Crabgrass Prevention Using Mulch
As discussed by This Old House, mulches effectively control crabgrass in garden beds. Crabgrass is shallow rooted and easy to pull up, but crabgrass seeds in the soil sprout year after year. Covering the soil with mulch blocks light, preventing the seeds from sprouting.
Remove crabgrass plants, and a spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of fine mulch or a 3- to 6-inch layer of coarse mulch, avoiding plant stems. Fine mulches include leaf mold, garden compost and well-rotted manure. Wood chips, shredded bark and straw are some examples of coarse mulches. Rake the mulch surface to disturb any stray crabgrass seedlings or pull them out. Top up the mulch layer as it thins out .
Why Is Crabgrass A Problem In Lawns
Crabgrass is an annual lawn weed that appears each year. Its seeds germinate in the spring and summer, and even if you successfully blocked and removed crabgrass last year, you could be fighting it again this year.
Crabgrass seeds are incredibly persistent.
In fact, un-germinated crabgrass seeds are able to stay in the soil for as many as 3 years before they sprout!
Germination of crabgrass takes place when the temperature of the soil three inches down gets to between 55°-65°F for five days in a row.
During the growing season, one crabgrass plant is capable of producing as many as 150,000 seeds. This is one reason why crabgrass is one of the most challenging weeds to get under control for many homeowners.
Once you have crabgrass growing on your lawn, youre sure to see more later on.
Before you know it, youll end up with a significant problem, which is why so many people want to know how to kill crabgrass naturally or otherwise.
Controlling Crabgrass In Garden Areas
Crabgrass that invades flower beds or vegetable gardens should also be controlled through simple horticultural practices. Pulling crabgrass by hand is the preferred, albeit tiring, method. You can also hoe the area around the plants to pull up crabgrass by the roots. Mulching your garden with wood chips or hay reduces weeds and increases natural moisture retention near the roots of plants, a plus for drought-prone areas.
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Stop Crabgrass With A Pre
Crabgrass is a summer annual, so you wont notice its a problem in your lawn until July and August, says Elmore. Then, it sets seed in late summer for next years crop. If crabgrass has been a problem in years past, put down a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring before crabgrass germinates. This product is designed to kill annual weeds which pop up from seed.
Crabgrass germinates at around 55 degrees no matter where you live, so watch soil temperatures and apply at the ideal time . Typically, thats sometime around when forsythia, those bright yellow flowering shrubs, bloom. Be careful if youre planning to patch bare spots because a pre-emergent will prevent grass seeds from sprouting.
If All Else Fails Kill Everything And Start Over
- Admit defeat when your lawn only has 30 to 40 percent desirable grass left in a given area and the rest is lost to crabgrass and other weeds. If you’ve tried all options on how to kill crabgrass without success, it’s time to start over.
- Begin by killing all the vegetation. On a low-wind day, apply a nonselective herbicide that is approved for lawn use. Follow the label directions exactly. Depending on the product, weeds and grass will die and dry up in five to 14 days following application. Then re-building your lawn can proceed.
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What Is Crabgrass And What Does It Look Like
Crabgrass is the common name for two grass plants in the genus Digitaria smooth and hairy crabgrass. These two plants are the most troublesome weeds found in lawns and turf and are found almost everywhere across the United States.
- Smooth or small crabgrass grows low to the ground and has almost no hairs on the blades of grass, except at the plants auricles.
- Hairy or large crabgrass is more common in lawns. The leaf blades grow longer and are covered in small hairs.
Surprisingly, crabgrass poses very little threat to your lawn and doesnt crowd out your warm-season Bermuda or Zoysia grass. The biggest concern with crabgrass is that it dies off late in the summer, leaving patches of dead, brown grass throughout your backyard.
Both smooth and hairy crabgrass are warm-season annual grasses. They grow best during the warmer spring and summer months when temperatures are between 75 and 90. As an annual, it germinates, grows, and dies all within a single season. Crabgrass will die either after it flowers and drops its seeds or when the first frost hits.
Crabgrass is relatively easy to spot in your lawn. Instead of growing upright, it has a more spreading habit than turf, growing low to the ground. The blades are wide and flat and lighter green than most types of turf. When mature, it produces long flower clusters containing thousands of seeds.
How To Get Rid Of Crabgrass In The Lawn
Crabgrass loves hot, dry conditions. Take care of it before it becomes a problem.
Crabgrass gets its name because it grows low to the ground with stems that radiate out from the center of the grass clump, resembling crab legs. Seeds begin to sprout in mid-spring, as soon as the soil temperature reaches 55 °F, and crabgrass can quickly become a problem during the summer because it is able to grow vigorously in hot, dry conditions. Crabgrass is an opportunistic annual weed that will grow in the thin and bare spots in your lawn. Before it dies in the fall, a single crabgrass plant produces thousands of seeds that can germinate the following spring.
