Crabgrass is taking the yard!!

What can I do at this point, I have noticed a surge in crabgrass… What are some ideas or remedies… Thanks

Not much you can do now. Even if you went plant to plant pulling them up you would still be spreading seed. In the spring, put down a good crabgrasss preventer when the soil temps just hit 50 degrees. (or package recommendation) Kills the weed before they sprout.

-J.

It’s been said that crabgrass is the only thing holding the upper midwest together.

it looks better than the normal sand spots in my yard most years

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What can I do at this point, I have noticed a surge in crabgrass… What are some ideas or remedies… Thanks

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Not a lot you can do. They had a segment on one of the local TV stations last week and it is the same all over the Cities. What I recall is this was caused by the Really wet time and then HOT and Dry, then more High Temps.

I have heard there are a few Lawn Care guys that have their own mix of chemicals that do a good job without killing the remaining grass.

For me, I sprayed my front lawn with “WEED-B-GONE MAX” with Crab Grass control. It seems to have killed most of the Crab Grass.

I plan on (Per a suggestion from a Golf Course Maintenance Friend)
Beginning Labor Day weekend:
1. Aerate and Dethatch.
2. Re-seeding/over-seeding with some good seed, use some of the pre-mixed Seed, fertilizer & Mulch for bad areas.
3. Fertilizing the entire yard.
4. Running the Sprinkler every morning unless it is or did rain overnight.
5. If the Ground freezes before snow cover over-seed as dormant seeding again & lightly water to hold seed in-place or….
6. 1st thing in Spring over-seed again and apply a light application of WEED-N-FEED.
7. When Temps start averaging 50f, make application of WEED-N-FEED with Crab Grass Preventer.
8. Water regularly.

Note: If your Neighbors do little lawn care and have the same problem, either ask them to do the maintenance too or just overlap your applications at least 3-feet onto their lawns.

Good Luck.

PS: If Crab Grass goes to Seed, it can remain dormant for 7-years.

I used Q out spray that hooks to the garden hose each bottle teats 5,000 sq feet. It’s made be fertalome and is $20 buck a bottle but with in 3 days all the grab grass turned yellow and after a week is now gone. This is the second year it has been out. Kills everything but grass. Sets up in two hours and then it is OK if it rains. Just don’t do it on a winds or over 90 degree day.
Hope that helps.

I use that “WEED-B-GONE MAX” a few times a year. Good stuff. Maybe why I’m not seeing a crabgrass prob? I do put down the preventer every spring too. Just use the generic stuff from Fleet Farm.

-J.

Roundup will kill it…and everything else

Get a small spray bottle and put some of the round-up just mentioned in it after adjust the spry to be a pin point using water. Cut a gallon plastic milk jug’s top and bottom off but leave the handle section to hold onto it. Put the largere open end of the jug down over the base of the grass clump and give it a shot of the round-up. The jug helps minimize drift and helps to keep the spray in one central area. Before sparaying, raise the plants stems off the ground so any runners are inside that jug…this will seperate any small roots from the ground and when the main section is treated the smaller runners will also get nixed.

Try this on a real calm, hot, ealry morning when rain chances are nil until at least that night.

Be sure to rinse out that spray bottle and mark it ROUNDUP ONLY with a felt marker. This system works great with lawn thistles and other problem weeds larger than plantain and dandelions which can be met head on with the Weed-B-Gone MAX.

Jon is correct –

Crabgrass loves the dry hot weather.

Dog

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Jon is correct –

Crabgrass loves the dry hot weather.

Dog

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Never grows in the shade.

I have used all kinds of weed killer and it seems to me that nothing works this late in the season. Spray in the Spring and results might be better.

Find a farmer or someone who will sell u 2-4d straight and mix it in a sprayer becareful for it is a very strong broad leaf killer and will kill all flowers it contacts. You will find there is nothing better.

I put crab grass killer on this spring and aerated. Must have helped some, because although it didn’t kill them all, I certainly have less than the neighbor.