How can I get rid of established crabgrass without digging up the lawn?

Question

Ontario, zone 4b

Answer 1

Crabgrass is a summer annual, and it needs 3 fulls days of the ground being 55 degrees in order for the seeds to germinate. Because it is an annual, the crabgrass will die for the winter. If this is the case and you have a lot of crabgrass, I would recommend waiting until it dies during the winter, and seeding the bare patches with grass seed early in the spring.

Remember, if you do use a pre-emergent fertilizer in the Spring, don't seed, because the pre-emergent will stop your grass seed from germinating as well as the crabgrass. Also, if you use the pre-emergent, don't do it too early. I live in zone 6 and everyone here puts their pre-emergent down in March, when the crabgrass doesn't germinate until June!

If you use a liquid herbicide, don't use roundup on your lawn...it will kill everything, including your lawn, and makes the soil suceptible to dieases and you will have a hard time growing grass in those areas.

I have used the Ortho Weed-B-Gon ready to use crabgrass killer, which worked pretty well and didn't kill too much of the turf. However, like I said, you might just be better off waiting until next spring if you can and seeding some good turf. Then, after your seed has germinated (about 3 weeks later), put down a Fertilizer that has a pre-emergent. You may still have to pull out some crabgrass in the summer, but it should be much better and if you seed any bare patches in the Fall, and do seed again the Spring after...you should almost completely get rid of the crabgrass.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Getting Rid Of Crabgrass

Answer 3

What you could try to do is to place black garbage bags on top of the clusters of crab grass, the intense heat from the sun after several days will kill them off.
If it is localized, try boiling water, do this for about 2-3 days 1-2 times a day.....be careful will also kill grass.

Fertilize the lawn in the spring...this helps the lawn overtake the crabgrass.

Next spring make sure to
Water less frequently, but more thuroughly each time, really soak the lawn

Aerate the soil

Mow the lawn longer than a golf green (about 7.5 cm)


hope this helps!

Answer 4

My dad uses some kind of weed killer I think the brand name is Scott's and it says for crabgrass on it I think look for it in a gardening section at a store

Answer 5

There is fertilizer that kills crab grass. It's at any Home Depot or hardware store.

Answer 6

Lots of weed-n-feed.

Answer 7

Have you tried explosives?