POA Weed Grass - 3 Ways To Fight Back WITHOUT Chemicals 

Einhell Scarifier : amzn.to/353lLqE Manual Rake : amzn.to/356JvKA

Wolfgarten does a rake which is hinged at the end so you can push it back and forward efficiently without lifting off the ground..works well

It’s reassuring to see many others fighting (and losing) the same battle as me 😂 Another great and very applicable video. Keep them coming fella.

Great advice! I am struggling with weed grass on my 200m2 lawn this summer and this is by far the best information I've seen so far. I'll be breaking out my Hyundai dethatcher this evening to give this a shot! Cheers 😎

Yep POA is taking over the world 🌍 I use my allett scarifier cassette on my classic every 3 weeks and use it on settings 1 which is enough without touching soil ! It does the job but alas I look a few days later and cry 😭 Great honest video again Matt and I’m sure like all your followers we all can relate

Great video matey! For some reason a lot of people have the POA issue bad this year. I for one certainly do. Lawn usually looks lush by now with all the usual stuff we do to them. This time I have loads of POA and a grass that doesn’t want to go up but rather all tangly. I can’t help but think it’s the strange weather we’ve had since March onwards. I must admit, even though it goes against the grain a bit I got the rake attachment on the scarifier and blasted over my lawn with it followed by a close mow and now a load of watering to help it recover. I’ve never seen it this bad before. Weird!

That first lawn mower was very nice.

What I do is: 1. Rake the grass manually, so seed heads are standing up. 2. Cut it at the second-highest setting all the time with the bag. 3. I prepare plugs in advance - I use aluminium trays from Lidl's Lasagna or anything similar to 10 cm by 15 cm and an inch deep (2.5cm). 4. I seed indoors into the tray filled with compost, then wait for it to germinate and let it grow up to 5 cm. This way I have 100% control over the germination process. 5. On the day I go to my lawn to locate the thickest patch of POA and cut it out using a knife along with roots. 6. Replace with new grass patch-plug. This works because the grass is already tall enough to thicken and blend in over 2-3 weeks, and it won't let POA come back. Rinse and repeat. but... I have a fescue lawn which I keep on a higher setting, around 2 inches or 5 cm, no less. This way it is always thick and able to outcompete weed grasses gradually. It is a slow process, but I am fighting back with a vengeance. And winning. No weeds, not even dandelions or clover, no weed killers at all in the last two years. Only hollow tine aeration in autumn, scarification and overseeding.

exactly what i was looking for. great timing

Im only 2 mins into the video and had to pause to comment “great vid / finger on the pulse for us lawn-heads!” 🙏🏽

Sowed my Browntop Bent and Chewings Fescue lawns... dark green pure bristles... until the poa invaded! Your lawn looks grrrreat!

Mate, I wish my lawn looked as good as yours did before you even started this vid. 🤣

a great help again with this problem thank you

Useful video Matt. Our (small) lawn is coming along using your seed and fertiliser - plus these weeds! Where I've added quite a bit of top soil, the surface is not firm enough underfoot yet to use these tools without damaging the surface and new growth I suspect. Also, top dressing leaves the lawn very uneven, so I'm guessing levelling using sand should be next? Children's play sand good for this? Keep up the good work!

Brilliant video, very helpful, thanks

A great video. I used a syringe with roundup on my lawn to target weed grass as an experiment and it worked quite well. Top channel 👍🏼

Got same problem with my newly seeded lawn 😡. So I bought a einhell battery scarafier and sharped the blabes after some advise on some forums . Using it every second cut the now and its working wonders. 👍🏾

Very helpful v. I have 1 corner of my back lawn that is bad with weed grass. I have the Bosch AVR 1100. I have had for a while and only used it once to scarrify. It sold advertised as a scarifyer/verticutter. The blades are loose and can swing when rotated. I will give it a go.

Beautiful plants man

Lovely garden , great video 👍

Well, I guess I know what I am doing today! Great video, thanks.

