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I live in West Texas. The white fluffy plant is taking over mostly in Bermuda areas. But it is starting to move into st. Augustine areas. We have BIG, decorative plants that have the same type of white fluffy blooms. I'm thinking these could be offshoots of those Please identify this and give any help on how to control it.

Thanks for ANY help you can give!

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J. Musser
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James Fox
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  • what area of the world do you live in? Is this a common weed in your area? Is the plant you want identified the one with the white fluffy seed head? – kevinskio Nov 21 '13 at 11:44
  • Hi, I live in West Texas. Yes it is the white fluffy one. It is taking over mostly in Bermuda areas. But it is starting to move into st. Augustine areas. We have BIG, decorative plants that have the same type of white fluffy blooms. Im thinking these could be offshoots of those. – James Fox Nov 21 '13 at 12:47
  • We have something similar looking to this grass and is not native to California. It's called Rabbit Tail or Rabbit Foot grass (Polypogon monspeliensis). There are many varieties that are ornamental grasses sold at nurseries also. – Deirdra Strangio Nov 21 '13 at 20:52
  • Are you thinking these might be dwarfed Pampas Grass? I suppose Pampas Grass could look like that if it were mowed all the time, but I've never seen it that short before. – TeresaMcgH Nov 21 '13 at 21:47
  • It's not pampas grass, but it does make me think of cotton tail grass (Eriophorum varieties, there are about 25 of them). Seems a bit odd though - Eriophorum is actually a sedge and they like damp conditions, and that doesn't seem an obvious location for them. They do seed themselves easily though... – Bamboo Nov 29 '13 at 14:03

1 Answers1

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That is annual trampweed. You can culturally control it somewhat by providing close to ideal conditions for the turf (water, fertilizer, balanced ph) and mow the seed-heads into a bag, to prevent spreading. It grows best in dry, poor soil, and will not compete well in good conditions. You can also control it chemically with post-emergent broad-leaved plant herbicide.

J. Musser
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