How to Prevent Crabgrass

Do you know what crabgrass looks like? Chances are good that your driveway or lawn has been taken over at one time or another by this pesky weed. It looks terrible and can wreak havoc on the surrounding healthy grass.

So, how do you get rid of it? Or better yet, how do you prevent it from sprouting altogether?

Also known as Digitaria, this warm season annual reproduces by seed. In any given growing season crabgrass produces and distributes thousands of seeds! Said seeds will go dormant until the next spring when conditions are right for germinating. This is why using what’s called a pre-emergent herbicide is so important. The herbicide kills the seeds before (pre) they even have a chance to grow (emerge). Sounds easy, right? It is.

The tricky part is knowing WHEN to treat your lawn. When soil temperatures reach 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, crabgrass seed will germinate. Since not many (ok, none) of us have a thermometer stuck in the ground 24/7, there’s a better way of gauging the right time.

The forsythia bush is our queue. It blooms a few weeks prior to the germination of crabgrass. The lilac bush blooms at approximately the same time as the germination of crabgrass. Because we want to kill crabgrass BEFORE the seedlings emerge, lawns must be treated when the forsythia blooms but before the lilac blooms.

You can rid your yard of the weed once it starts actively growing (if you don’t mind back-breaking work). But it’s much easier to use a pre-emergent herbicide and keep the seeds from germinating in the first place.

Pure Green uses the best and safest products on the market, including pre-emergent herbicides. Get started today and keep your lawn beautiful, healthy and free of weeds all year!