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How to Get Rid of Crabgrass in Your Yard

How can you get rid of crabgrass in your yard? Your options include pulling the plants at their roots, applying weed killers, or turning to lawn care professionals. No matter what method you choose, you may face an ongoing battle.

Crabgrass — at first, it seems like nothing but an oddly colored blade here or there, poking up among the otherwise rich green turf. Then, as soon as you let your guard down, you realize it’s a full offensive. The crabgrass has arrived to sabotage your immaculate landscaping. (OK, maybe not immaculate…)

Before the invasion takes over, there’s a lot you can do in the fight against crabgrass. After you’ve launched your counterattack — whether by hand-to-hand combat (weeding) or chemical warfare (applying weed killers), or calling in reinforcements (hiring a professional) — the crabgrass will retreat, and your lawn will again rank as one of the best in the neighborhood.

What is Crabgrass?

Photo Credit: NY State IPM Program at Cornell University / Flickr / CC BY 2. 0

Crabgrass is a summer annual weed that favors compacted soil where the grass is in a thinned and weakened condition. During the early spring, crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are between 55 and 65 degrees, about 3 inches below the surface. Once midsummer hits, growth slows, it begins to set seeds, and dies off with the first frost.

With coarse, yellow-green leaves, this weed is easy to spot among the green, fine leaves of turf. Crabgrass grows in bunches, like the arms of a crab or like troops spread out across a battlefield.

The real concern is the crabgrass growth cycle. A single plant produces as many as 150,000 crabgrass seeds. And these seeds can lie dormant for as long as 30 years.

What this means: Each growing season is just one battle in the ongoing war against crabgrass.

With proper planning and preparation, it is possible to be victorious against crabgrass. While it’s unlikely you will ever totally sign a peace treaty with this weed, you can control crabgrass and come out of this fight on top.

Read on for your tactical training.

How to Get Rid of Crabgrass

Photo Credit: Richard Arthur Norton / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.5

Weeding (On-the-Ground Combat)

Pulling the individual crabgrass plants can be a helpful plan of attack. Getting crabgrass out at its root level is one of the surest ways to kill crabgrass, but it is tiring and takes time and patience. 

Unfortunately, maintaining crabgrass weed control means regularly weeding your lawn.

When to attack: Weeding should be done in late spring, before the crabgrass plant grows large and distributes its seeds. As with all weeding, this job is easiest following a rain when the soil is moist and soft.

Apply Weed Killers (Chemical Warfare)

A common choice for any weed issue is a topical application. You’ll find lots of options at your local home store, but not all herbicides are created equal. Here’s a bit of information to help you in your advancement on crabgrass.

It’s important to choose a selective product, as it will attack certain weeds without permanently damaging the surrounding grass. You also need a product targeting invasive grasses; crabgrass is a grass, not a broad-leaf weed.

There are two main types of weed killers: Pre and post-emergents. 

Pre-emergents are preventative chemicals that work to interrupt weed germination and prevent weeds from sprouting in your lawn.

Post-emergents are the chemicals to use after weeds have already sprouted. Post-emergents will kill the already grown weeds on your lawn.

Finally, liquid and granular options work equally as well. However, liquid products require a calibrated sprayer. It’s unlikely you already have a sprayer in your toolshed, but out in that cache of tools is probably a spreader. This alone might make granular options your best route.

After application, be sure to water according to the product’s instructions.

Post-Emergent Weed Killers: Once crabgrass has staked its claim and is sprouting in your yard, it’s time to diversify your arsenal. Post-emergent herbicides target the plant itself, killing it before it has the opportunity to produce more seeds.

Stay away from “weed and feed” varieties, which combine herbicides and fertilizers. Because crabgrass is a variety of grass, these applications will actually nourish the invaders. Look for selective, post-emergent products specifically targeting crabgrass.

Always read product labels carefully; ensure your grass type is listed as approved. More importantly, though, is to read and follow all safety directions. These are chemicals, and while they can be helpful in achieving landscape victory, they also can be dangerous.

How to Prevent Crabgrass

Photo Credit: Ace Hardware / Youtube

A Healthy Lawn

Your best defense against crabgrass and other lawn weeds is as simple as a healthy lawn. The shade created by a dense turf will prevent seeds from germinating, giving you an automatic advantage in the fight. There are a few ways to encourage a healthy lawn and discourage crabgrass.

