What Is Crabgrass and Why Is It Bad for Your Lawn?

Crabgrass is a weed that can be a real pain in the neck for homeowners. It's not actually grass, but an annual weed that can quickly take over your lawn. In fact, crabgrass can kill off other varieties of grass and steal nutrients, making it one weed to banish immediately! In this blog post from The Grounds Guys, we'll provide details on how to identify and how get rid of crabgrass so that your lawn can grow healthy and green each year.

What is Crabgrass?

Crabgrass is a weed that reproduces by seed. Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds, which means crabgrass can spread quickly and easily if not controlled. This weed thrives in hot, dry conditions and often appears in early summer when temperatures start to rise.

What does crabgrass look like? If you're not sure whether or not you have crabgrass, there are a few ways to tell. First, take a look at the overall appearance of your lawn. If you see patches of yellow or brown grass, this could be a sign of crabgrass. Another way to tell is to look for the weeds themselves. Crabgrass has a light green color and hairy leaves. The stems are also usually longer than other types of grass in your lawn.

Proper Lawn Height to Prevent Crabgrass

How high do you cut your lawn? One of the best ways to prevent crabgrass is by maintaining the proper height for your lawn. For most types of grass, this means keeping it between two and three inches tall. This may seem like a lot, but taller grass helps to shade out the weed seeds, so they don't have a chance to germinate. If you're not sure how to properly mow your lawn, consider hiring a professional lawn mowing company to do it for you.

Related Topic: What Month Should You Start to Cut Your Lawn?

Early Prevention for Crabgrass

If you’ve battled crabgrass before, you may be wondering how to kill crabgrass for good. The best way to get rid of crabgrass is to prevent it from growing in the first place. One way to do this is by applying a pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer to your lawn in early spring. The right herbicide kills crabgrass seeds before they have a chance to germinate, which can help to keep your lawn looking its best all season long. Fertilization services provides the nutrients your lawn needs to stay healthy and strong.

Healthy Lawns Crowd Out Crabgrass

Another way to prevent crabgrass is by ensuring your lawn is healthy. A thick, lush lawn will crowd out crabgrass and make it less likely to take over. To achieve this, make sure you're watering deeply and regularly, mowing at the proper height, and fertilizing on a regular basis. By properly caring for your lawn, you can prevent crabgrass from spreading and wreaking havoc in your yard.

Let The Grounds Guys Help

Now that you know how to identify crabgrass and what you can do to control it, you have some of the tools you need to keep your lawn lush and green each year. But keeping weeds away from your lawn and garden can be a challenge. Maintaining a healthy, green lawn throughout the year can feel like a never-ending battle. When maintaining your lawn gets to be too much, or if you just need some help, contact The Grounds Guys. We’re pros when it comes to eliminating crabgrass and other weeds that can ruin your lawn. Our skilled and experienced lawn maintenance professionals know how to get and keep your lawn looking it's absolute best all year long.

To learn more about our quality weed control and fertilization services, contact The Grounds Guys to request an estimate online today!