Crowsfoot Grass (Goosegrass) in Australian Turf: ID & Control

What Is Crowsfoot Grass?

Crowsfoot grass (Eleusine indica), also called goosegrass, is a summer annual grass weed and one of the more technically difficult weeds to manage in Australian turf. It germinates in late spring, matures in 6 to 8 weeks, and can produce over 50,000 seeds per plant that remain viable in the soil for several years (Lucidcentral, Pacific Pests & Weeds fact sheet 461).

The name comes from the spiked seedhead, which resembles a crow’s footprint. It grows in clumps, low and flat, and tolerates mowing heights that would deter most other weeds.

Why it matters for turf managers: Crowsfoot grass has documented resistance to multiple common herbicide groups in use in Australian turfgrass programs — Groups 2, 3, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 22. Resistance to Groups 2 and 3 (the most widely used options in the Australian market) is the most operationally significant problem. Any program that relies on a single mode of action without rotation is at risk.

After you read read this, you will be able to:

• Identify crowsfoot grass in the field
• Know what soil and management conditions favour it
• Choose the right pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide for your situation
• Build a resistance management program that works over multiple seasons

How to Identify Crowsfoot Grass

For a full photo ID guide to Australian turf weeds, see the Weed ID Chart.

Crowsfoot grass grows in low, radiating clumps from a central point. Key identification features:

• Stems: Prostrate, nearly white (silver) at the base, and flat-sheathed. The silver base colour is the most reliable field ID
• Leaves: Dark green, smooth, strap-like with folded vernation; there are no hairs on the leaf surface but hairs are present at the leaf base
• Ligule: Short, jagged, membranous; splits at its centre
• Height: Plants up to 20 cm tall; leaves up to 30 cm long, 3 to 8 mm wide
• Seedhead: 3 to 7 spikes, each 4 to 7 mm long; seeds have a distinctive zipper-like pattern along the spike
• Growth pattern: Annual (occasionally perennial in frost-free areas); grows through summer, dies back with first frost in cooler regions

Photosynthetic pathway: C4. This means crowsfoot grass has a significant growth advantage over cool-season turf in summer heat. It grows approximately twice as fast as most cool-season turfgrass under heat stress.

Germination trigger: Soil temperature 15 to 18°C at 50 mm depth. In Sydney and warmer parts of NSW, this typically occurs in September to October. In tropical areas, germination can extend through most of the year.

Why Crowsfoot Grass Is a Problem

• Produces viable seed at fairway height and lower. Mowing does not prevent seed set
• Plants grow and mature in as little as 6 to 8 weeks
• Tolerates compact, nutrient-deficient, poorly drained soils where desirable turf struggles
• Germinates across a very wide soil pH range (pH 5–10)
• Resistant to multiple herbicide groups including glyphosate in some populations

What Conditions Make It Worse?

Crowsfoot grass is an indicator weed of soil compaction. You will reliably find it in:

• Heavy wear areas with reduced pore space
• Poorly drained soils or areas with high surface P, K, Ca, and Mg
• Any site with bare patches. It germinates in open spaces that desirable turf fails to close
• Fairways, tees, and collars where mowing height is low (it adapts by growing nearly horizontal stems)
• Bentgrass greens where late-summer coring creates ideal germination conditions

A vigorous, dense turf canopy is the primary determinant of whether crowsfoot grass establishes. Canopy cover, not compaction relief, is the critical factor, with goosegrass emergence markedly reduced under a closed sward compared with divoted or bare turf (Arrieta, Busey & Daroub, 2009, Agronomy Journal 101:11–16). Eliminating bare patches and maintaining canopy density is the most durable long-term control.

Management Calendar for Crowsfoot Grass

Cultural Control

Cultural control limits germination pressure and reduces the number of herbicide applications needed.

• Dense turf cover: The single most effective prevention. No bare areas = no germination sites. Choose turf species and varieties appropriate to your wear and climate conditions.
• Hand removal: Effective on greens, collars, and tees where precision matters. Remove before the plant forms a large central taproot as juvenile plants pull cleanly; mature plants do not. Remove the crown or the plant regrows.
• Mow before seed set: Do not allow seedheads to mature and shatter. This is not a substitute for pre-emergent control but reduces seedbank pressure over time.
• Aeration: Relieve compaction, but note the timing interaction with pre-emergents. A 2025 study on hybrid couch in Florida found that aeration did not reduce goosegrass control from pre-emergents in that context (Petelewicz et al., 2025, Agronomy Journal 117). The exception is late-summer coring of bentgrass greens. If you coring at that timing creates ideal conditions for crowsfoot germination.
• Deep irrigation: Irrigate deeply and infrequently. Deep-rooted desirable turf outcompetes crowsfoot; shallow-rooted crowsfoot does not benefit from deep water the way established turf does.
• Frost regions: In Canberra and inland NSW, crowsfoot grass dies back completely with frost. If you keep seeds from setting through summer, the seedbank depletes over years without herbicide.

Pre-emergent Herbicides for Crowsfoot Grass

Pre-emergent control is your best option. Post-emergent chemistry is a rescue measure, not a program.

Apply before soil reaches 15°C at 50 mm depth. This is typically August to September in temperate Australia, or earlier in subtropical regions.

Efficacy Comparison

When applied at label rates, oxadiazon (Echelon) gives better control (91%) than pendimethalin (69%), dithiopyr/Dimension (69%), or prodiamine (71%) against crowsfoot grass (source: Michigan State University Turfgrass Science archive, 1994). However, split-applications combining half-rates of Dimension or prodiamine with MSMA at full label rate achieve 80%+ control which is higher than either alone at full rate.

