Crabgrass Prevention & Control

Are you struggling to rid your lawn of crabgrass? Many homeowners will try just about anything (including hand digging!) to fight back against this troublesome weed grass…and with good reason! If left untreated, crabgrass can turn a homeowner’s thick, lush, green lawn into a thin, weak, patchy one.

The first step toward crabgrass management is identification, especially since there are so many varieties of weedy grasses affecting lawns.

Identification Tips

• Crabgrass has a coarse texture and bright green colour.
  
• Crabgrass has wide, pointed blades that grow from a shared stem.
  
• If the coarse, ugly grass infesting your lawn is green as soon as the snow melts in early spring, it is not crabgrass. Crabgrass tends to germinate later, during corn-planting season, or when the soil reaches consistent overnight temperatures of 13 degrees Celsius.
  
• Smooth crabgrass – the most common summer annual grass problem in managed turf – can be identified by its swollen, zig-zag nodes.
  
• Crabgrass favors sandy, sunny locations in weakened conditions. Cracks along sidewalks and driveways are prime targets for a crabgrass attack.

Weed Man can help identify crabgrass infestations and recommend a treatment and maintenance program for your yard.

Maintenance Tips

Crabgrass control combines reducing crabgrass populations with corn gluten and strengthening the overall health of your lawn. An application of crabgrass control material in the spring – before crabgrass seeds germinate –is essential, as there is currently no post-emergent treatment available on the market. If you have seen crabgrass on your lawn this summer, then be sure to book a pre-emergent control program with Weed Man for early next growing season. Crabgrass will not respond to broadleaf weed control products.

Keep in mind that ongoing maintenance is also an important step in eliminating crabgrass. A strong, healthy, properly fertilized, mowed and watered lawn provides the best defense against crabgrass. Thick, lush lawns allow few open sites for crabgrass to mature. One of the easiest maintenance steps is to remember not to mow your lawn too low. Taller grass will shade the soil and make it less hospitable to weeds. Most grasses do well at a mowing height of 5-7.5 cm.

Contact Your Local Weed Man

For tips on how to manage crabgrass and achieve a lush, weed-free lawn, contact Weed Man today!