Aeration: Crabgrass favors compacted soil, so aerating the lawn is a sure way to help keep your lawn healthy and prevent crabgrass. Aeration helps to increase airflow in the soil and allows for more water accessibility. Grassroots will be stronger this way, and crabgrass is less likely to appear.

Topdressing: If you’re looking for organic ways to improve the health of your lawn, look no further. Topdressing is a technique that involves spreading material such as sand or compost over the top of the grass to improve the soil quality. By improving your soil, you improve the health of your grass, making it easier to fight off weeds such as crabgrass. 

Mow tall: Trim your grass blades to the highest recommended height. Regular mowing serves as a natural crabgrass preventer, choking many weeds.

Water infrequently: You’ll also want to water deeply but infrequently; this will kill the shallow-rooted enemy as the top of the soil will dry out in between waterings.

Plant at the right time: If you live in a colder region, fall is the best time to overseed. For warm-season grasses, plant new grass seed in late spring or early summer. When seeding bare spots, water regularly. Apply a crabgrass preventer in the spring. (Check the label if you want to apply a pre-emergent before planting new grass seed. Most pre-emergents also prevent new grass from germinating.)

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a natural pre-emergent that won’t harm your grass. This natural material is a byproduct of corn and can be used to prevent some grassy and broadleaf weeds from sprouting, including crabgrass. The proteins in CGM slow seedlings’ roots while also adding nitrogen to support turf growth and further help crabgrass control.

Corn gluten meal needs to be applied liberally and evenly to get rid of this weed. It is recommended to use 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Once it’s been spread out, water it into the soil.

Pre-Emergent Weed Killer

Pre-emergent weedkiller is the most effective and economical tool in the struggle with crabgrass. Pre-emergent herbicides interrupt the growth process, preventing complete germination. In other words, these pre-emergents prevent crabgrass seedlings from ever seeing the light of day.

These products should not be used on grass that hasn’t established itself. For best results, overseed in the fall, and apply a pre-emergent in the spring before the crabgrass has a chance to germinate.

Note: Timing is critical when it comes to applying pre-emergents in the spring. Consider soil temperatures before you start to spray a pre-emergent. These herbicides work best when the soil (not air) temperature is between 50-55 degrees. If you apply too late, they will not interrupt the germination of the seedlings.

Look for products with these active ingredients:

FAQ About Crabgrass

What Kills Crabgrass but Not Grass?

Aside from using natural techniques like ripping out the weeds or corn gluten meal, there are selective herbicides that won’t kill certain grass types.

• Post-emergent herbicides such as quinclorac and foramsulfuron are known crabgrass killers and work on certain grasses but can harm others. Using chemicals to kill crabgrass, not the green grass you want in your yard, involves knowing your grass and reading the labels of herbicides.

Quinclorac will not harm bermudagrass, Kentucky bluegrass, or tall fescue lawns, but should not be applied to bahiagrass, centipedegrass, fine fescue (unless it’s part of a fescue blend), or St. Augustinegrass. 

Foramsulfuron works for bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, but should not be applied to cool-season turfgrasses, St. Augustinegrass, or centipedegrass.

• The best way to get rid of crabgrass is to take care of your lawn. Having a healthy lawn prevents crabgrass from growing and saves you from killing your grass. Make sure to aerate and topdress annually to break up compacted soil, overseed to fill in bare patches, and mow tall to shade the soil and prevent crabgrass from germinating.

What is the Fastest Way to Kill Crabgrass?

Hand-pulling or using selective post-emergent herbicides are the fastest ways to kill already established crabgrass. On very small crabgrass seedlings, one treatment of horticultural vinegar is also usually effective.

What Prevents Crabgrass Naturally?

Many homeowners don’t want the risk that chemical herbicides bring to their healthy grass which is why they choose these natural preventative steps instead:

• Keeping a healthy lawn can involve aeration, topdressing, overseeding or reseeding, proper mower heights, and watering.
•Corn gluten meal is a natural remedy and byproduct of corn. It is used to contain all broadleaf weeds and supports and strengthens turf growth in the process.

Sometimes, when your weed control plan is getting less than controlled, the best thing to do is bring in backup. In this case, backup means lawn care professionals who can mount a strategic offensive on all fronts. Once you’ve exhausted all of your options and your lawn is about 60% crabgrass or other weeds, it’s time to call on the allied forces.