Hey Mat, same situation here in Poland for us. In the midst of unusually wet spring/summer of 2020 annua and triv had loads of opportunity to thrive. Personally, I removed bigger triv patches by hand, overseeded with Barenbrug RPR. I had been mowing@0.5 inch with my Allett but went back to Honda hrx 537 this season. I've been gradually working the height up as I read from the University of Nebraska that the most effective long term way to outcompete poa is to mow higher (57% less weed grasses in 3 years on average). I'm@2,5inches already, poa keeps competing for sunlight with my good grass so I cut and bag and dispose of the clippings. As the heatwave's been with us since mid June I can already see how nicely poa's dying out on top. So my next order of business will be to simply stay on higher cuts (going all the way back to 3,5 inches) scarify deeper this Fall, overseed with RPR and hope it will come back weaker next season. No chance for me to use any preemergents, as I have both children and pets sharing my sward with me. That's it for steps I'm taking for now. Looking forward to your new videos. Take care!

UK is absolutely full of weed grass this year for some reason, was not like this last year I wonder why it's happened. I just use my Black & Decker lawn rake on it's highest setting to rip out all the long POA then cut it straight away, it's crazy just how long these grasses can grow completely horizontally. Had the Black & Decker nearly 10 years and it's still going strong, it's a great purchase for a small to medium lawn size.

Hey, you got any tips on yorkshire fog? My lawn is looking like a patch quilt at the moment :(

Really good video! I thought it was only me suffering this year with bad POA! I use verticutter and hand pull . Good video keep going mate

Great advice …thx Shaun . Was thinking about roundup and re seed in Autumn …but not sure about it esp iF poa will pop up again from seed already in soil 😔

Hi,great advice, how often do I airate/scarify the lawn? Tia

Thanks for such a great video. I’m struggling with POA on new lawn that was only put down 2 months ago, really frustrating battle. Looking forward to putting some of the techniques you showed in to practise

POA has been rampant here in the US too this year :( another nice video

It's an ongoing battle and one we are not going to win, I 'm afraid. Nice video!

I’d heard that deep watering the lawn can be helpful as the roots are shallow. Any thoughts on this?

Fantastic stuff I have an electric scarifier but did not know that I could put on the highest setting and just go over my lawn mine isn't too bad but still needs doing so thank you for that... and also good you can use a standard rake after this is done just put the mower again over the grass...👍🏻👍🏻

love doing these things by hand but the area is quite large..

Hi, I have just re turfed my garden i dont have a massive turf area about half the size of the turf area in this video. I do really want to stripe my lawn can you recommend a type lawn mower that can get the nice vertical stripes in the lawn ?

Since there was some terms confusion in the video I thought I would clear out the difference between these tools: Aerator: makes holes in the ground to remove compaction, better irrigation and makes water escape easier to prevent creating clay type of soil Scarrifier: makes "scars" in the soil to cut through the roots and remove a bit of thatch as well, can be used to prepare soil for seeding too Dethatcher: thinner (usually spring) blade that goes into thatch layer above ground and removes dead grass to create space for now growth Verticutter: stands for vertical cut and can have either Dethatcher or Sarrifier blade on it (both blades can be labeled by "veticutting")

Great video 👍🏼 Thanks 😊

Matt on your Einhell are you putting the setting On 0? Mines similar to yours but the spring times are the aerator

I’m mowing every other day to control the ones in my front garden. Have laid new turf in my rear garden and the rolls are full of it, pulled out what I can but can see another fight on the cards for next season.

Another excellent video Matt. My lawn is completely full of poa from when we bought the house and the lawn was left to grow into meadow over at least a full season. I’d given up on it to be honest but the lighter shaded patches does spoil the appearance. Your video has spurred me on to get my bladed scarifier out and get it on a high setting and try and reduce the poa a bit. Thanks again. 👍🏻

Great tips Matt mine also as alot of POA this year it seems will try some of your advice . Was thinking this Autumn to reset Roundup etc and start again ....but worried some POA seed will still be there in ground and once its there and come back ?!!

