How to Kill Crabgrass Part 2
In my last post, I explained that the name crabgrss is incorrect, since it is in fact an annual weed, not a perennial grass. I also explained the two most populart herbicides for killing the germinating crabgrass seeds. In this post, I’ll be giving you some of the do’s and don’ts of using preemergent herbicides for killing crabgrass.
Three things to do when killing crabgrass with preemergent herbicides:
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Make sure you water your lawn after you apply it. Preemergent herbicides are activated by water. If you don’t water it, you’ve just wasted your money because it won’t work.
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Re-apply the herbicide if you aren’t sure it is working completely. Remember, crabgrass seeds don’t germinate all at the same time. If you do a second application of the herbicide, you’ll get the late bloomers.
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Make sure you follow the label directions and apply the proper amount of herbicide. Don’t just guess at the size of your lawn. Measure it, and then set your spreader calibration carefully. Just like watering, if you don’t spread the herbicide properly, you are wasting your money.
Three things you don’t want to do when killing crabgrass with preemergent herbicides:
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DON’T dethatch or aerate the lawn. If your lawn needs to be dethatched or aerated, do it before you apply the herbicide. Think of the herbicide as putting a protective shield over your lawn. If you aerate or dethatch it, you are breaking the seal.
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DON’T apply preemergent herbicides if you have put in new sod. New sod should not have any crabgrass in it in the first place so again, you are wasting your money.
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DON’T waste your money using preemergent herbicides to kill crabgrass that is already germinated. Once it has germinated, preemergent herbicides will have no effect ot it. You can buy postemergent herbicides for killing crabgrass, but they only kill small plants, which makes them relatively worthless. By the time you can see the crabgrass, it’s pretty much too late to do anything about it this year.
One last thought on killing crabgrass
One of the oldest methods of killing crabgrass is still just as effective as ever. It’s called weeding. If you see that you have crabgrass, after you water your lawn go around and hand pull the small patches. If you get them before they go to seed, you won’t have to worry about remembering to use a herbicide in the spring. The reason you want to do it after you water is that the crabgrass is easier to pull when the soil is wet.
Here’s to a green weed free lawn for years to come.
Tags: how to kill crabgrass
Uncategorized | John |
