Selectively Controlling Escaped Fountain Grass in Cool-Season Turf

摘要

Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides L.) is commonly planted as a landscape ornamental in the Midwestern USA. However, due its tolerance to lawn-height mowing and reproduction by seed, it has has become invasive in lawns. The objective of this research was to evaluate herbicides that could control fountain grass without damaging cool-season lawn grasses. Plugs of Pennisetum alopecuroides were planted into cool-season turf and spot-sprayed once or twice at 2-week intervals with various turf herbicides in West Lafayette, IN, and Urbana, IL, in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, two applications of Acclaim Extra + Turflon Ester (0.64 oz/gal + 0.64 oz/gal per application) or two applications of Q4 (3 oz/gal per application) selectively provided adequate, though not complete control eight weeks after the initial application in 2006. Eight weeks after the initial applications in 2007, two applications of Drive (0.367 oz/gal per application) provided complete control. A single application of Roundup Pro (2.56 oz/gal) completely controlled fountain grass nonselectively in both years.