Main image credit: Wikimedia Commons / CC by SA 3.0

Alison Hoover

Alison is a Midwesterner through and through, and loves to spend her time baking and reading. Always at home in the dirt, as a kid, Alison raised a vegetable garden with her dad, and flower gardens with her mom.

Posts by Alison Hoover

How to Kill Crabgrass and Prevent it from Returning

Once crabgrass gets started in your lawn, those coarse, unattractive weeds seem to live and spread forever. But unlike lawn weeds that do live several years, crabgrass plants only live a single year. What they do in that year, however, has long-lasting consequences for your lawn. Understanding how crabgrass works and how to break its cycle can help you get rid of crabgrass and keep it gone.

  1. Understanding the Crabgrass Cycle
  2. Preventing Crabgrass Plants
  3. Timing Crabgrass Preventers
  4. Killing Existing Crabgrass Plants

Crabgrass is a warm-season annual that germinates, lives and dies all in the same year. But crabgrass problems don't end with the growing season. While they live, each crabgrass plant produces up to 150,000 seeds.1 Those seeds stay behind, ready to germinate the following spring and start the cycle all over again. Seeds that don't germinate right away can remain viable and stick around to germinate in future years.

Once crabgrass seeds germinate and plants emerge, mowing your lawn short won't stop the seeds. With its low-growing, crab-like growth, crabgrass can set seed when cut as low as 1/2 inch tall1 — that's much lower than recommended healthy mowing heights for any common lawn grass. Effective control requires preventing crabgrass seeds from ever becoming seed-producing plants.


Low-growing crabgrass seeds escape mowers.

With hundreds of thousands of crabgrass seeds potentially waiting in your lawn, preventing their successful germination is essential. Crabgrass preventer products use what are known as "pre-emergent" herbicides, which target germinating seeds before new shoots can emerge from soil.

Pre-emergents work by inhibiting seed germination and root development so that seeds can't become established plants. Highly effective preventers such as Pennington UltraGreen Crabgrass Preventer plus Fertilizer III 30-0-4 control crabgrass and other germinating broadleaf weeds. This premium product then continues preventing these weeds for up to five months, while it feeds your lawn grasses at the same time.

While crabgrass preventers target weed seeds, they can inhibit germination and establishment of lawn grass seed, too. Always follow label instructions regarding seeding and your specific preventer product. As a general rule, wait at least 60 days and at least two mowings before overseeding lawn areas where crabgrass preventer was used.


A single crabgrass plant can set up to 150,000 seeds in a season.

Because crabgrass preventers only work before crabgrass seedlings emerge through the soil, timing applications right is critical to success. Preventers must be applied before crabgrass seed germinates. Crabgrass seeds can germinate from early spring until late summer when soil temperatures are right.

In spring, crabgrass starts germinating when soil temperatures warm to 55 degrees Fahrenheit for four to five days in a row.1 Most garden centers carry inexpensive soil thermometers that can help you track soil temps and time your preventer properly. If you live in northern climates, nature helps, too. Yellow-blooming forsythia shrubs reach full bloom at the same soil temperatures that signal crabgrass germination.

Once soil temperatures warm and germination starts, crabgrass seeds continue germinating until soil temperatures exceed 90 F. While some preventer products stop working after a short window in spring, Pennington UltraGreen Crabgrass Preventer plus Fertilizer III 30-0-4 keeps on preventing crabgrass and other broadleaf weeds as it feeds your lawn through those crucial months.


Once seeds germinate and crabgrass sprouts emerge, pre-emergents no longer work. Then it's time for "post-emergent" herbicides, which target plants instead of seeds. Crabgrass killers are designed to kill existing, actively growing crabgrass plants before they can produce more seed.

When using crabgrass killers or any herbicides, it's important to understand whether the product is a "selective" or "non-selective" herbicide. Selective herbicides target specific weeds or plant categories, such as grassy plants versus broadleaf plants. Non-selective herbicides kill all plant types, including lawn grasses and other plants you want to keep.

Because crabgrass is a grass, most combination herbicide and lawn fertilizer products, known as weed & feed fertilizers, generally won't kill it. These products typically include selective herbicides that kill broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions and other common lawn weeds, and keep grasses unharmed. Actively growing crabgrass in your lawn calls for selective, post-emergent herbicides, such as Image All-In-One Lawn Weed Killer or Image Herbicide Kills Crabgrass, that kill crabgrass and leave your lawn grass untouched.

