Controlling Crabgrass in Your Lawn
Your lawn may or may not be snow covered at this moment, but just below the surface is an enemy just waiting for the right opportunity to emerge. While crabgrass may not sound very menacing, it can wreak havoc on your lawn. And when does it germinate, you ask? When ground temperatures reach 55 degrees… and that is right around the corner.
Crabgrass has two main things going for it. First of all, its seeds can lay dormant for years underground and still be viable once it is able to germinate. Secondly, the hot, dry conditions that are harmful to turfgrass are actually favorable for crabgrass. This combination makes crabgrass an incredibly tough adversary.
By the time you see crabgrass, chances are that most seeds have germinated and the weed is already thriving. The best preventative measure you can take is a pre-emergent treatment early in the year. A well-timed herbicide application can stop most crabgrass before it has a chance to take hold.
During the growing season, the best plan is to make sure that your turfgrass is able to compete with crabgrass – hopefully edging it in terms of lawn domination. Giving your grass a proper amount of water and food over the summer goes a long way in fighting crabgrass.
