Grassy Weeds - Bermuda Lawn - Dallisgrass
BES-TEX WEED ID GUIDE · GRASSY WEEDS
Dallisgrass
Paspalum dilatatum
Common Name
Dallisgrass
Latin Name
Paspalum dilatatum Poir.
Family
Poaceae
Life Cycle / Type
Perennial · Grass
What Is It?
Dallisgrass is a warm-season perennial grassy weed that is very difficult to control because of its deep, aggressive rhizomes, and it often forms clumps. It grows in bunches, has a coarse texture, and produces unsightly seedheads from late May through October. Seedheads carry 2 to 8 branches, each with multiple spikelets. A long membranous ligule and a prominent midrib help tell it apart from crabgrass. The short rhizomes store carbohydrates, which makes it hard to control.
This is a perennial weed. Pre-emergent herbicides will not control existing dallisgrass plants.
Leaf Shape Identification (Quick ID)
Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum)
- Leaf tip: Sharp-pointed
- Long membranous ligule
- Prominent midrib
- Long hairs near the leaf base; leaf otherwise hairless
- Seedhead with 2 to 8 branches of spikelets
- Clumps that widen from short rhizomes
One-Sentence Counter Script“If it is a coarse clump with a long membranous ligule and a seedhead of several branches, it is dallisgrass, and pre-emergent will not stop it.”
Pre-emergent will not control established dallisgrass, because it comes back from rhizomes.
Soil Temperature & Germination
Dallisgrass is a perennial that regrows from rhizomes each year.
[PLACEHOLDER]
Soil temperature for emergence or regrowth is not stated in the cited sources.
Late May through October
Seedhead production
Decision Question
Is the dallisgrass visible above the soil right now?
NO
It has not emerged.
Pre-emergent will not control existing dallisgrass plants, because it is a perennial that regrows from rhizomes.
Pre-Emergent Herbicide BMPWhy This Weed Comes Back
Short rhizomes that store carbohydrates
Clumps that widen each season
Seedheads from late May through October
Learn the Basics
A healthy, thick lawn is the best defense against weeds.