Matt hope you are well , quick question how often would you verticut

After a year of trying various different methods I like you have lost the battle. In the autumn and next spring I am going to use a pre emergent to hopefully get rid of this problem Another great video again mate.

Hi Matt. I’m getting overun with weeds and Poa! Would you Verticut before or after the application of Resolva? Or both?

Good tips

I think I’m going to go for either that Einhell unit or the hitachi on Amazon! Has anyone had any experience with the hitachi?

I was just wondering can you you use plant growth regulators is regulators in the UK? And would a plant growth regulator help suppress the poa ?

Thanks for the video/advice. I never knew weed grass existed until last year as I have never really had a 'lawn' before. I was crawling around very carefully pulling out Clover by hand [it's not a massive lawn area] and that's how I realised there was something funny going on in the lawn grass.

Very interesting. I hadn't thought of using the verticutter as a rake then mowing. Do you use a blade or rotary mower?

Hi Matt, I use the Einhill scarifier on a high setting which seems to work. Having put up with wet weather, hot dry weather, ants, worms, weeds but managed to get the lawn under control, now squirrels have started digging up up the lawn. Aaaaaargh! Makes you wonder whether the aerating, scarifying, topdressing feeding and overseeding is all worth it. No doubt it will come back but I am one frustrated lawn owner.

Is the first grass the type that grows like a tough straw along the soil bed, under the other grass for about 15cm and then grow straight up?

Spent the last 2 years digging clumps of this stuff out my grass and reseeding , I think I had more weed than grass at a point ... The battle will continue next spring

Do you need to mow before you verticut

The verti-cut looks interesting and I have weed grass in my lawn. But I do have the aerator which I am planning to use in probably 4 weeks to allow the new grass roots are more established

I use a tack puller to assist in pulling out as many individual poa plants as I can. Remove the plant, and it can't produce any seeds.

I have quite a small lawn and run a leaf blower over the lawn on vacuum setting to lift up the POA stalks, then cut the grass normally. Not perfect but seems to reduce it some.

Hey, Will the verticutter take up creeping buttercup?

My POA is really bad this year. Like you I’ve done some by hand but gave up, it’s a never ending job. I’ve bitten the bullet and ordered an Allett verticut cartridge for the Liberty 43 I own

My 2 in 1 is calling the spring tine one the aerator and the blade the scarifier. And it seems like Einhell & Ryobi agrees with it. But, Vonhaus and you say it's the other way round. It's very confusing

Hi Matthew, I have had a new lawn laid which I have been very pleased with the quality of the turf. However in recent weeks course (weed) grass is visible especially as I have been advised not to cut too short too soon. I have started to remove the weed grasses with a knife. Filling in the hole with good soil & seeding. What is your opinion of this way of controlling the spread of the unwanted invader?

great video, when you bringing some more content out?

Work at a golf course our greens (poa) are cut at .095 in the summer. Our fairways, most are rye, and 3 are fescue. Always a battle to not have poa, which is very invasive, to not grow anywhere else.

Verticutting the bejeesus n every direction , overseediing , then covering with sifted topsoil is my way of managing the dreaded AMG.

Another well timed video. Poa’s running rampant in my back lawn. I think at this point I’m just gonna have to kill off the whole lawn when I do the aerate, top dress and overseed in august/ September. It’s a shame really but at least I can have a go with some new grasses

New turf this year and the lawn was full of it! Not sure if this counts as a tip... but I happened to rake my lawn and then accidentally scalp my lawn just before the recent hot weather, the other grass has come back, but so far the POA sections have completely dried out and look to have died. Next job to overseed :) Seems like POA has been really bad this year, seeing lots of vids on the topic anyway.

Why can’t we get chemicals here 😔

That verticutter looked wierd to me, the blades were quite far apart - other verticutters I've seen had loads of the blades.

You def know your stuff wow

Hi Matt.Some of the books say to slash poe with a knife having checked no seeds are visible.

Have not seen a spray based control method in the US either folks.

What is the main reason for Weed grass get in the lawn , in your Opinion?

