Mechanical Control

Hand pull: Stilt-grass is a weak rooted annual and small populations can be hand pulled any time during the growing season when the ground is soft. Be sure to pull up the entire root system. Pulling is easier and probably more effective in mid-to-late summer when the plants are much taller and more branched. Hand pulling of plants will need to repeated and continued for many seasons until the seed bank is exhausted.

Mowing: Larger infestations can be mowed or weed-whacked when plants are mature but seeds have not yet set. Because stilt- grass is an annual plant, cutting late in the season before the plants would die back naturally avoids the possibility of regrowth.

Chemical Control

• Be careful not to damage or kill nearby native plants when conducting management work.
• Always read and follow pesticide label directions. Application of pesticides may require a certification from the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. The Agency website provides information on what applicator certification is needed.

Foliar spray: This method is used for dense populations and best left to a contractor. For extensive stilt-grass infestations, use of a systemic herbicide such as glyphosate is a practical and effective method if used with caution. Glyphosate is a non-specific herbicide that will kill or damage almost any herbaceous plant and possibly some woody plants it contacts. Grass-specific herbicides (graminicides) work very well on stiltgrass and if used correctly can reduce potential damage to woody or broadleaf plants.