Little Barley is a grassy weed that can also be a concern for pet owners and anyone with socks on in early summer. This winter annual will produce seedheads and turn brown in early summer, even if it is mowed extremely short. Its sharp seeds will get stuck between the pads of dogs’ feet, resulting in a very painful experience. They also get stuck in socks.

Little Barley germinates in the fall and grows throughout the winter but is very inconspicuous. Its seed heads look like bottlebrushes or foxtail seedheads; however, they can be distinguished since foxtail grass blooms late in the summer.

Little Barley is very hard to control since this annual produces copious amounts of seeds, and there are no post-emergent herbicides that are effective against it. Luckily it can be controlled in other ways. Dense, well-maintained lawns are often resistant to little barley infestations since the seeds need sunlight to germinate. Overseeding thin lawns in the fall will help. Little Barley can also be controlled with Hi-Yield’s “Turn and Ornamental Grass and Weed Stopper” if it is applied in September. This will keep the weed from ever germinating.