No Rain = Crabgrass Out of Control

[Jenny]

We had no snow cover this winter and a warm, dry spring. As a result my

10,000 sq ft of lawn, which was crabgrass-free last year at this time is literally covered with the stuff--despite our putting down preventer right a week before the forsythia bloomed.

I'm not talking a clump here and there, but large tracts of the stuff, and this is despite having thick grass which grows up around it. I already mow to 3" when the lawn is 4".

The man at the locally owned nursery said this is because crabgrass had perfect conditions before the grass greened up this year.

Is the lawn a goner? Is there anything I can do to minimize the damage? This stuff has already set seeds and there's just too much to hand weed. Nuking it would leave large bare spots all over the lawn.

I've put so much effort into reclaiming what had been a crabgrass/hay field and turning it into a lovely lawn that it's really a bummer to see it deteriorate.

--Jenny

[ozzy.kopec]

=========== Is it confirmed crabgrass, or could it be quackgrass?? In my area (SW Chicago area) quackgrass is common on treated lawns as the services

*claim* there's no way to treat it withought killing off other grasses.

[higgledy]

I used a spray last year that killed only the crabgrass, not the desirable grass. The trouble is that crabgrass has a huge footprint and when killed leaves a large hole in your yard.

[Phisherman]

Crabgrass seeds can remain dormant for 10 years or more, waiting for the perfect opportunity. To get it under control...

1. Pull out as much as you can by hand. That means spending time, perhaps a half hour a day.
2. Raise your mower to 3.5"

1. Mow regularly to prevent the crabgrass from seeding.

2. Apply a second application of crabgrass preventer 10 weeks after the first application.

1. Overseed in the fall. When you overseed, mow short, and apply a starter fertilizer. Make sure when you overseed that the last crabgrass preventer has had enough time to not hurt the overseeding. This can be 2 or 3 months.

[Jenny]

I've got quackgrass, too, but this is most definitely crabgrass.

Looks like I'm going to be spending some time weeding, though as the other poster said, the problem with that is then you end up with a big open space into which more weeds grow.

I overseed every fall as this lawn is an ongoing renovation project thanks to the imbecile builder and his lawn-o-weeds he stuck us with.

I just have to just keep telling myself, "This is a country lawn, this is a country lawn! And remember that the sheep and roosters across the road probably don't mind if it looks messy.

--Jenny

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