Lawn & Turf Tips:  Crabgrass

Crabgrass

Description

Sprouts from seeds in early spring, growing rapidly and producing seeds all summer until the first killing frost in the fall.  The seeds lie dormant over the winter and sprout in the spring.  When a lawn begins to thin out from insects, disease, or poor maintenance, crabgrass is one of the first weeds to invade the area.

Mechanical Control

Hoe and dig out crab grass and leave roots exposed so they dry out.  Maintain a well watered, properly fertilized and thick lawn to prevent these weeds from taking a hold in your grass.  Do not cut the grass too short as this will diip the soil cool preventing seeds from germinating.              

Chemical Control

Kill actively growing crabgrass with an gerbicide containing fluazifopbutyl, glyph sate, or methanearsonate.  Older plants are harder to kill; repeat the treatment 2 or more times at 4-7 day intervals, if necessary.  To kill seeds as they germinate, apply a weed killer containing DCPA in the early spring, 2 weeks before the last expected froswt or about the time the Forsythia bloom.