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I live in Middle Tennessee and have a fescue lawn that is largely dormant right now, since we've been having 90+ degree F days for the better part of two months straight now. Crab grass is thriving, though (I have a question about that here, incidentally). A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a new fast-growing grass popping up in my lawn, and I at first thought it was selective patches of the fescue thriving in partial shade after we had a lot of rain.

I've since realized that it's a different type of weedy grass, and I'm wondering if I need to try to eradicate it now, as it seems to be spreading very quickly. It's a lighter green than the fescue and has a different blade growth pattern:

Patch of lawn with fast-growing grass

(I'm referring to the lighter-colored grass in the middle/top-half of this photo). Here's a closer look at this grass:

close-up of this weedy grass

What should I do about it? I'm guessing this is probably a native grass that is invading my lawn.

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    I just happened across an article about nutsedge, which appears to probably be the culprit here?
    – Derek
    Jul 31, 2016 at 23:24
  • Mow that lawn HIGHER. No shorter than 3 inches...water deeply and then allow to dry out before watering again. If you don't see your footprints in the grass when you step on it do not water! Sedges love water, you are probably watering everyday?
    – stormy
    Aug 1, 2016 at 20:04
  • @stormy: I mow at the second-highest setting on my lawn mower (my neighbors mow even lower). In fact, my mower is not even really affecting the grass, since its dormant at the moment and not getting any taller. I've been watering every other day since it's been so extremely hot outside (based on a recommendation from a family member). But now that I've noticed that my grass isn't growing at all, I should probably stop watering altogether until it starts getting cooler again. The nutsedge started popping up during a period where we had a TON of rain, though, and I had our sprinkler shut off.
    – Derek
    Aug 1, 2016 at 21:05

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As mentioned in my comment above, this turned out to be nutsedge. Applying a nutsedge spray to the affected patches of lawn is making it turn brown and die:

enter image description here

This stuff spreads incredibly quickly, so if anyone else notices sedge in their lawn, it's best treated immediately.

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