Dealing with Crabgrass

Dandelions may be considered the peskiest of the common weeds, but crabgrass is considered the most common and troublesome weed to eliminate once it calls your turf home. Technically, crabgrass is a grass, but its texture, colour, and competitive growing rate makes it out-compete your ideal grass. Dealing with crabgrass becomes extremely difficult when you pass the spring germinate period, but it’s not impossible. Read on, to understand how to effectively deal with crabgrass and stop it from returning next season.
What is Crabgrass and What Does it Look Like?

With anything that is potentially destroying your lawn, you need to understand what exactly it is in order to eliminate it. Crabgrass is categorized as a grass weed and is a lighter green than ideal grass. It grows flat and in clumps throughout your lawn. During a closer inspection, the blades are pointed, short and coarse in texture. Crabgrass spreads through its seeds when the seasons begin to change from summer to fall. During the fall the crabgrass dies, leaving behind its seeds to germinate in the spring.

How do I Prevent it?

As stated before, crabgrass is considered one of the most difficult weeds to eliminate, so prevention is your best defence against it. The best way to prevent crabgrass is to water your lawn frequently and deeply. Also, avoid mowing your lawn short and stick with proper mowing practices by not cutting it below 2.5 – 3 inches. Finally, ensure that you are fertilizing throughout the year. This will help your grass grow strong roots and defend itself against crabgrass. It’s better to start these prevention tips in the springtime when the seeds begin the germination process. The longer you wait throughout the season, the harder the crabgrass is to remove.

How do I Remove it?

Because crabgrass is hard to eliminate and there are regulations against using post-emergent herbicides, the options for how to remove it are limited. You can remove crabgrass by pulling it out, but avoid lifting it from the top. Not only will you leave parts of the root in the ground that will regrow, but you will potentially spread the seeds. Remove the weeds by using a weeder to dig the roots out as you would with dandelions and make sure you bag it right away to avoid spreading the seeds. Once removed, cover the bare spots with over-seed to prevent crabgrass rooting itself there again.

Like anything related to lawn care the best defence is to maintain a thick, healthy turf. To help prevent crabgrass ensure your grass is thick and healthy. Save yourself the trouble of getting rid of your crabgrass, give us a call today at 1.888.791.8873 and save your lawn. Visit our FAQ page to learn more about common weeds and pest grasses that can destroy your turf or read our blog post on dandelions.