Crabgrass is an annual grass with broad blades that are coarse, pointed and short. It doesn’t blend in with lawn grasses in color, habit or texture and can be very competitive. If left alone, it will invade your lawns, flowerbeds and gardens. So, it is important to get rid of crabgrass before it germinates.
Crabgrass is highly adaptable. It prefers full sun exposure but will grow even where the soil is nutrient poor, dry and compacted.
As this weed develops during the summer, it leaves plenty of seeds before it dies in the fall. Most often the seeds are spread by birds. Borrowing unclean lawn mowers is another common way of introducing crabgrass into your lawn.
How can you get rid of it!
Prevent it from growing: Apply a pre-emergent in the spring when soil temperature is around 50 degrees and crabgrass begins to germinate. Look for lilacs getting ready to bloom plants as an indicator that it’s time to apply a crabgrass preventer.
Types of pre-emergents to use: Synthetic formulas include Scotts Halts, Scotts Turf Builder Plus Halts, Scotts Step 1 of the season-long lawn care program, or Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer plus Greenup.
Leave it alone: Once applied, the pre-emergent will work by creating a barrier that stunts the development of crabgrass. Thatching, power raking or aerating the lawn will break this barrier, so do this maintenance before applying the treatment.
A second chance: There are post-emergent treatments available if you miss your opportunity to apply a preventer. To eliminate most mature crabgrass plants, use Bayer Crabgrass Killer for Lawns, Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer Plus Green Up or Ortho Weed B Gon Max + Crabgrass Killer. Otherwise, dig out large, mature clumps of crabgrass and reseed or sod the bare spots left behind.
Common crabgrass impersonator: If you’re seeing large, grassy weeds in May or June, they probably aren’t crabgrass. You generally won’t notice crabgrass plants until well into the middle of summer. They are likely something like bromegrass (perennial), foxtail, or quack grass.