Crabgrass is an unattractive, clumpy weed that will quickly take over your lawn. Its unsightly appearance is not the only reason to remove it – it’s also bad for your lawn’s health. Crabgrass will take over your turf, preventing your lawn from receiving nutrients it needs in order to grow healthy grass. The following will give you a few details on how to identify and get rid of crabgrass.
What Does Crabgrass Look Like
Crabgrass looks like a coarse, light green clump of grass. Its sprawling stems resemble the legs of a crab. It is commonly mistaken for fescue grass, but color and size are good differentiators to recognize it accurately. Tall fescue grass is usually darker green and mostly thick and grows very fast. Take a look at your lawn if you see patches of yellow or brown grass as this could be a sign of crabgrass.
Maintain The Proper Lawn Height
Studies show that mowing your grass tall, approximately 3.5-4 inches in height, will prevent crabgrass from growing. The tall grass shades the soil surface and helps prevent crabgrass from receiving the light it needs to grow. One of the best ways to prevent crabgrass is by maintaining the proper height for your lawn.
How To Kill Crabgrass For Good
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. 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 the soil. The best prevention is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer to your lawn in early spring in order to kill the seeds before they have a chance to germinate.
Make Sure You Have A Healthy Lawn
Another way to prevent crabgrass is to have a healthy lawn. The healthy grass will crowd out crabgrass which makes it less likely to take over. How do I keep my lawn healthy?
Here’s what to do:
- Aerate your lawn.
- Water your lawn deeply and less often.
- Use natural lawn fertilizers.
- “Grass-cycle” your grass clippings.
- Cut your grass correctly and to the recommended cutting height.
- Compost your kitchen and garden waste for greener grass.
Keeping weeds away from your lawn and garden can be a challenge; it can feel like a never-ending job. By hiring a professional to do the lawn care work for you, you’re eliminating expensive fertilizers and seeds while adding some leisure time to your schedule. More than just saving money on materials – research shows that investing in a professionally cared for lawn actually increases the value of the property and the curb appeal.
Contact us (859-314-LAWN) for more information or a free instant quote!
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About Green & Grow
About Green & GrowGreen & Grow is a full-service lawn care company specializing in fertilization & weed control, aeration & seeding, insect control, and more!