How to Kill Crabgrass Naturally

If you're trying to kill crabgrass, prevention is key. Once it has grown to a certain length, the only natural way to kill it is to uproot it by hand. Luckily, there are many ways to prevent and kill crabgrass naturally before it can get a foothold in your lawn.

Things You'll Need

• Lawnmower
• Grass seed
• Fertilizer
• Pre-emergent herbicide

Instructions

1. 

   Spread more turf seed than usual. This eliminates places for crabgrass to grow. The best time to do this is in the early fall after the first frost.

2. 

   Fertilize grass in the fall instead of spring. The first frost kills all crabgrass. Fertilizing after this only benefits the surviving turf grass.

3. 

   Water your grass more infrequently and more thoroughly. If the soil is allowed to dry between waterings, the crabgrass has more trouble germinating. A more thorough watering encourages the turf grass to grow more deeply and more easily combat crabgrass.

4. 

   Use the highest blade level setting on the mower. Taller turf grass soaks up sunlight that crabgrass desperately needs to germinate.

5. 

   Pull any fully grown crabgrass you find. Apart from herbicides, fully grown crabgrass can only be removed by hand pulling. This frees more room for turf grass and gives a head start on next year's work.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're still having issues trying to kill crabgrass, herbicides are available. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring with kill crabgrass before it can grow to germinate.

• Take the initiative. Crabgrass becomes much more resilient as it grows bigger. Preventative care is the best way to kill crabgrass naturally.