Is crabgrass affecting your lawn grass despite your best efforts to curb it? You’re not alone as thousands of lawn owners experience the challenges that come with eradicating crabgrass from their lawn yard. Crabgrass is tough to deal with, unlike some other types of weed. However, hiring experienced lawn care in Austin or applying certain techniques can completely eliminate crabgrass.
Crabgrass is a low-to-the-ground but fast-growing weed plant that can become problematic if left unchecked. It will grow in bare lawns or patchy ones and will usually spread seeds all over the lawn yard. Its seeds usually germinate in mid-spring and live on till late fall.
As difficult as it might seem, crabgrass is not invincible as already stated. In this post, we have discussed getting rid of crabgrass effectively from your lawn in Austin, TX.
Tools and Items Needed to Get Rid of Crabgrass On Your Lawn
The best way to get rid of crabgrass usually involves using the best tools to make it possible. Below are some important tools:
- Working gloves
- Spade/shovel/trowel (any one of these)
- Rake if available
- Safety google
- Broadcast spreader
- Pump spray
- Weed-killer solution (General herbicide, pre and post-emergent herbicides)
Crabgrass Prevention In Spring Season
It’s often best to prevent growth than to look for the best ways to kill crabgrass. Seedlings of this weed plant usually sprout in spring once the soil temperatures get to 55 F. Pre-emergent herbicides are your best bet to eliminate them before any germination takes place. There are several solutions that can work effectively but professional input is a preferred option. We advise lawn owners to consult with nearby lawn care in Austin to know which approach will be best to tackle crabgrass lawn infestation. Options for herbicides will include topical applications and pre-emergent and post-emergent solutions. By far, pre-emergence herbicides are the best choice, all things considered. Used correctly, there won’t be any growth of crabgrass on the lawn in the first place.
Below are some more prevention options for keeping crabgrass off your lawn:
- Apply pre-emergence herbicides just before spring begins. Any crabgrass seedlings will die upon attempted germination. However, this isn’t enough to last you through the year. Topical applications for dormant crabgrass breakouts during the year will be required to keep them off. Treat areas close to your edges, driveways, curbs and walkways. These are areas where crabgrass seedlings can be blown too easily. Follow-up weed treatment is important to keep things normal if you have a serious crabgrass problem.
- Mow your grass properly to encourage rich, healthy growth that will choke out any attempted invasion by crabgrass, especially when growing in small pockets. Thick, full lawns rarely leave any room for invasion by weeds. Hiring GOMOW’s affordable lawn care will quickly set you on the path to a beautiful, well-maintained lawn.
- Detect and repair lawn damages early to avoid the development of bare spots which usually create an inviting space for weeds like crabgrass to take up roots. Treating the affected area and reseeding it will usually fix this problem. It’s advisable not to take this lightly to prevent weeds from taking over.
- Water your lawn the right way to develop a healthy, deep-root system which is necessary to have a healthy yard. Grass that isn’t watered properly will grow poorly resulting in a patch, bare lawn that can be infiltrated by weeds like crabgrass. Stressed lawns can easily be taken over by opportunistic weeds like crabgrass. Watering the lawn yard is best done twice a week if the weather is exceedingly hot.
- Fertilizer application should be carried out when necessary to keep your grass replenished with the right nutrients. Deficient soils will lead to poor lawn grass which can easily be infested by more potent plants like crabgrass. Feeding your lawn the right way will make it grow green, lush and healthy so that getting rid of crabgrass before it sprouts becomes easy and natural.
How to Kill Crabgrass
Eliminating crabgrass permanently is only possible this time. The reason for this is simple: crabgrass seedlings are easily carried about by agents of pollination. For instance, if your neighbor has a crabgrass-infested lawn but you have a clean lawn, the chances of having a crabgrass infestation are quite high. To kill off crabgrass weeds, we advise going for weed control treatments that usually come in the form of spray solutions.
Weed killers in spray form will destroy crabgrass without affecting your lawn grass. Early detection is important to eradicate weeds because a single plant can produce thousands of seedlings which can cause your lawn yard serious harm. It’s best to kill crabgrass or at worst, remove it from the site as soon as you spot it.
A 9-Step Process for Eradicating Crabgrass Completely On Your Property
To start your lawn treatment or recovery procedure, if you suspect or see signs of crabgrass infestation, here’s an approach you should consider to keep your lawn free of this pesky weed plant.
- Allow your grass to grow fully so that identifying abnormalities on it will be easy to spot. Before this action, ensure that pre-emergence control has been introduced to the soil. Consider hiring affordable lawn care in Austin for professional support if you lack the experience. Pre-emergence fertilizer should be applied to areas with a high propensity of getting attacked by crabgrass.
- While applying fertilizer, consider adding a crabgrass pre-emergence solution to it. This move is an alternative solution that can perform effectively too. If possible, carry out this activity before the rains start. If there’s no rain, a bit of manual watering can come in handy.
- Confirm the primary agents used in any pre-emergent solution you choose to use. Some pre-emergent active agents can also harm your lawn if applied carelessly. If in doubt, ask your lawn care in Austin for guidance to avoid dangerous mistakes that will harm your lawn yard.
- Ensure that any pre-emergent solutions are applied around the second or third mowing sessions of the year when the temperature in the soil has gotten to 52 degrees Fahrenheit at the least. Heat is needed for proper stimulation and efficiency.
- Early detection is necessary to get rid of crabgrass off your lawn. It’s advisable to inspect your lawn regularly. A lawn service of your choice can also do this. Remove crabgrass when spotted, roots and full plant to avoid contamination. Pulling by hand is effective and encouraged for best results when the crabgrass is just singly growing.
- Spray weed-killing compounds on difficult patches of crabgrass. Some areas of your lawn might be trouble spots that are hard to tackle or experience quick infestation by crabgrass seedlings. Use topical solutions, pull by hand and introduce post-emergence herbicides. Consider repeated applications to completely take out stubborn weeds.
- If crabgrass is deeply embedded, do not pull by hand to avoid damaging your lawn grass. As already mentioned, spray with a good mix of post-emergence solution and a topical agent. Consider chemical treatment options if problems persist.
- Allow your lawn yard to grow thick to fill out your lawn space. By doing this, there won’t be any bare spots for crabgrass seedlings to grow on. Consider corn gluten meal which is known to be effective for crabgrass and other broad-leaf weeds. Any chemical treatment should be administered by experienced professionals who have carried out the procedure before to guarantee efficacy.
- If everything else, kill all plants on your lawn soil and lay it bare. Start afresh by hiring affordable lawn care to re-seed and prepare a new lawn from scratch. Ensure that the soil is exposed and turned over completely to eliminate any hidden weed seedlings before reseeding begins. Of course, it also goes without saying that treatment of the soil is also very critical at this restarting point. It’s best to kill crabgrass early enough than ignore it thinking it will go away. It won’t and will only get worse if left unattended.
Getting rid of crabgrass can seem tough at first thought; however, it’s not such a big deal when left in the hands of professionals who have the experience for it. We encourage Austin homeowners to do their due diligence and hire a lawn service in Austin with the experience to deliver robust maintenance on demand.
