I have been overrun. About half of my lawn is straight up crabgrass.
I know this crap will all die off in about 2 months or so, but what I’m confused about is how to grow new seed in the bare spots that the crabgrass will leave behind next spring, since I’ll going to overseed and aerate in a couple weeks, and will apply pre-emergent (which of course, stops growth).
Looking for anyone’s opinion whose dealt with this before. TIA.
by isorokuYamamotoo
9 Comments
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Also don’t understand how overseeding will get grass to grow where the crabgrass currently is before it dies off, at which point my bluegrass will go dormant as well
Quinclorac will kill the crabgrass. Then you can dethatch to help loosen up the dead plant and mow low to clear it. Aerate, topdress, and overseed. You can use Mesotrione as a pre-emergent at seeding…in Spring you use Prodiamine to block crabgrass, and sometimes you need it again in June to carry through to Fall..
Get rid of it when you see it. Each crabgrass plant can drop 100,000 seeds a season. Get it out when you see it and overseed this fall to thicken up your grass so it chokes out the weeds. Also mow tall and mow often.
OP I suggest hitting up amazon and look for bio advanced lawn weed and crabgrass killer. I see a sale for it right now for $14 to a gallon for ready-to-use and a handheld sprayer included. or the concentrate for a bit less. quinclorac is what you want.
You could spray it now, but I wouldnt bother since it will start dying off when you get your first frost. Next april though, apply a pre-emergent/fert combo product (dithiopyr or prodiamine), then follow it up with a second application a month or so later. It should get you through the season next year.
Pre emergent when the soil temps drop to 55 and again in the spring when they get back up to 55. That’s the best way to combat it
For a quicker kill I like to mix tenacity and drive (quinclorac). Don’t spray when it’s too hot. I know you said you are going to put down pre em but I wasn’t sure if you meant in the fall. There is no need to put it down for crabgrass in the fall. Just get the best germination you can, and do double apps in the spring.
In relation to this post, quincolorac is best for the crabgrass, and I wonder since crabgrass will die on its own this winter, will quinclorac be best to control winter weeds anyway?