Spotting crabgrass in your lawn is enough to make any homeowner feel crabby. This problem weed thrives on hot, dry conditions, so it loves Texas summers. Even worse, a single plant distributes thousands of seeds in one season. No wonder crabgrass is such an issue.
Crabgrass begins at a low-growing, central root. It’s blades are a lighter green than turf grasses, and the blades tend to be thicker. This annual weed sometimes seems like a perennial with its ability to reproduce. From the spring to the fall, it grows and produces more seeds. Mowing crabgrass doesn’t get rid of the problem. It tends to encourage this weed to grow closer to the ground, all the while continuing to produce seeds. This adaptive tendency is one of the reasons that it’s so hard to get rid of crabgrass.
When cold weather arrives, the crabgrass dies, but not before leaving thousands of seeds that will germinate next year. One of the most reliable methods for dealing with crabgrass is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. Usually, this is done early in the spring before last spring’s seeds have a chance to germinate. The beauty of using a pre-emergent herbicide is that it prevents thousands of seeds from ever sprouting into plants. Timing is of the essence here. Get started too late and the application won’t be effective.
Good lawn maintenance techniques are essential to keeping crabgrass out of your lawn. Mowing too low makes turf susceptible to all sorts of pests, diseases and weeds like crabgrass. Accordingly, it’s important to focus on keeping mower blades at one of the highest settings. The sharpness of the blades matters too, as this keeps the grass healthier. Crabgrass loves nitrogen, so if you give your lawn fertilizer that contains nitrogen, as most of them do, then you may be perpetuating your problem. It may make sense to try a fertilizer that doesn’t have nitrogen that will benefit your lawn while not feeding crabgrass.
It’s also important to exercise care with watering. A surface that is constantly wet is particularly attractive to germinating seeds. Still, it’s important for your turf to get the hydration it requires in order to survive. The secret may be in watering deeply on a less-frequent basis, which allows the surface to dry completely. If you’re worried about crabgrass in your Euless, Texas yard, contact us for all of your lawn maintenance needs.
