Crabgrass or Digitaria sanguinalis, is a type of weed that includes weeds (nuisance plants), the stems are short and grow creeping/spreading with free roots. Crabgrass likes full sun and high temperatures. In the country of the four seasons, crabgrass dies at the end of the year, but has previously dispersed thousands of seeds that will begin sprouting the following spring. However, with prevention, removal, and proper lawn care, you can free your garden from these 'known avid invaders'.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preventing Crabgrass from Growing with Herbicides
Step 1. Prevent crabgrass growth where it first appears with pre-emergent herbicides, which are types of herbicides that are applied to the soil before weeds grow
Pre-emergence herbicides work by forming a chemical layer on the soil surface. During germination, crabgrass seeds take in food from herbicides, which will prevent them from growing and kill them.
Step 2. Apply a pre-emergence herbicide in late winter or early spring when the soil temperature is at a steady 55°F (10°C) and at a depth of 4 inches (±10 cm)
This time coincides with the blooming of the forsythia flower - a flowering plant of the olive family. If you can't predict the exact time when to apply the herbicide, it's a good idea to buy an inexpensive soil thermometer to measure soil temperature.
Be sure to apply the herbicide along with the fertilizer. Fertilizer helps to thicken the grass, which will eventually kill weed seeds that are not killed by the fertilizer. Apply fertilizer with herbicides, guaranteed you will not feel a loss for spending a lot of money/energy
Step 3. When you are using the herbicide, make sure you read the directions on the label
No matter how small the label instructions are, you're sure to find valuable information regarding application time and safety precautions. Look for herbicides that use the following active ingredients: dithiopyr, prodiamine or pendimethalin.
Step 4. Re-seed or use herbicides, but never at the same time
The herbicides you use to get rid of unwanted crabgrass will also kill the soft, beautiful grass you plant. This means that you have to do grass seeding for one season and use herbicides the next. Conduct seedling during early fall and use herbicides during spring, to ensure a buffer in between for at least 50 days.
Step 5. In the fall, if you notice crabgrass, apply a post emergent herbicide, which is a type of herbicide that is applied to the soil once the weeds have grown
But the herbicide will also kill the grass, so only use it when your lawn has more weeds than grass or when there is a small patch of land that is infested with that type of weed.
Part 2 of 3: Destroying Crabgrass
Step 1. Remove the crabgrass while it is young
Crabgrass spreads quickly. If you let it grow for a season, or miss out on a certain area, you could end up with a weed that is so rampant that it poses a threat to the lawn. So whenever you see the slightest bit of this crabgrass weed, pluck it out by hand.
- Removing crabgrass weeds when they are young is relatively effective in controlling the population. Young crabgrass has only two to four stalks and shows no spreading center.
- If you want to remove crabgrass, first water the growth area thoroughly. This will loosen the soil and make it easier for you to pull out the entire root system of the weed as you pull it out.
Step 2. Add mulch to the soil surface after you remove the crabgrass
A better follow-up action after you've removed all the crabgrass is to apply mulch to prevent weeds from opening seeds and growing over the entire yard. Mulching creates another barrier that weeds must break through in order to grow.
Step 3. Don't pull out old crabgrass
Old crabgrass is usually covered with dozens of seed heads containing hundreds of seeds. By pulling it out, you've created a hole in the lawn, where 5,000 seeds-from a single plant-potentially fall.
Instead of uprooting old crabgrass, it's best to spray it or let it die naturally in the fall. Then, in the spring, cover the area with a pre-emergence herbicide to prevent seed growth
Step 4. Spray post-emergence herbicide wider than the weed-covered plot of land that has not yet contained seeds
Post-emergence herbicides take about 2 weeks to fully work. This is approximately the same time it takes for crabgrass weeds to disperse seeds, eliminating the effects of the herbicide.
- Apply the post-emergence herbicide on a warm day with little wind or when it is not windy at all.
- For best results, use herbicides when the soil is wet but the weeds are dry. Water the area thoroughly at the end of the morning and wait until the afternoon to apply the spray.
- Prepare for at least two rounds of herbicide spraying-according to directions, of course-unless the crabgrass is very young.
Part 3 of 3: Performing Proper Lawn Treatment to Get Rid of Crabgrass
Step 1. Let your lawn get a lot of water, not a little at a time
Water your lawn thoroughly once a week-water it abundantly. A large amount of watering, not a small amount, will strengthen the root system as well as increase its resistance to heat.
Step 2. Mow your lawn at least once a week
More frequent pruning (eg, twice a week) lowers the growth potential of weeds, of any species, by up to 80%. If you don't have time to mow twice a week, mow once a week and let the clippings spread across the lawn to act as fertilizer. The grass clippings will make it harder for weeds to spread.
Step 3. Use a fertilizer that doesn't have a lot of nitrogen in it
"Quick-up" fertilizers are only a temporary solution. This type of nitrogen-containing fertilizer is easily soluble in water so it can quickly provide nutrients for plants. Thus the fertilizer will make the lawn grow green and fertile in a short time. However, in the long run these products will completely strip away the nutrients in your lawn, thus becoming a doorway for crabgrass to grow. Use only about 2-4 pounds (±0.9-1.8 kg) of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet (±929 m2), depending on the type of lawn you have.
Step 4. Aerate to loosen the soil
Compacted soil has a disadvantage, as overcrowded soil cuts off air and water circulation to the root system of your grass. Under these conditions, crabgrass and various other types of weeds will easily thrive. Run the aerator across all parts of your lawn each season, if you suspect the soil is too dense, especially if the soil has a high loam (clay) content.
Step 5. Re-seeding
Re-seeding your lawn to encourage proper grass growth. Even if you only need to re-seeding the area where crabgrass thrives, it may be helpful to re-seeding the entire lawn every two or three seasons.
Tips
- Corn gluten processing waste is a natural material that is safe and effective as an alternative to synthetic pre-growth herbicides.
- If weeds are still growing even after using a pre-emergence herbicide, use pliers to pull out any crabgrass seeds. This weed grows from the center of the root and spreads crab-like tendrils (as the name implies: crabgrass). It can be very difficult to remove crabgrass seeds using your fingers, as the seeds are relatively small, so a very effective tool such as pliers is required. Do it early, because crabgrass grows very fast, and will soon become an out-of-control weed-in a four-season country, have to wait until the first snowfall to kill it.
- If you have crabgrass weeds in your lawn, mow the lawn regularly until it reaches the maximum height recommended for the type of grass you are growing. Regular mowing will prevent crabgrass from flowering and seeding, and your lawn will have an easier time removing any weeds that grow.
- Remember, that the best prevention is to have a full, thick lawn.
- Don't overuse synthetic herbicides, as they contain chemicals that are harmful to humans, pets, other creatures on the lawn you want to keep (like earthworms, for example), and other parts of the ecosystem.
- Contact your local Agricultural Extension Center, if available, for suggestions specific to your area.
