What’s In YOUR Lawn?

My guess is that if you skipped putting down a pre emergent or put it down incorrectly then you may be seeing a new crop of crabgrass emerging from your lawn by now.  Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed that can germinate from early February through September.  It is aggressive enough to overtake any lawn type including bermudagrass.  Crabgrass has broad, translucent spring green colored leaves. 

Now that it is in your lawn you are left with only a handful of choices.  One is to ignore it and just appreciate the fact that it is green.  A second choice is to cut it out using a sharp knife and cutting off the roots at the soil line.  The growing points are all above ground and will not grow back.  This will avoid leaving craters throughout the lawn from pulling it out.  I like using the cheap steak knives you can find at the Dollar Stores.  This option is preferable when dealing with 100 or less plants unless you have more time and patience than I do.  The third choice involves a trip to the nursery or local garden center and finding a sprayable herbicide for killing the existing crabgrass.  This is not a viable option at all as the over the counter products are not effective in our area.  Please don’t waste your time and money.  The fourth and final choice is to hire a licensed professional that still has access to products containing MSMA.  This product will selectively remove crabgrass out of a lawn with 3-4 applications about a week apart.  Some yellowing can occur and other new seedlings can continue to sprout as we move through the summer months.  As a lawn geek, I see only options 2 and 4 making any sense.  If I could cut it out then I would elect that option.  If the task was too monumental for my available time or abilities then I would call someone like Weed Man that can guarantee the results.

Bottom line with crabgrass is prevention.  A pre emergent herbicide applied in the spring can prevent the summer problem of crabgrass along with proper cultural mowing and watering practices.  

If you would like a free opinion on what is the best option for your lawn and its weeds, insects, or diseases give us a call at 266-1624 or look at our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com.

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