How to Spot Crabgrass
Crabgrass (Digitaria) is a weed named for its tenacity and hardy nature. When identifying crabgrass, look for a weed that is low to the ground and has many bent stems. Because the weed is so low to the ground, lawnmowers and general lawn maintenance will often miss this weed.
So, how do you prevent crabgrass from taking over your yard and lawn? Here are a few tips.
How to Prevent Crabgrass in Spring
The best way to prevent crabgrass in the spring is to use a pre-emergent herbicide, which stops the growth of the seeds. Unless you are planning to reseed your lawn, you can work to prevent crabgrass growth as soon as spring starts to appear. Because crabgrass germinates in the warmer spring days, you can stop the weed from growing before it starts. If you’ve already spotted crabgrass it’s too late to use this method, but it’s a great way to be proactive.
Fertilize your lawn throughout the year to keep it strong
Giving your grass strong roots can help thwart crabgrass. By fertilizing your lawn throughout the entire year, you can give it what it needs to develop strong roots and good defenses against the crabgrass that would otherwise take over. Great lawn health will help form the best – and most organic – shield against this invasive species.
Avoid pulling weeds out from the top
It’s important that you don’t pull weeds out from the top. This can shake seeds, but it also fails to get the root of the weed out of your lawn. That means the weed will just keep growing back in the same spot until you find a way to destroy the roots. Instead, use a weeder tool (It kind of looks like a giant flathead screwdriver with a notch on the end) to dig out the roots. A weeder tool is also a great way to remove weeds from large areas because of its efficiency.
Alternatively, you can save yourself all the trouble of dealing with the crabgrass on your own, and instead, you can call in the lawn experts at West Chester’s Go Green Lawn Care. We’ll get rid of your crabgrass problems using our reduced-risk products while allowing you the time to get out there and enjoy the weather. Contact us today for a free estimate.
The Crabgrass Life Cycle
Crabgrass starts as a seed that grows in spring or early summer, dies in the fall, and produces seed crops that are dormant throughout the winter. So, the crabgrass life cycle always starts when the seeds begin germinating in the spring. Therefore, if you want to get a head start on keeping your lawn in tip-top form, prevention starts as soon as spring arrives—or even before—if the weather is opportune.
How Can Go Green Help Control Crabgrass?
Our company uses the Holganix fertilizer approach to begin defending your lawn against weeds. Then, we will keep any weeds at bay by using the necessary pre and post-emergent biological treatments. Essentially, not only will our all-natural products help to eliminate any weeds that have grown, but they will also aid in preventing the initial germination of a weed-like crabgrass.
