How to Stop Cogongrass Weeds From Taking Over Your Yard, Too

How to stop cogongrass

Let’s say you’ve identified some cogongrass in your own yard or somewhere else in your area. What next?

According to the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health—a collaboration between the USDA and University of Georgia—here’s what to do (and, in certain cases, not do):

• Contact your local Forestry Commission Office or county extension office as soon as possible
• Do not mow through, around, or anywhere or near the area with cogongrass—especially if it’s flowering (because that means it has seeds, and you could unintentionally spread them)
• Leave the soil in and around the area with cogongrass alone (i.e. no digging, raking, disking, grading, etc) because it might contain fragments of its roots, which you can then spread to other areas
• Do not attempt any prescribed burns in areas with cogongrass without the approval of Forestry Commission personnel
• Thoroughly clean any and all equipment that has been used in or near an where cogongrass is growing