Always read product labels carefully, and make sure the label lists your lawn grass type as approved. Some lawn grasses, such as centipede grass and St. Augustine grass, are susceptible to herbicides that don't harm other lawn grasses. Whenever treating lawn weeds with herbicides or weed & feed fertilizers, follow label instructions thoroughly, including safety precautions to protect pets, kids and adults.

When crabgrass threatens to disrupt your lawn, you can take control, break the cycle and prevent its spread. Pennington is committed to providing you with the finest in quality lawn and garden products along with expert advice to help you achieve the lush, healthy, weed-free lawn you desire.

Pennington is a registered trademark of Pennington Seed, Inc.

Image and UltraGreen are registered trademarks of Central Garden & Pet Company.

Sources:

  1. UMass Extension Turf Program, "Biology and Management of Crabgrass," University of Massachusetts Amherst, May 2011.
  2. Perry, Leonard, "Crabgrass Control," University of Vermont Extension.

Photo Credit:

  1. NY State IPM Program at Cornell University, CC BY 2.0
  2. NY State IPM Program at Cornell University, CC BY 2.0

How to Get Rid of Weed Grass Naturally - Home Ideas


Things You'll Need

Crabgrass (Digitaria spp. ) is a vigorous warm season annual that grows in summer and competes with desired grass for soil moisture and nutrients. If left unchecked, an aggressive weed can turn into a beautiful lawn in a matter of weeks. Although chemical methods are effective in killing grasses, use a natural or organic method to permanently kill weeds in your lawn. Also follow a proper maintenance schedule to keep your grass healthy and competitive. nine0008

Step 1


If the infestation is small, put on gardening gloves and remove the grass by hand. Make sure you pull out the roots so the weed doesn't grow back. Lightly dampen the soil until it is workable and loosen the soil around each crabgrass plant so that it slides easily along with its root system. Gather the plants in a tarp and discard.

Step 2


Pour boiling water over the grass to burn it. Boil water in a pot with a long spout and immediately pour it over the plant. Wear closed-toe shoes and long pants to prevent accidental drops and splashes. nine0008

Step 3


Spray or douse the crabgrass infestation with an organic weed killer such as vinegar. For best results, use vinegar containing 20% ​​acetic acid. Spray vinegar on target plants or water large infestations. Apply vinegar at noon, when the sun is at its strongest, to speed up the burn process.

Step 4


Mulch mature crab shavings with wood chips, landscape cloth or compost. Spread 3 to 6 inches of coarse mulch or 2 to 3 inches of fine mulch over crabgrass. Replenish the mulch frequently to maintain its depth. nine0008

Step 5


Solarize crabgrass during continuous periods of strong sunlight with plastic. Trim the plants as short as possible and spread a black plastic sheet over the area. Place bricks on the edges of the plastic sheet to press down and hold it in place. Crabgrass dies after four to six weeks.

STEP 6


Rake the lawn so that the crabgrass seed branches stand upright, preferably above the grass. Mow the lawn immediately, collecting the cuttings in a collection bag. Continue mowing frequently to prevent the spread and germination of grass seeds. Continuous mowing also reduces the structure of the plant, which eventually leads to its death. nine0008

Step 7.


Water the grass infrequently but deeply to loosen existing crab grasses. Frequent light watering promotes shallow roots and promotes the spread of harmful weeds. Wet the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches and do not water until the top 2 inches of soil is dry.

Step 8


Apply corn gluten meal to grass in early spring, before crabgrass sprouts. Spread 10 lbs. pellet per 500 square feet and water lightly. The organic material prevents the seeds from germinating, thereby preventing the spread of harmful weeds. nine0008

How to Kill Weeds in Your Lawn

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Gardening236

For many years, chemical weed killers have been part of nearly everyone's daily lawn care routine.

Commonly used products ranged from pre-emergence crabgrass control, to combinations of weeds and top dressing fertilizers and weed control, to broadleaf weed killer containing 2,4-D, to the ubiquitous and controversial glyphosate (RoundUp, Roundup). ) is the killer of all plants. nine0008

These harsh chemicals have become such a way of life that you can sometimes find entire neighborhoods smelling of 2,4-D after lawn treatments.

But a growing number of people are no longer willing to use chemical pesticides (which kill insects) or herbicides (which kill plant life) in their lawns and gardens due to growing awareness of the negative and sometimes devastating effects on the environment and human and animal health.

