We are well into spring, and a wide variety of plants are showing off their colorful blooms. As lovely as most of the blooms are, some springtime colors are an unwelcome sight. Such is the case with the showy, white seedhead that is produced by Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica). The presence of Cogongrass – a highly aggressive, invasive, perennial – in Florida is not news; it has been here a long time. However, the white seedhead that it produces in the spring makes it easier to locate and identify. When the seedhead is not present cogongrass has the ability to blend in with its surroundings as it is a rather boring looking grass.

This ability to get lost in the crowd can make it harder for landowners to identify the new, small infestations which are much easier to eliminate than larger, well-established infestations. Take advantage of this annual window of opportunity when cogongrass makes itself easy to find. Find it now and begin developing a control strategy. Mowing is not an effective control strategy – don’t mow cogongrass when seedheads are present.  Generally speaking, control is a multi-year process with sequential spring and fall herbicide applications being key to the process. Controlling cogongrass is never easy but it is necessary. If left uncontrolled, cogongrass will continue to aggressively spread, displacing other desirable vegetation. Cogongrass only gets worse over time. The longer you wait to start control measures the harder the job will become.

If you find cogongrass on your property, please reach out to me (mdm83@ufl.edu or 850-638-6180) or your county’s UF/IFAS Agriculture or Natural Resources Agent for assistance developing the control plan that best fits your situation. Please don’t hesitate to seek assistance; cogongrass is very hard to control, efforts that are not well informed are frequently unsuccessful.

More information about cogongrass

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