Wire Grass Control - Ask Extension
Good evening,
I am looking for some help of how to control wire grass in my lawn and flower beds. I live right on the Bay and do not want to use Ro...
Knowledgebase
Wire Grass Control #930464
Asked May 03, 2026, 7:27 PM EDT
Good evening,
I am looking for some help of how to control wire grass in my lawn and flower beds. I live right on the Bay and do not want to use Round Up or other harsh chemicals that are not safe for myself and the Bay. I have been trying for years to pull these weeds out but it has been a losing battle. I am not ready to give up but would love some advice. I was thinking about planting Zoysia plugs to help deter the spread of this weed. I am open to any suggestions you may have. Thank you.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately, the only options are manual removal (dig it out) or chemical (systemic herbicide being the most effective and efficient). There is a version of glyphosphate that is made for use around water if you wanted to consider that.
If not, your best bet might be to continue to manually remove it while working on improving your turf grass. You wouldn't want to put in zoysia if the lawn is already tall fescue (warm-season and cool-season turf should not be mixed), and it will not out-compete established bermudagrass/wiregrass.
Check out the links I have put below for help on this weed and how to control it. As for your lawn we have a lot of information on establishing and improving the thickness of the grass with the hope of preventing the wiregrass. I have put two links here, but these will lead you to much more information. Please check these out and feel free to write back to us at anytime. Robin
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/bermudagrass-or-wiregrass/
https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/bermudagrass-suppression-methods-for-oklahoma-home-gardens
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/improving-struggling-lawn-and-repairing-damage/
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lawn-grasses-grown-maryland/
If not, your best bet might be to continue to manually remove it while working on improving your turf grass. You wouldn't want to put in zoysia if the lawn is already tall fescue (warm-season and cool-season turf should not be mixed), and it will not out-compete established bermudagrass/wiregrass.
Check out the links I have put below for help on this weed and how to control it. As for your lawn we have a lot of information on establishing and improving the thickness of the grass with the hope of preventing the wiregrass. I have put two links here, but these will lead you to much more information. Please check these out and feel free to write back to us at anytime. Robin
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/bermudagrass-or-wiregrass/
https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/bermudagrass-suppression-methods-for-oklahoma-home-gardens
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/improving-struggling-lawn-and-repairing-damage/
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lawn-grasses-grown-maryland/
