Which weed is a common summer annual grass in turf?

Which weed is a common summer annual grass in turf?

• A. Crabgrass
• B. Sandspur
• C. Bermudagrass
• D. Bluegrass

Answer: (B)

Summer annual grasses are those that germinate in warm weather, grow quickly through the heat, and complete their life cycle within one growing season. Sandspur fits that pattern in turf common in the Southeast: it’s a warm-season annual grassy weed that appears in sunny, thin, or compacted turf, rapidly grows during summer, produces seeds, and dies off as cooler weather arrives. The weed is also known for the spiny burrs it forms, which makes it a noticeable and troublesome turf invader each season. Bermudagrass and bluegrass are perennial grasses (warm-season and cool-season, respectively), so they don’t fit the “annual” part of the description, and crabgrass, while also a summer annual, is a different common example of a summer annual grass—sandspur is the choice that best matches the specific weed type described in many turf management contexts for the Southeast.

Summer annual grasses are those that germinate in warm weather, grow quickly through the heat, and complete their life cycle within one growing season. Sandspur fits that pattern in turf common in the Southeast: it’s a warm-season annual grassy weed that appears in sunny, thin, or compacted turf, rapidly grows during summer, produces seeds, and dies off as cooler weather arrives. The weed is also known for the spiny burrs it forms, which makes it a noticeable and troublesome turf invader each season. Bermudagrass and bluegrass are perennial grasses (warm-season and cool-season, respectively), so they don’t fit the “annual” part of the description, and crabgrass, while also a summer annual, is a different common example of a summer annual grass—sandspur is the choice that best matches the specific weed type described in many turf management contexts for the Southeast.