Never noticed poa before this year as lawn is 2 years old from turf. Had about a bucket full of poa which I hand picked out then yesterday gave it a cut. So its wait a see for few days.

Great video, thank you. Do you think the same approach would work on clover? My lawn is covered in clover and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve got a scarifier and the blade cartridge that you used, which I haven’t used yet, I used the rake cartridge at the being of the season and took out a ton of thatch, so will give the blade cartridge a go at the highest setting and see if I can make any headway. If you do have any other recommendations on how to fight the clover can you give me a response, thanks.

I will try your methods. I have poa anua and trivialis in my lawn and I will fight them

Great video as always 👊🏻 I have the bosch verticutter. How often can I use it on my lawn?

I am sick to death of POA. Great video

I renovated last fall, overseeded this early Spring, then Poa invaded so much 🥺!!! Also Canada is difficult to get chemicals for lawn. it's gotten so hot here. I only have electric detatcher. I am scared raking dead poa and grass (from fungus) in this heat.. thank you for your tips in this video. it is helpful!!

Hey Matt, do you get a lot of mushrooms cropping up? I know they aren't actually a bad thing but they ruin the look of the lawn and are annoying to keep picking out lol.

Hi Matt did you have the swardman on beastmode or just normal?

Hi matey, I heard that Swardman has plastic gear wheels in the rear roller differential. Is it true? Is the swardman reliable?

Old post but I have a question - can you pull out weed grasses in the winter season or is it best to wait for spring?

Barenbrug do a super quick germinating seed that also grows to try and outcompete poa, after you rip the poa out you can overseed the spots and itll germinate in the spot before the Poa

I feel your pain mate 🤦‍♂️

Only way I found is cut them out, the best option but labor intensive and reseed, and put two or three doses of tenacity down in the fall 20 days apart

Terrific, and useful video. Any thoughts why POA seems to be so bad for everyone this year ?

Never had any before and this year it’s completely covered my lawn in the last 3 weeks, it’s completely taken over. I’m happy to use chemicals, just not sure which to use?

Will this work for getting rid of ‘weeds’ like clover? I don’t want to use any chemicals in my garden but I’m fighting against rapidly growing clover at the moment.

What brand/model is your regular mower? Bosch? (Not the red swordman)

Hi mate, what do you recommend for getting rid of clover?

One question I forgot to ask: how often do you repeat this process weekly, fortnightly?

What I done to remove those horrible grass weeds is: Rake over the lawn to remove the dead grass and in turn that lifts up the grass weeds.Point a running hose directly onto the weed and wiggle the weed from the base. As the soil softens the weed will pull out from the root. It takes time but it is worth it.

Hi Matt… I cut mine out.. and reSeed …it’s a pain waiting for the seed to come through.

Cut and bag up (ideally using a rotary) all the seed heads first before doing any type of raking or scarifying. Otherwise all you would be doing is casting the seeds across your lawn and making things worse.

Poa annua, we are all lost. Greetings from Germany

I have a lot of poa grass stems that is dieing off grass looks brown from these how do you get rid of these and do these grow back after dien and going brown I’m thinking of killing the lawn and starting from scratch any help would be appreciated I have done the steps you done here

More a question than a solution... Could you take a trimmer and scalp the lawn where poa grows? Would this not wear down the poa areas of the lawn and allow the more desirable grasses to grow as well as maybe a lawn edging cutter to cut the roots of the Poa. Granted the lawn may look patchy for a while...

Thanks for the depressing video Matt 🤣🤣. I hand raked a 3mtr sq area of my lawn that I know has a poa problem this year and it’s like I never scarified it. Should I use my electric lawn rake on a high setting before each mow to try to counteract the poa, would that help? Cheers

I would be careful verti-cutting in this heat it can really stress the plant. Also there is a PGR called attraxor that can be used for seed head suppression. Fully legal in the uk

Where is all the weed grass in your lawn coming from?

Hi mate, great video. I've also been fighting the battle with them. Driving me mad. Is it just me, or is this the worst they've been ?

Any tips on getting rid of yarrow from the lawn?