The best offense is a good defense

Crabgrass just can’t take a hint. No matter how

much work we put into keeping it out of our lawns,

you can be sure that it will stage a comeback every

year. This is a very aggressive annual weed, and just

one crabgrass plant can produce thousands of seeds

in a season. The seeds germinate in the late spring

and early summer. Once crabgrass plants start

growing, they expand outward in circles that can

reach 12” in diameter. The plants eventually die off

in the fall, leaving behind dead areas in the lawn

where new crabgrass seeds are likely to germinate

again during the next growing season. Crabgrass can

make a mess of your lawn as it out-competes the

good grass you want to have growing on your prop-

erty. It is a lighter green in color and coarser in tex-

ture than desirable lawn grasses, so it can seriously

detract from the uniformity of your lawn if it’s al-

lowed to gain a foothold.

Defending your lawn

Crabgrass has a harder time getting established in a

thick, healthy lawn. In fact, lawns that are under-wa-

tered, under-fertilized and growing thinly provide

ideal growing conditions for this opportunistic weed.

That’s why proper lawn care practices are especially

important. Regular fertilization and sufficient water-

ing (1” to 1 ½” per week) will encourage a denser,

more vigorous lawn that is less prone to crabgrass

invasion. Mowing the lawn high (removing no more

than 1/3 of the grass blade each time) will be helpful

too. This works against crabgrass by keeping the soil

shaded. (Crabgrass seeds germinate more success-

fully in sunny conditions.) For an extra measure of

protection, pre-emergency herbicides can be used to

hinger crabgrass seed germination. By interfering

with a key enzyme during the germination process,

pre-emergents make it much more difficult for crab-

grass plants to grow. For best results, pre-emergents

should be applied in the early spring before crab-

grass seeds start sprouting. And if you’re planning

on seeding your lawn, it’s a good idea to wait six to

eight week after pre-emergents have been applied.

Otherwise, they can prevent your new grass seed

from sprouting as well.

Now is the time to take care of your lawn to prevent

crabgrass from taking over. Not only do we offer

lawn care service, but if you prefer to do it yourself,

visit our Landscape & Garden Center at 1111

Honeyspot Road in Stratford, CT. Our experts will

give you just the products you need for your lawn

and give you step by step instructions.