I seeded my law this year and now it is infested with crab grass?

Question

It was looking really good and suddenly this weird grass started to go. It pretty much took over. I still have a little grass here and little grass there. The seeds that came up are pretty much still there but I'm worried because of all the crab grass. Is it going to smother my grass? What can I do. I go out everyday and pull some up but it really is too much for one person to pull all the crab grass up. Suggestions

Answer 1

You need to use a premergence to get rid of the crabgrass seed. It will only work on crabgrass seed that has not germinated yet. It will not kill crabgrass that is already growing. Each time you pull the crabgrass up you are stirring up the weed seeds in the ground so they will grow. Go out and  pull as much of the crabgrass as you can, so that it won't choke out your good grass this summer. Immediately put down a pre-emergence. Water it in good. This will help slow down the crabgrass for the rest of the year. Don't pull any more weeds this year. if you do it will defeat the purpose of the pre-emergence. Next year put a down a pre-emergence about the end of April and then again in July. You will need to do this until you get a lawn established. Keep in mind... every hole you dig or weed you pull... crabgrass will grow in that area. There is also a fertilizer with pre-emergence in it. It's expensive but can be put down with grass seed.

Answer 2

Crab grass is an annual and your lawn grass is a perennial. I guess there was a lot of crab grass seed in the dirt where you planted your lawn grass seed. What you need to do is treat the lawn with crab grass preventer early next spring to stop the crab grass germinating next year.

All you can do this year is mow so that you cut off the crab grass seed heads before they mature, and hand weed, if you can stand it. Crab grass is an insidious weed and might smother some of your desired grass types but you will probably get your desired lawn grass coming in strong next year.

Answer 3

Turf Builder with Crabgrass preventer