Foxtail Control for Turf

Green, giant, and yellow foxtail are summer annual grasses that invade thin or newly established turf. They become increasingly conspicuous as bristly seedheads develop.

How to Identify Foxtail

Seedheads are dense cylindrical bristles resembling a fox's tail. Species differ in leaf hair, sheath hair, and ligule characteristics.

Why It Appears in Turf

Warm disturbed soil, renovation gaps, compaction, and weak summer turf favor emergence. Plants die after frost but replenish the seed bank.

Make the Site Less Favorable

• Maintain the recommended mowing height and avoid scalping.
• Correct irrigation, drainage, compaction, fertility, or shade problems that thin desirable turf.
• Repair bare areas and use adapted turf cultivars to close openings where seedlings establish.

Choosing a Turf Herbicide

Use the products below as a starting point, then match the herbicide to the desirable turf species and the weed's growth stage. Preemergence products must be applied and activated before germination; postemergence products work best on small, actively growing weeds. Repeat applications may be needed where the label allows.

Label note: Confirm the desirable turf species, use site, target weed, application timing, rate, adjuvant directions, and reseeding restrictions on the current label before use.