Lawn weed control

Organic weed control is not so much weed control as prevention of their growth. Healthy soil leads to a healthy lawn that discourages weed growth. Weeds are opportunists and their presence usually indicates an underlying problem.

Growth of certain weeds may indicate soil imperfections or other problems that, if addressed, will reduce weed attack on your lawn. A thriving lawn is able to defeat weeds and avoid infestation by them. nine0008

When weeds do show up, it's about tolerance and maintaining a manageable threshold. Then, if all else fails, the responsible homeowner treats the weeds with either organic weed killers or removes them by hand or other mechanical means.

This philosophy is sometimes known as integrated pest management. (IPM), and in practice it is an effective way to control weeds and pests.

Organic Herbicides

There are more organic products on the market than ever, and as demand grows, efforts are intensifying to find more organic alternatives to traditional weed control products.

Home remedies

Sometimes the old ways are the best. Some recipes for killing weeds have been passed down from generation to generation, making it possible to eradicate weeds without the use of store chemicals.

The most common homemade lawn weeding recipe using some combination of vinegar (4 liters), salt (1 cup) and/or soap (1 tablespoon). There are many variations on the recipe, but the resulting mixture is usually a pretty good indiscriminate weed killer. nine0008

The acetic acid of the vinegar works by destroying the cells of the plant, while the salt dries out the tissues and the soap helps the mixture adhere to the plant. Its effectiveness can be improved by higher concentrations of vinegar - most commercial vinegars are 5% acetic acid, but concentrations as high as 20% can be found. Plants with hairs or waxy coatings cannot be completely destroyed by the vinegar mixture.

Another popular home remedy is Ultra Dawn dishwashing detergent mixed with water as a moss remedy. Just mix 1100 grams of dishwashing detergent with 4-5 liters of water in a spray bottle and apply to the moss; it will turn brown and die within a week or so. Moss is difficult to eliminate and the conditions that cause it to be present must be changed, but with an old recipe like dish soap and water, moss can be dealt with safely and cheaply. nine0008

The ubiquitous ground ivy is a persistent, vine-like perennial weed that can take over large areas of the lawn. Ivy can be removed using a mixture of water and sodium tetraborate (borax).

First mix 300 grams of borax with 100 grams of warm water into a pulp, then dilute it in 0 liters of water. Apply this to a patch of lawn teeming with earth ivy. This mixture will cover about 300 square meters, so you can reduce the proportions for smaller areas. nine0008

Some people report that this is a solution that can damage your lawn if applied more than once every two to three years. And keep in mind that the solution can also kill garden plants, so be careful when spraying it.

One of the mechanical means of weed control is a burner flame. Various long-handled tools are available that work with a small propane tank that ignites a hot flame at the tip of the tool. nine0008

By setting fire to a lawn weed, you effectively destroy it, right down to the roots. However, you need to be careful as the flames will also kill any herbal plants it touches. Some homeowners practice a similar technique using boiling water.

Manual Removal

While some people consider it hard work, one of the most effective ways to control lawn weeds is the truly old-fashioned way of removing them by hand. nine0008

This can be a lot of work if your lawn is infested with a lot of weeds, but after you do this consistently for a long time, you will gradually find that the weed infestation decreases as you remove the weeds before they bloom and sow the seeds. Pay special attention to removing weeds before they bloom.

The most common example is the dandelion, which can scatter thousands of seeds if the beautiful yellow flowers are allowed to ripen, dry and set seeds. nine0008

Perennial weeds must be removed to the roots, not pulled at ground level. Luckily, there are a number of root removers that make this job easier. Again, the dandelion is a prime example of this type of perennial weed - if you don't remove its long taproot, a dandelion will often grow out of the remaining root. Manual removal of lawn weeds is easiest if the lawn is well watered, so do this job right after it rains or after watering. nine0008

One of the benefits of systematic manual weeding is that it allows the lawn to be aerated. About an hour of weeding after each lawn mowing session will cover your yard with small holes where weeds have been removed, providing the same benefits as running an aerator across your lawn.

Hand weeding allows you to stay in close contact with the health of your lawn, and those who do it regularly often find it's not that difficult. It can also be a good way to get the kids involved in lawn work. nine0008

Conclusion

With the exception of hand weeding, the truth is that most currently available "green" organic weed killers are not as effective as their chemical based counterparts, but consumer driven organic science has to offer new, more efficient alternatives.

Learn more