Quack Grass

About Quack Grass

Quack grass (Elymus repens) is rare in Middle Tennessee but terrifying when it shows up — because there is no selective herbicide that can remove it from a tall fescue lawn. It is a perennial grassy weed that spreads aggressively via rhizomes, and since it is a monocot in the same grass family as your desirable fescue, any chemistry that kills quack grass will also kill the fescue around it. Every case of quack grass we have encountered in Middle Tennessee has been on homeowners who used big-box store seed — specifically Scotts and Pennington Rebels branded seed blends. The quack grass arrived as a contaminant in the seed itself. This is one of the strongest arguments against cheap seed: when quack grass contamination happens, there is no rescue option. You are stuck with it. Quack grass pops up during spring, similar in appearance timing to Poa annua, but it is perennial — it will not go away on its own after one season. It persists year after year and spreads through underground rhizomes that are extremely difficult to remove manually. The only control options are non-selective: mechanical removal of the entire root system (difficult because rhizomes break easily and regrow from fragments) or spot application of glyphosate with a gel stick, paintbrush, or Q-tip to individual plants — the same tedious manual approach used for Poa trivialis. This avoids broadcast spraying that would kill surrounding fescue. The best defense against quack grass is prevention: use sod-quality certified seed (Gold Tag) or at minimum Blue Tag certified seed for all overseeding. Never use contractor seed mix, Kentucky 31, or budget blends where contamination thresholds are lax.

Quack Grass (Elymus repens) is a turf weed commonly found in lawns throughout Middle Tennessee, including Columbia, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, and the surrounding areas. This entry is part of our Weed Identification Guide.

As lawn care and treatment specialists, we identify and treat Quack Grass regularly when servicing properties across the region. Proper identification is the first step toward selecting the right herbicide and timing for effective control.