Circa 1955 we worked in our own fields everyday to fight the scourge of watergrass, bahia grass, smut grass, watergrass, ironweed, pursley, watergrass, sandspurs, sawbriers, crabgrass, nutgrass, persimmon bushes, watergrass and watergrass.
Let me explain watergrass.
Watergrass will double it's size overnight.
I know.
We would dig up a big old clump, shake off the rich soil that always hangs on those hairlike roots to lay them up ended to let the sun scald them into death.
Didn't work!
What happens with a clump of shaken off watergrass with exposed hairlike roots is a late afternoon rain shower...