Stop Crabgrass Before It Sprouts With Effective Lawn Care Services
Who doesn’t love spring? Here in New Albany, Indiana, the weather gets warm, the sun comes out, and the world seems to wake up from all around us. Unfortunately, though, crabgrass loves the springtime just as much as the rest of us do. Still, you don’t have to settle for a lawn full of this aggressive, unsightly weed if you’ve got a little knowledge on your side, invest in a comprehensive lawn care program, and have a few techniques in your repertoire. Keep reading to learn more!
What Does Crabgrass Look Like?
It’s easy to see crabgrass on your lawn. Where your turfgrass is lush, dense, tall, and beautiful, crabgrass is, well… ugly. Its uneven shoots, sometimes called legs, grow out from a central point at odd angles and grow close to the ground. Looking at it from above, its name actually makes quite a bit of sense!
Why is Crabgrass So Bad?
Like so many other opportunistic weeds, crabgrass is bad news. In addition to stealing precious water, nutrients, and growing space from your desired grasses, crabgrass can spread quickly, taking over wide sections of your lawn when left untreated. Worse still, crabgrass can be difficult to eradicate once it matures and aggressively seeds itself for next year. A single plant can produce upwards of 80,000 seeds in a season, kickstarting a brand new, and often worse, next spring!
How Can I Prevent Crabgrass from Taking Over My New Albany Lawn?
There are no two ways about it; crabgrass is a pain. And while dealing with it on your own can seem like a tall order, a few basic preventative techniques can go a long way.
Some of our favorite methods include:
Repairs
A damaged lawn is a vulnerable lawn. Whether your grass has scars from routine turfgrass die-off or blank patches left behind from last year’s weeds, crabgrass is quick to populate those areas come spring. To help prevent this from happening in the first place, we recommend seeding, fertilizing, and watering any bare or damaged areas at the very outset of the season to let your grass get a head start. Be sure to act quickly, though, because crabgrass and other nuisance weeds can strike at a moment’s notice!
Mowing
Mowing your lawn to the correct height is critical. In addition to stimulating robust growth, proper mowing will allow your turf to grow into a thick, dense patch that will snuff out opportunistic weeds before they become established. Even stubborn, aggressive weeds like crabgrass can’t grow and spread if they don’t have the space or resources that they need. Fostering dense grass growth through proper mowing technique then is an excellent way to prevent a crabgrass infestation from occurring in the first place. Not sure what kind of grass you have or the height it should be? No problem. Get in touch with a lawn care professional like Turf Pro Outdoor Solutions today to get the information you need.
Fertilizing
Similarly to mowing your grass to its preferred height, keeping it fed and healthy is a fantastic way to keep unwanted weeds like crabgrass from moving in. Why? Well, if your grass has the nutrition that it needs, chances are it will stay healthy all year. Healthy lawns with strong grasses excel at outcompeting weeds, depriving them of the chance to spread. Choosing the right fertilizer can be a challenge, though, as the market is flooded with options, and a casual trip to the hardware store can be enough to give even an experienced lawn care enthusiast a headache. Never fear, though, because here’s a helpful guide to let you get started!
Watering
Crabgrass likes it hot and likes it dry, and thrives in drought. It follows then that if you keep your lawn well-hydrated, you’re depriving crabgrass of its preferred conditions. There’s an important caveat to this method because watering your lawn is far more complicated than you might imagine. If you give it too much water, the excessive moisture might kickstart the spread of fungus and lawn disease. However, if you water it too little, you’re allowing drought-resistant weeds to get the jump on your grass. Finding the right watering levels for your lawn can take some investigating, but here’s a great place to start.
Get Help from New Albany’s Experts With Our 7-Step Lawn Care Program
Sometimes crabgrass is too much to deal with on your own. We get it. DIY lawn care can be rewarding but also discouraging at times and a massive time investment even under the best of circumstances. If you don’t have the time, energy, or know how to get rid of crabgrass on your own, we’re here to help! At Turf Pro Outdoor Solutions, our 7- Step Application Lawn Care Program is designed specifically to set your grass up for success and to snuff out crabgrass before it even sprouts. There’s no need to go it alone when you’ve got the region’s very best lawn care company at your beck and call.
For more tips and ideas on all things, lawn care check out our other blog articles.