[Ponch]

I live in ft. Mill, sc and my lawn is full of crabgrass. How do I eliminate this. Do I seed now or do I use emergents for the crabgrass.

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[wildandblue]

Crabgrass is an annual, so taking steps to prevent its setting seed or germinating seed will eliminate it. Set your wheels up as high as they go when you mow, this will prevent light reaching the ground that the seed needs to germinate, use a preemergent, and pull out the weed plants as soon as they grow the flowering seed tops before they get pollinated and set seed. The plant has a big top all attached to a small root that comes out pretty easily. Burn or put pulled weeds in trash, don't compost them.

[Patriarch]

I live in ft. Mill, sc and my lawn is full of crabgrass. How do i eliminate this. Do i seed now or do i use emergents for the crabgrass.

>Moved from Forum Help<

Along with the previous advice you might consider just allowing the crabgrass to die as the weather turns cold. If you do allow it to die on its own keep it cut so that it does not produce more seed heads. This is important because at this time of the season crabgrass drops seeds for germination next spring. Once it dies you can leave it until next spring or pull it now. Apply the preemergent early next spring between march and April when the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees. After about 4 weeks, or whenever the label of the herbicide says, spread your compost, starter fertilizer and grass seed over the soil. Work the seed about one eighth of an inch just below the surface allowing half of it to remain visible. Roll over the seed with a lawn roller or stand on a plank over the seed. Water it gently and keep it moist on a daily bases. This may mean watering it twice daily. In about a week or week and a half your grass should begin to grow. Apply enough seed so that it will grow so thickly that it will prevent crabgrass from sprouting in the future. Yet do not apply so much that there is no room or not enough fertility in the soil to sustain all the grass blades. This would just be wasteful.