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Mature Crabgrass Seed Heads
- Keep your eyes peeled for seed heads that spread out like a fork, and leave them alone. Fully mature crabgrass has splayed seed heads. Otherwise, you’ll scatter scads of seeds over that nice big hole you’ve just created by removing the mature weed. You might as well be trying to cultivate new crabgrass! Pulling will leave a big hole in the lawn and spread up to 5,000 seeds per plant.
- Wait for the plant to die in the fall. Then hit the area next spring with pre-emergence granules to keep the seeds from sprouting. With good lawn care practices, you’ll soon crowd out those fallen crabgrass seeds.
Use Fertilizer With Crabgrass Preventer Added To It
- Use a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer added to it to save time. These combination products are readily available in the spring and cost about $20 for a 5,000-sq.-ft. bag at garden centers.
- Apply the crabgrass preventer/fertilizer combo just before it rains to work the fertilizer and the herbicide into the soil. The fertilizer will help thicken the turf. Thicker turf helps to squeeze out crabgrass plants missed by the herbicide.
- Be sure to apply the product at the right time, between the second and third mowings of the year, when the soil reaches about 52 degrees F. Apply too early and micro-organisms and natural processes in the soil break down the herbicide. By the time its needed, much of the product has lost its potency. Apply too late and youve missed the early stage of germination when the herbicide works.
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Use A Chemical Treatment
Use a post-emergent herbicide labeled for crabgrass. If you already have a crabgrass infestation, then a chemical treatment may be necessary to tackle the problem. All lawn weed herbicides are not made the same. Some will kill your regular grass and other common weeds. Make sure you read the label. Herbicides made to target crabgrass will be in a liquid form. It is meant for spot treatment and not for a broadcast application. Follow the directions on the label of the product for proper safety protocol.
Killing Existing Crabgrass Plants
Once seeds germinate and crabgrass sprouts emerge, pre-emergents no longer work. Then it’s time for “post-emergent” herbicides, which target plants instead of seeds. Crabgrass killers are designed to kill existing, actively growing crabgrass plants before they can produce more seed.
When using crabgrass killers or any herbicides, it’s important to understand whether the product is a “selective” or “non-selective” herbicide. Selective herbicides target specific weeds or plant categories, such as grassy plants versus broadleaf plants. Non-selective herbicides kill all plant types, including lawn grasses and other plants you want to keep.
Because crabgrass is a grass, most combination herbicide and lawn fertilizer products, known as weed & feed fertilizers, generally won’t kill it. These products typically include selective herbicides that kill broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions and other common lawn weeds, and keep grasses unharmed. Actively growing crabgrass in your lawn calls for selective, post-emergent herbicides, such as Image All-In-One Lawn Weed Killer or Image Herbicide Kills Crabgrass, that kill crabgrass and leave your lawn grass untouched.
When crabgrass threatens to disrupt your lawn, you can take control, break the cycle and prevent its spread. Pennington is committed to providing you with the finest in quality lawn and garden products along with expert advice to help you achieve the lush, healthy, weed-free lawn you desire.
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Causes Of Unwanted Grass Spread
Coarse grasses come to your lawn in different ways.
What Does Crabgrass Look Like
Crabgrass is an annual strain of wild grass . Seeds travel on the wind and are transported by animals. Once in the ground, the seeds lie dormant until conditions are right for germination. Summers like 2020 had ideal conditions to create a bumper crop!
There are two varieties of crabgrass commonly found in Ontario, Canada that lawn experts have to deal with. Large, or hairy crabgrass and small, or smooth crabgrass . Both are recognizable by their broad, pointed leaves that grow from a common stem.
Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are above an average 12.8°C consistently. Typically in the Greater Toronto Area, we encounter most crabgrass growth from July through September. Because of the need of warmth, and the way seed spreads by blowing along hard surfaces crabgrass typically first appears along the edges of driveways and other paved areas.
Note the overlapping blades on the right. Crabgrass is known for growing in bare patches at the edge of a lawn.
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How To Get Rid Of Weeds In Grass
Chemicals against weeds can pollute the environment and should be used sparingly. Some may look like dandelions or ragweed, oxalis, chickweed, stinging nettles, or ragweed, and so they will stand out from the grass.
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The Bottom Line On Removing Crabgrass
Crabgrass is a highly invasive weed thats difficult to remove and it can quickly overtake gardens and poison nearby plants. Thankfully, there are tried-and-true methods to keep crabgrass at bay.
On top of removing and disposing of the weeds, there are many effective store-bought products that can both kill existing plants and prevent new seeds from germinating. Individuals who seek a natural method for the sake of pets and small children can also use vinegar and salt to control crabgrass growth.
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How Does Crabgrass Spread
Unlike many other types of grasses, crabgrass doesnt spread by underground rhizomes. Instead, it spreads solely via seed. The problem is that each plant produces long flower clusters with up to 150,000 seeds in its short life cycle. On top of that, seeds can remain viable on the soil surface for years before germinating.
Due to its low-growing, spreading nature, flowers and seeds may develop when the plant is only ½ tall. This height is much shorter than the recommended mowing height for lawn, so mowing the tops off may not prevent crabgrass from flowering and going to seed.
