What category do barnyardgrass and large crabgrass belong to in Kansas?

Barnyardgrass and large crabgrass are classified as summer annual grasses, which means they complete their life cycle—germinating, growing, flowering, and dying—within a single growing season and typically appear in warm months. These species thrive in warm, humid conditions, making them particularly prevalent in Kansas during the summer. They emerge as seedlings in the spring, grow quickly, and generally set seed before the end of the summer.

In contrast, perennial grasses are those that live for multiple years and do not complete their life cycle in one season. Winter annual grasses germinate in the fall or early winter, grow through the cooler seasons, and complete their lifecycle by the end of spring. Summer annual broadleaves have a similar growth pattern but belong to a different family of plants that are broadleaf rather than grass-like in form.

Understanding the life cycles of different plants is essential in agronomy, particularly for effective management and control strategies in agricultural practices. Recognizing that barnyardgrass and large crabgrass fall under summer annual grasses helps farmers and agronomists make informed decisions regarding weed management during the growing season in Kansas.