How to Remove Crabgrass From Lawns

Crabgrass is a thick-bladed, flat annual weed that invades lawns, vegetable gardens and flower beds. It is easy to get rid of if you pull it before it sets seed.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden Hoses
• Garden Sprayer
• Gardening Gloves
• Lawn Fertilizers
• Weed Killers
• Weed Knife

1. Prevent crabgrass from becoming established by fertilizing to keep your lawn healthy and lush. Healthy turf grass will crowd out noxious weed seeds before they can germinate and grow.

2. Pull crabgrass as soon as it appears, in the early spring. Use a weed knife to pull out all of the roots.

3. Water your lawn deeply on a less frequent basis to encourage the roots to grow deep into the soil. Crabgrass has a shallow root system that will dry out faster than deep-rooted turf grasses.

4. Use chemical controls only if the crabgrass has become a pest. Use a nonselective herbicide to spot-treat weedy patches in the lawn. Avoid letting nonselective herbicides drift onto desirable plants or the rest of the lawn. If herbicide leaves large bare patches, see 'eHow to Reseed Bare Patches in a Lawn.'

Tips & Warnings

• If using chemical sprays, wear protective clothing including goggles, respirator, neoprene gloves, long sleeves and long pants. And avoid spraying on a windy day.

[bake4u]

on 3/24/2008 thanks for this article, i'm really into the yard and do you have suggestions as to what kind of weed controllers to use. thanks again

on 1/31/2006 While pulling out the crabgrass may be a quick and simple solution. Monocot and dicot weeds are extremely opportunistic and may be what fills in your new bare spot. Also, all homeowners should keep in mind that crabgrass seeds can remain dormant in a soil for an extensive period of time, so annual overseeding should be in your plans.