Can We Prevent Crabgrass Before It Becomes A Problem
The good news is that yes, we can take specific measures to prevent crabgrass from taking over our lawns. One of the main ways in which you can prevent crabgrass is by maintaining a healthy lawn throughout the year. Crabgrass loves bare, warm soil, so if you can water your lawn and keep it healthy, you reduce the risk of crabgrass popping up in the spring.
Applying nutrient-rich fertiliser regularly to your lawn supports your grasses to grow regardless of the weather and can be an excellent way to offset the arrival of those pesky weeds. Replacing dry patches of lawn with new pieces of turf where possible is also really helpful, as it is from these patches that crabgrass emerges and begins its takeover.
In addition to these natural lawn care methods, you can also prevent the spread of crabgrass by treating your lawn with specific pre-emergent chemicals. However, dont fall into the trap of misusing the chemicals, as this could spell disaster for the health of your lawn in the long-run.
In order for pre-emergent chemicals to be useful, timing is paramount. You need to monitor your soils temperature and only apply the chemicals when the soil is reaching 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature of optimal growth for crabgrass. You then need to apply the chemicals again approximately six weeks later.
There are lots of pre-emergent chemicals on the market, but some of the best include:
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Apply A Double Dose Of Herbicide To Crabgrass Hotspots
- Limit crabgrass growth in areas like driveways, sidewalks and curbs or on south-facing banks by doing a targeted double treatment when necessary. These areas absorb a lot of heat during the summer months, which makes them more susceptible to crabgrass.
- After you’ve treated your entire lawn, go back and make another pass about six to eight feet wide, along hotspot areas . This will help keep crabgrass from taking hold.
Tackle Dandelions And Clover Later
Pre-emergent products dont control perennial weeds such as dandelions and clover. Youll need to use a post-emergent product in granular or spray form for these weeds. Be sure to choose one thats selective, which means it will not kill the surrounding grass you do want, says Elmore. Read the product instructions and follow exactly.
Clover may be more difficult to control than dandelions. Broadleaf weed herbicides usually do the trick, but its also not completely necessary to eradicate clover. For one thing, clover supports pollinator populations. Plus, its also a nitrogen fixer, meaning it converts unusable nitrogen from the atmosphere into nitrogen in a form thats available to plants, says Elmore.
Another less-recognized weed is nutsedge .It looks like grass but actually is a different type of plant with triangular-shaped yellowish leaves. Nutsedge isnt controlled by annual grass weed or broadleaf weed herbicides, so youll need a different product. Read the label to ensure it specifically treats nutsedge.
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Killing Lawn Weeds In Summer
If its summertime when you realize that crabgrass and other weeds have taken a stronghold of your lawnand you never applied pre-emergent productsthen you should still attempt post-emergent treatment.
At Joshua Tree, we would use liquid post-emergent weed control products to try and suppress as many of those weeds as possible. Its not going to be as effective as pre-emergent treatment would have been for crabgrass, but it will still help in the effort to get your crabgrass problem under control. In the case of broadleaf weeds, some species are more easily controlled than others, so multiple applications may be needed until these weeds are taken care of.
Herbicides Might Be A Remedy But Not The Solution
Remember the common saying treat the disease, not the symptom, which is the epitome of good health care? The same applies to lawns stricken with crabgrass.
Crabgrass invades thin lawns, cut too low, underwatered, under-fertilized, and poorly drained. Essentially whenever there is a poorly maintained lawn, crabgrass will eventually start to take over.
Therefore, using weed killers is not a final solution to the problem. As long as the conditions are not right, it will keep returning. Its a bit like trying to treat a broken arm with painkillers.
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How To Get Rid Of Wild Grass In My Lawn
Wild grasses are unwanted guests that silently enter your lawn. If you are unaware of them they will dominate the lawn. So You must know the types of wild grasses and how to identify them and how they spread. Along with elimination methods it is also important to know precautionary methods to reduce spreading of wild grasses. Wild grasses spread through air, birds, along with equipment used on them and with the feet of people walking through them. Lets discuss in detail how to identify wild grasses and how to eliminate them.
Use Vinegar To Kill Crabgrass Organically
Vinegar is an organic solution that kills crabgrass and other weeds. To control crabgrass naturally, apply at least a 20% vinegar on the weed, 30% is better for tougher weeds. Dont use standard vinegar that you would buy for cooking. The organic solution will affect the cell membranes of the weed, causing rapid breakdown/desiccation of foliage tissue on contact.
Heres how to use vinegar to kill crabgrass naturally:
See my vinegar based weed killer formula.
This homemade solution can use household vinegar as an ingredient. It is much weaker than the commercial-grade organic vinegar weed killer. With a 20% or 30% concentration, simply pour the solution on the weed and let it die off naturally.
Note that you want to use herbicidal and not household vinegar. Herbicidal vinegar is an organic concentrate that acts as a non-selective herbicide for lawns. It can kill broadleaf and grassy weeds altogether.
Be careful not to apply it on your grass because it will kill any plant it comes in contact with.
Vinegar organic herbicide acts in the same way Roundup does. It will kill weeds to the root.
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