Weeds That Look Like Grass

When you’re weeding, you want to be weeding, well, weeds. This can be a bit of a challenge if you’re faced with one of the many weeds that look like grass.

Lucky for you, it’s not too hard to tell the difference between grass and similar looking weeds. This list explains some of the most common weeds that look like grass that you might see in your yard and how to identify them.

Crabgrass

As you might guess from the name, crabgrass looks a lot like regular grass. One of the main differences between crabgrass and the grass growing on your lawn is that it tends to grow in smaller clumps. It’s also much more coarse than regular lawn grass.

Annual Bluegrass

Annual bluegrass likes to grow under trees and in moist, shady areas. Bluegrass can cause aesthetic problems because when it dies, you’ll be left with an ugly bare spot on your lawn once the weather dries out!

Wild garlic

If you’re lucky, you might be surprised to learn that you have wild garlic, or even wild onions, spreading in your yard. The tops of these plants look a lot like tall grass, but these plants are a lot more smelly.

One of the easiest ways to detect these plants is by using your nose when you’re mowing your lawn. If you get a distinct whiff of onion or garlic, you can bet that you have some growing.

Nutsedge

Nutsedge is pretty similar to crabgrass, but it tends to grow a lot quicker and can be difficult to manage. Nutsedge has strong root systems that need to be completely eliminated and outgrown. To make matters worse, nutsedge can spread through airborne seeds.

Coach/quackgrass

Quack grass is an invasive species. It’s quite durable, and it grows quickly. Quack grass grows complicated and dense roots which can be difficult to get rid of.

Green Foxtail

Until green foxtail matures, it can be quite hard to distinguish from other types of grass. However, when the fuzzy tips emerge on top of the stalks, you’ll be able to tell for sure that you’re dealing with foxtail.

Smooth Bromegrass

Bromegrass is another weed that can be difficult to differentiate between standard grass and many of the other weeds on this list.

Unfortunately, bromegrass can be a menace and you should keep an eye out for it. If you don’t catch it quickly, its roots will spread quickly across your lawn and be problematic to remove.

To Wrap It Up

There are lots of weeds that can invade your lawn. To the untrained eye, a lot of these weeds can look exactly like grass. This list helps to identify some of the common weeds that look like grass.

Fortunately for you, there are also lots of different ways to get rid of these weeds. If you’re into DIY projects, check out our simple guide on making some effective homemade weed killer. Or, if you’ve got time to spray but no time to mix your own herbicides, try out a natural alternative like Natria weed killer.