Pre-emergent Options

Dithiopyr (Dimension EW)
– Best option for both pre-emergent and early post-emergent control of summer grass
– Apply before germination on established turf; repeat 6 weeks later for season-long protection; third application 2 to 4 weeks after second if late-season control needed
– Rate: 3.5 L/ha
– Effective on cool and warm season turf

Oxadiazon (Echelon, Echelon Duo)
– Best pre-emergent efficacy (91%) against crowsfoot grass
– Apply to dry turf on granular carrier; water in immediately to move herbicide away from leaf tissue
– Granule size (SGN) matters: small prills give better coverage and more consistent control than large prills
– Do not apply to dew-covered turf or before heavy rain events
– Echelon Duo combines oxadiazon with thiamethoxam (scarab larvae control) so having useful dual application

Prodiamine (Barricade, Onset 10GR)
– Onset 10GR is granular prodiamine; effective and practical for larger areas
– Up to 6 months control at label rates
– Registered for warm season turf; not for bentgrass
– Note: prodiamine does not control nutgrass. It is a grass-specific pre-emergent

Indaziflam (Specticle)
– Up to 8 months control of crowsfoot, summer grass, and wintergrass in warm-season turf
– Rate: 250 mL/ha
– Premium option for high-value swards where long residual is worth the cost

S-metolachlor (Pennmag)
– Shoot-absorbed rather than root-absorbed. It does not negatively impact root development
– Must be watered in within 7 days if no rain
– Rate: 2 L/ha; registered for cool and warm season turf

Pendimethalin (Battalia 435)
– Rate: 3.4 L/ha
– Can be tank-mixed with Duke, Recondo, and Negate for broad-spectrum programs

Pendimethalin + Dimethenamid-P (Freehand)
– Dual mode of action pre-emergent; warm season turf only
– Rate: 100 kg/ha granular
– Suppresses more than 60 weed species

Pre-emergent Table

Post-emergent Herbicides for Crowsfoot Grass

Post-emergents are a rescue option. Timing matters: treat at the 2 to 4 tiller stage. Once multiple tillers are present, a single application will not give complete control regardless of the product you use.

Good soil moisture at the time of application is critical. Research confirms that drier conditions significantly reduce control efficacy from both Pylex and Tribute.

 

How soil moisture affects post emergent herbicide control of Goosegrass. The drier the soil, the less the control with Pylex or Tribute herbicides. Shekoofa et al. 2020

Destro (Diclofop Methyl, Group 1)

• Group 1 ACCase inhibitor. A different mode of action to most alternatives in the market
• Best results combined with an MSO (methylated seed oil) adjuvant such as Voltage MSO to penetrate the waxy leaf surface
• Rate: 1 L/ha on warm season turf

Tribute Selective (Foramsulfuron, Group 2)

• Safe on couch and zoysia as an alternative to ACCase inhibitors like Destro
• Two applications within three weeks of each other for best results; third application if regrowth appears before re-tillering
• Lower rate targets plants up to three-leaf stage; higher rate for more mature plants
• Do not use with a non-ionic surfactant or crop oil — antagonism reduces efficacy; use an MSO instead (Voltage MSO at 1% v/v)
• Resistance to Group 2 (foramsulfuron) is documented in some Australian crowsfoot populations. So if control is below expectation, switch modes of action
• Rate: 2 L/ha

Pylex (Topramezone, Group 27)

• Excellent control at 2 to 4 tiller stage in cool-season turf
• Low use rate (0.375 mL/100 m²); use with crop oil concentrate for coverage
• Does not control multi-tillered plants so aim to start applications as early as possible
• Make repeat applications every 2 to 3 weeks
• Wait at least 28 days after seeding before application
• Important: Tank mixes of Pylex plus chlorothalonil fungicides reduce goosegrass control (Peppers, Elmore & Askew, 2023, Weed Technology 37:554). Separate these applications
• Not for use on warm-season grasses

Metric (Metribuzin, Group 5)

• Post-emergent option for couch only
• Rate: 1–1.5 L/ha

Post-emergent Table

Herbicide Resistance Management

Resistance to multiple herbicide groups has been confirmed in Australian crowsfoot populations. The operationally critical resistances are:

• Group 2 (Tribute/Foramsulfuron): Most concerning; widely used for post-emergent control
• Group 3 (Dimension, Barricade): Resistance compromises the most common pre-emergent actives
• Group 9 (Glyphosate): Reduces utility of non-selective rescue options
• Also confirmed: Groups 5, 10, 14, 15, 22

Resistance management principles:
1. Rotate modes of action season to season — do not use Group 2 post-emergents if Group 2 pre-emergents (prodiamine, dithiopyr) are already in the program
2. Use oxadiazon (Group 14) or indaziflam (Group 29) as alternatives to Group 3 pre-emergents where resistance is suspected
3. Combine pre-emergent programs with cultural practices to reduce selection pressure
4. If a product gives unexpectedly poor control, test a different mode of action before assuming application error

Non-selective Control

For complete renovation, hardscape areas, or spot-treatment where turf loss is acceptable.

Add Manta Ray adjuvant where water quality (hardness, pH) may affect glyphosate performance.

Written by Jerry Spencer, Principal Agronomist, Gilba Solutions Pty Ltd. BSc Hons Soil Science, former STRI agronomist, author of Nutrition of Sports Turf in Australia (CSIRO/Landlinks Press). 35+ years advising golf courses, stadiums and councils across Australia, NZ, UK and Europe.

Related pages: Summer Grass Control | Pre-emergent Herbicide Guide | Herbicide Resistance Chart | Soil Compaction Calculator | Weed ID Chart