Why Is My Grass Sticky? Top 4 Reasons and 5 Solutions

Sticky grass has all sorts of causes, so how are you supposed to know how to get rid of it? You’ve probably noticed clumps of grass or your shoes or in your dog’s fur. Fortunately, you’re about to learn how you can tackle this common lawn problem.

Grass gets sticky because it’s covered in tree sap, honeydew, or aphids. Other common causes include ryegrass and various types of weeds that are naturally sticky. Mow your lawn regularly, keep it watered, remove the aphids, and use the mulch to get rid of the stickiness.

In this article, you’ll also learn the following info about why your grass is sticky:

• Multiple methods to get rid of sticky grass
• How to identify and treat each probably cause
• Possible outcomes of neglecting to remove sticky grass from your lawn

Pro Tip: Aphids are one of the main reasons that grass gets sticky. They excrete honeydew, a substance known to cause stickiness while also attracting a variety of unwanted bugs and other pests. Check out the best aphid removal solutions on Amazon to kickstart the recovery process.

Various Causes of Sticky Grass

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to find out that your grass is a bit sticky. It starts out as a few patches, but pretty soon, your lawn will be covered in it. If you want to stop it in its tracks, then it’s best to start at the source.

Here’s a list of four reasons that your grass is sticky:

Tree sap is the biggest culprit

Trees such as pines, spruces, firs, honey locusts, birches, elms, and maples leak sap. Tree sap is essential to a tree’s growth as it supplies nutrients and minerals to newly formed branches and throughout the tree.

The presence of a sappy tree over your lawn could be the reason why your grass is sticky. Tree sap drips onto your lawn resulting in grass stickiness.

Aphids cause a sticky situation

Senske shows that aphids can be a major problem for homeowners. Aphids are small insects that feed on the tender parts of plants or trees. They suck out plant’s fluids using their long needle-shaped mouthparts, and while at it, they facilitate the secretion of a clear sticky substance called honeydew.

The honeydew sap comes from sugars and other substances in the plant. This sap attracts other insects such as honeybees and ants that feed on it. The presence of aphids in a tree near your lawn or your grass can cause your grass to be sticky due to the honeydew secretion.

Sticky weeds can be the root of the problem

Galium aparine is an annual herbaceous plant with many common names including; goosegrass, sticky willy, cleavers, Velcro plant, bedstraw, and robin-run-the-hedge. This weed grows rapidly, forming dense patches that pull-down surrounding plants. It’s common around the globe, and it mostly grows in damp and shady areas.

Sticky grass has hook hairs that tend to latch onto things, such as people’s clothes and animals. They grow out from the stems and leaves of the grass. The name ‘goosegrass’ came about as a result of the fondness of geese to eating it.

Ryegrass lawns are naturally sticky

Ryegrass is a bunch type of grass used for winter overseeing on sites where high quality and winter colors are needed. Lawns with perennial ryegrass get sticky when wet. The presence of a certain percentage of perennial ryegrass could be the reason behind the stickiness of your lawn.

How To Get Rid of Sticky Grass

Rather than waiting around for the problem to solve itself, try these five solutions to get rid of sticky grass in your lawn:

1. Clean local tree sap

Tree sap is sticky, and it adheres to anything it comes into contact with pretty quickly. Alcohol is one of the most common household items for removing sap. It acts as a solvent that breaks up the sap and dissolves it.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer or nail polish remover can be used to remove tree sap from skin, clothing, or car.

For cars, you should let the nail polish remover to soak on a cotton ball then apply it in circular motions on the affected area.

It would help if you then rinsed the area off with a baking soda and hot water solution and then wash the car typically. The goal of this suggestion is to keep sap from spreading too much!

Try the Stoner Car Car Sap Removal Spray to get the sap, tar, and other sticky substances off of your vehicle. If you have a car under a sappy tree, then you should know that it can ruin the paint of your vehicle. A few sprays and some patience will get rid of the sappy problem.

2. Spray down the lawn

Spray the lawn with a local weed killer. Herbicides containing acetic or pelargonic acid get rid of weeds, including the sticky grass and its seeds and leaves.

The herbicide should be sprayed on a clear day to ensure surrounding vegetation is not getting sprayed. This process will prevent the beautiful grass on your lawn being destroyed.

Did you know that you don’t need a hose to water your lawn?

3. Mow the lawn frequently

A lawn that receives regular mowing and overall maintenance is a healthy lawn. Mowing frequently ensures weeds such as cleavers or sticky grass doesn’t flourish as it will not get time to flower and shed seeds.

Additionally, mowing consistently facilitates mulching as the blades of cut grass return to the lawn, ensuring weed seedlings don’t get enough growth conditions while keeping your lawn healthy by returning nutrients to the lawn

Keep your mower blade sharp with the Sharpal 103N.

4. Uproot weeds

Regularly check your lawn for cleavers/sticky grass/goosegrass and periodically remove the weeds while they’re still young by hand. Make sure you do this step while wearing gloves as the plant sap is irritating to the skin, or you can use a hoe.

Avoid getting the seeds on your clothes if the plant has already flowered as this will disperse the seeds in other parts of the lawn.

Mulching can be used to suppress seedlings by preventing enough light from reaching the plants or seeds from reaching the soil. It will discourage the growth of the weeds.

5. Trim the trees regularly

Trimming trees on a regular basis helps to avoid tree sap problems. In the case of trees with overhanging branches, it’s advisable to trim back the branches that are hanging over your driveway, patio, garden, or lawn.

Is Sticky Grass Bad?

• The stickiness from tree sap of honeydew causes grass to clump since it’s very adhesive. Clumps in your lawn may also be a sign that you have grassy weeds mixed in with the rest of the turf. In this case, weeds such as cleavers, cause the grass in your lawn to clump. 
• Sticky grass hinders the proper growth of other plants, and it also lowers the crop yield of other plant species. The sticky grass grows faster in large patches, and it will choke nearby plants from growing well.
• Sticky grass seeds get into your pet’s toes, fur, or in the wool of animals, and this will be unsafe as they carry along pests and various diseases into your home. Removing the seeds from the animal’s fur or pet toes is usually challenging and laborious and takes quite a lot of time. In the case of livestock raised for cloth production, the seeds and foliage can contaminate the fur and wool as it causes skin irritation for some individuals.
• Sticky grass latches on to your shoes and basically anything else. Grass stains that come about as a result of sticky grass usually happen after spending a day outdoors. They appear as moldy green patches on the shoe’s surface that ruin the general look of a shoe. 
• The sap from the cleavers/sticky willy/goosegrass causes severe skin discomfort, especially in sensitive skin individuals. Animals that feed on the sticky willy weed often lead to their digestive tracts being bloated. SF Gate offers its solution to get rid fo sticky willy quickly.

Final Thoughts

Finding out that your lawn is sticky is frustrating, but this nuisance can easily be fixed. You don’t need to hire professionals or spend months trying to figure it out. With simple gardening tools such as a mower and a hose, you’ll be able to maintain the grass.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the post:

• Many weeds and grasses are naturally sticky, so they’ll have to be removed.
• Remove aphids from the grass to prevent and get rid of the stickiness.
• Sticky grass can be harmful to you, your pets, and your house.
• Keep the lawn mowed, watered, and mulched to prevent sticky grass from coming back.
• Tree sap is the top cause of sticky grass; Trim those trees!

Is your lawn loaded with flies? Discover the simple solution here.