass is a warm season coarse perennial which is light green in color. The leaves are rolled in the bud, flat and wide (1/2"). Auricles are absent and the ligule is tall, pointed, and membranous. Dallisgrass has hairs on the lower portion of the leaf near the ligule. The seedhead contains 3 - 6 spikes, with seeds on both sides of the spike. Dallisgrass can form short thick rhizomes, but spreads upright in clumps. This highly invasive plant germinates in soil temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F and thrives in the hot humid conditions of the southern states. Dallisgrass is found throughout humid southern United States, ranging from the mid-Atlantic states south and west to Tennessee.
Weed Photos: Courtesy of Dr. Lambert McCarty. Clemson University. Clemson, SC.
Herbicide Use
Use a pre-emergence herbicide when soil temperatures become sufficiently warm for dallisgrass germination. A pre-emergence herbicide is recommended even if some dallisgrass plants have germinated; there will still be seed in the soil and use of the pre-emergence herbicide can prevent further infestation. Use an appropriate post- emergence herbicide.
Distribution
Germination Dates
