How To Prevent And Get Rid Of Crabgrass
How To Prevent And Get Rid Of Crabgrass
Most of the time you want your lawn to be green and grassy, however, if your lawn suddenly is overcome with grass that looks like the photo to the left, it means you have crabgrass. Crabgrass emerges in mid-spring when the soil reaches a temperature of above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. We wanted to tell you about this in Autumn because right now, crabgrass can produce thousands of seeds that will germinate in the spring. In this article, we will explain how to prevent and get rid of crabgrass. Check out the video of us topdressing crabgrass below.
If you’re lucky to catch crabgrass before it spreads, you can spray the individual plants with a weed killer. Doing this in the summer will prevent its seed from forming and germinating next spring. Watering at longer and heavier intervals rather than shallow and frequent ones helps prevent crabgrass from thriving. Remember that most established lawns require about one inch of water per week. Fill any bare areas or spots where crabgrass is now growing with topsoil and seed to prevent crabgrass from emerging there in the spring.
Even though it seems like the patch is filled with crabgrass, the new grass will fill in that spot. It will enjoy the cover of the weed for now and when the crabgrass dies off the new grass will fill the spot instead of the crabgrass later next season. When you do seed the lawn – water in shallow, more frequent intervals until the grass gets established. These watering practices will keep your grass healthy and prevent patches where crabgrass can grow. Also, make sure to fertilize your lawn to encourage a thick green lawn that can compete with the weeds.
A great line of defense is to prevent the crabgrass in the first place with a pre-emergent control applied in the early spring. There are organic products that has some effect as well as herbicides that work by preventing crabgrass seedlings from forming. Timing plays an important role in fighting crabgrass. If you experience a warmer than normal winter, you may have to apply the pre-emergent herbicide earlier than usual. Remember it goes by soil temperature. If the winter is mild the soil will heat up quicker. This also means you might have to make multiple applications as the products do not last forever. We hope we’ve helped you battle your crabgrass woes.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Remember there’s no time like the present to start making plans for your future landscape.
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