Plant Problem Diagnostic
Goosegrass Identification and Control (and How It Differs from Crabgrass)
The short answer
Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is a summer annual grass that grows as a flat, pale-green, mat-like clump, with stems radiating from a single central point and lying flat against the soil. As it matures the center turns silver or white, which is why it is nicknamed silver crabgrass, and its seedheads carry two to seven stiff finger-like spikes with spikelets in two rows that look like a zipper.
It is often mistaken for crabgrass but is tougher and distinct: goosegrass germinates 3 to 4 weeks later (mid-to-late spring), has that whitish center, thrives in compacted soil, and does not root at the stem nodes the way crabgrass does. It also tolerates very low mowing, half an inch or less, and produces seed even when closely mowed.
Because goosegrass is an indicator of compacted, high-traffic ground, the durable control is cultural: relieve compaction with core aeration, reduce traffic, and grow dense competitive turf, backed by pre-emergent herbicide timed to soil temperature rather than the calendar.
How to identify it
Look down at the center of the clump. Goosegrass forms a low rosette of flattened stems that lie flat against the soil and radiate from a single growing point, and as the plant matures that center takes on a silver or white appearance, the trait behind the silver crabgrass nickname. Leaf blades are folded with a prominent midvein, and there are long sparse hairs at the leaf base.
The seedhead confirms it: two to seven stiff spikes radiate from the top of the flowering stem, each carrying two rows of spikelets that resemble a zipper. The whole plant is a summer annual that does not survive frost and reproduces by seed, and a single plant can spread up to about 2.5 feet wide.
Goosegrass or crabgrass?
They look similar at a glance, but several traits separate them. Goosegrass germinates 3 to 4 weeks later than crabgrass, in mid-to-late spring, so it shows up after crabgrass is already established. Its center is silvery-white, its stems lie in a tight flat rosette, and, unlike crabgrass, it does not root where the stems touch the soil at the nodes.
Goosegrass is also the tougher plant: it favors compacted, heavily trafficked ground, tolerates mowing down to half an inch, and keeps producing seed even when closely mowed. If a supposed crabgrass patch is in a hard-packed path or driveway edge and has a pale center, it is likely goosegrass.
Control starts with the soil
Fix what invites it. Goosegrass thrives in compacted soils, high-traffic areas, and thinning turf, so the foundational control is relieving soil compaction through core aeration, adding organic matter to heavy clay, reducing foot and vehicle traffic, and maintaining a dense, competitive stand of turf that crowds seedlings out. Because it tolerates very low mowing and seeds when scalped, raising the mowing height helps the turf compete.
Where a pre-emergent herbicide is used, timing is the key: Extension advises applying before the maximum daily soil temperature at the 2-inch depth reaches about 62 to 65 degrees F, which is later than the crabgrass window, so a single early crabgrass application can miss goosegrass. Follow the product label and county Extension guidance, as no rates are given here.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- UC IPM - Goosegrass (Weed Gallery) — Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is a summer annual grass (occasionally perennial) that does not survive frost and reproduces by seed; it forms a pale-green matlike clump of flattened stems growing in a low rosette, spreading up to about 2.5 feet (80 cm) wide, with a short membranous jagged ligule cleft in the center and no auricles; its seedheads have two to six stiff spikes radiating from the end of the flowering stem; it is normally found in compacted areas or areas of heavy wear that receive some summer water, and it produces seeds even when plants are closely mowed.
- Penn State Extension - Lawn and Turfgrass Weeds: Goosegrass — Goosegrass stems grow outward from a single growing point in a rosette pattern and lie flat against the soil; as plants mature they take on a silver or white appearance, so goosegrass is sometimes called silver crabgrass; seedheads consist of 2 to 7 spikes radiating from a central stem, each spike with two rows of spikelets resembling a zipper; seed germinates in mid to late spring, 3 to 4 weeks later than crabgrass; it thrives in compacted soils, high-traffic areas, and thinning turf and tolerates mowing heights of half an inch or less; cultural control includes relieving soil compaction through core aeration, and pre-emergent herbicide must be applied before maximum daily soil temperature at the 2-inch depth reaches between 62 and 65 degrees F.