How to Kill Crabgrass
It is recommended to stop de crabgrass before it sprouts by applying pre-emergent herbicides in spring. Crabgrass spreads fast and will overtake your turf if it’s not eliminated making difficult for healthy grass to grow by competing with the grass for nutrients. Each plant is producing thousands of seeds annually. The frost and cold temperature will kill the plant but the seeds will survive and with a warmer temperature they will begin to grow. The best way to stop them is by not letting them germinate!
You can do that by using a pre-emergent herbicide before the temperature gets warm enough for them to germinate, a post-emergent herbicide if you can’t prevent it from germinating.
Pre-emergent herbicides work by killing the crabgrass seeds before they germinate, apply it when the temperature hits 60 degrees or notice shrubs blooming. Keep in mind that warmer nights and rainfalls are a good condition for their fast growth.
Before applying herbicides you should wait until your third lawn cutting for newly seeded lawns. This will help avoid killing the new grass seed also with the crabgrass weed. When applying it you should make sure you don’t miss a spot where the weed can regrow and then spread to the whole lawn again and do not aerate or de-trach the lawn after spraying to avoid breaking the chemical barrier
The best time to use the pre-emergent herbicide in late winter, early spring to prevent any weeds left from last year to grow back.
If you missed the pre-emergent herbicides application and your crabgrass germinated already you still have the option of using post-emergent herbicides. This type of herbicides will need to be applied only to the visible plants. You should always follow the instructions on the products package and make sure you are applying it on a sunny warm day and not a rainy one as the product won’t have the time to be absorbed by the weed and will be washed away. The higher the temperature the easier and faster will be absorbed by the plant.
If your soil is not moist enough, you need to water it extensively a day before applying the treatment this will help with faster absorption.
Always keep an eye on your lawn after applying herbicides to make sure you spot the newly germinated crabgrass plants and repeat the process on the new plant.
If for some reason you see brown patches of lawn appearing on your lawn after applying post-emergent herbicides, you might apply too much of it and you will need to water the area as soon and as much possible to dilute the sprayed product.
How do you make sure you don’t have crabgrass in your lawn?
Keeping your lawn healthy, dense, at a consistent length. Keeping your grass as thick as possible will prevent the crabgrass from growing as it needs a lot of light to germinate and a thick grass will keep the soil shaded.
Follow the correct watering schedule to form deeper root growths. For the best results give your lawn at least 1 inch of water per week either from rain or irrigation.
Whichever process you choose, make sure you always read the instructions on the products package. Some crabgrass killer herbicides will kill some variety of lawn grass if it's used incorrectly. The St Augustine grass will be affected by a crabgrass killer solution while Bermuda, bentgrass, and zoysia might tolerate it sometimes.
Herbicides marked as non-selective will kill everything while ones marked selective and they are intended only for crabgrass are safer for your lawn. Do not use weed and feed products as they are not designed to kill crabgrass, they only help control broadleaf weeds.
If you are not sure what product to use you can contact Atlanta Landscaping Matters for a free estimate and evaluation.
You can do that by using a pre-emergent herbicide before the temperature gets warm enough for them to germinate, a post-emergent herbicide if you can’t prevent it from germinating.
Pre-emergent herbicides work by killing the crabgrass seeds before they germinate, apply it when the temperature hits 60 degrees or notice shrubs blooming. Keep in mind that warmer nights and rainfalls are a good condition for their fast growth.
Before applying herbicides you should wait until your third lawn cutting for newly seeded lawns. This will help avoid killing the new grass seed also with the crabgrass weed. When applying it you should make sure you don’t miss a spot where the weed can regrow and then spread to the whole lawn again and do not aerate or de-trach the lawn after spraying to avoid breaking the chemical barrier
The best time to use the pre-emergent herbicide in late winter, early spring to prevent any weeds left from last year to grow back.
If you missed the pre-emergent herbicides application and your crabgrass germinated already you still have the option of using post-emergent herbicides. This type of herbicides will need to be applied only to the visible plants. You should always follow the instructions on the products package and make sure you are applying it on a sunny warm day and not a rainy one as the product won’t have the time to be absorbed by the weed and will be washed away. The higher the temperature the easier and faster will be absorbed by the plant.
If your soil is not moist enough, you need to water it extensively a day before applying the treatment this will help with faster absorption.
Always keep an eye on your lawn after applying herbicides to make sure you spot the newly germinated crabgrass plants and repeat the process on the new plant.
If for some reason you see brown patches of lawn appearing on your lawn after applying post-emergent herbicides, you might apply too much of it and you will need to water the area as soon and as much possible to dilute the sprayed product.
How do you make sure you don’t have crabgrass in your lawn?
Keeping your lawn healthy, dense, at a consistent length. Keeping your grass as thick as possible will prevent the crabgrass from growing as it needs a lot of light to germinate and a thick grass will keep the soil shaded.
Follow the correct watering schedule to form deeper root growths. For the best results give your lawn at least 1 inch of water per week either from rain or irrigation.
Whichever process you choose, make sure you always read the instructions on the products package. Some crabgrass killer herbicides will kill some variety of lawn grass if it's used incorrectly. The St Augustine grass will be affected by a crabgrass killer solution while Bermuda, bentgrass, and zoysia might tolerate it sometimes.
Herbicides marked as non-selective will kill everything while ones marked selective and they are intended only for crabgrass are safer for your lawn. Do not use weed and feed products as they are not designed to kill crabgrass, they only help control broadleaf weeds.
If you are not sure what product to use you can contact Atlanta Landscaping Matters for a free estimate and evaluation.
