How to Control Crabgrass in an Organic Lawn

While all of the steps to controlling crabgrass in an organic lawn, timing becomes critical. Crabgrass is an annual which, when it puts up it antenae-looking seed pods, has already landed a place in your lawn or garden for the following year. There are steps you can take that will significantly decrease the amount of crabgrass that you have and in a couple years remove it from your lawn or garden.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use a preemergent made from Corn Gluten Meal (CGM). CGM does its work by making its way down to the soil where it forms a seal to prevent new seeds from sprouting. If you have or just planted grass seed or plan to do so in the upcoming three months, this product is not for you. With an established lawn CGM does its magic in spring then decomposes and releases nitrogen in the summer.

2. While there is a lot of debate online about when to put down the preemergent application because it has to be timed BEFORE the crabgrass begins to emerge. The answer is simple. Put down the preemergent when the Forsythia is in bloom. If you are using a drop spreader make sure you overlap the drop zone with each pass. Running the wheel in the previous wheel tred may not be enough if the drop zone is an inch or two inside the wheel base. If you are using a spray spreader, be sure you go within the distribution spread of the previous pass. If your crabgrass problem last year was VERY bad, you may want to do this twice, once just as the Forsythia is blooming and again as the Forsythia is fading two weeks later.

3. If crabgrass does sprout in your lawn, try to pull as much by hand as you can. If you are calling your mother on the weekend (which you should do by the way) use a headset for your cell phone and pull away at the crabgrass while you talk to her. Make sure you take a bag with you to dispose of the grass. Seed development starts in the midde of the plant and preceeds the stalk with the antenea-like seed distribution system. If you have your trash picked up weekly you can use a paper bag, but if your trash pick up is longer or if you compost put the pulled plants into a plastic bag in the sun to destroy the plants before putting them in the trash or compost.

4. If the crabgrass does begin to put up stalk to spread the seeds, afix the bag on the lawnmower and mower the lawn every couple days. Crabgrass is an annual so your goal is to prevent any seeds from hitting the soil. When you empty your lawnmower bag, put it in a trashcan that has no holes, cover tightly and put on the curb for recycling. If your area does not have recycling, put in a heavy metal trashcan and burn (of course respecting all local fire code, drought areas, with a hose in hand and avoiding all injury to humans or animals).

Tips & Warnings

• If your neighbors lawn is launching crabgrass seeds to the wind, consider mowing their lawn as well as your. Just make sure you clean the wheels and underside of your lawnmower so you dont spread seeds into your lawn.

[MIghtyDreamer]

on 4/15/2009 great get rid of crabgrass suggestions to protect organic produce.. thanks for the tips!