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The number one most difficult weed to control in Maryland is crabgrass. The reason for this has to do with temperature changes, soil moisture and lastly, timing. Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed that can ruin your lawn’s aesthetic in almost no time by outcompeting your lawn grass. It grows more quickly than your grass, so you’ll likely notice it more after you’ve mowed your lawn.
Combating crabgrass requires good timing, proactive treatment and diligence. With consistent treatment, you can eliminate crabgrass from your lawn altogether, preserving your grass and preventing this ugly invader. Here are some of the best tips and tricks for how to treat crabgrass in your Maryland lawn.
The first step to winning the fight against crabgrass is knowing your enemy. In Maryland, there are two species of crabgrass that you’re likely to find in your lawn — smooth and hairy crabgrass. Luckily, these species can often be treated using the same methods.
Crabgrass is a coarse-textured, yellow-green grassy weed that grows in clumps. These unattractive weeds are particularly noticeable among the deep green and fine texture of typical Maryland lawn grass. Crabgrass has prostrate growth habits, which means its lower stems branch out and spread close to the ground. These plants also grow upward, reaching up to 2 feet tall.
As an annual weed, crabgrass has a simple life cycle. It germinates in the spring, thrives in the summer and lays its seed just before it dies, usually before the first frost as winter is approaching.
So, with such a simple life cycle, why is this weed so difficult to control and prevent? Crabgrass is very good at reproducing and adapting to your lawn. A single plant will produce up to 150,000 seeds in a single life cycle, spreading them through your lawn in preparation for the next growing season. When these seeds germinate, the next generation of crabgrass takes over in exponential quantities.
Whether you know it or not, there are likely already crabgrass seeds in your lawn. If you don’t do anything, those seeds will germinate at the start of spring, and you’ll end up with a fresh crabgrass outbreak. The best way to prevent crabgrass from growing in your lawn is to eliminate the seeds before they have the chance to germinate.
Crabgrass plants enter their reproductive stage at the end of the summer when the days begin to get shorter. They’ll release their seeds at the end of the season and die off after the first frost in the fall. Those seeds remain dormant for the winter and begin to germinate in the early spring.
The key to killing your crabgrass seeds and preventing them from germinating is timing. Knowing when to put down a crabgrass preventer to eliminate the seeds is vital for protecting your lawn from crabgrass.
The spring temperatures in Maryland can be a wild card for sure. We have had temperatures as high as 90 degrees when spring approaches and also as low as freezing on certain cold spring nights. During an average year in Maryland, crabgrass seeds will begin to germinate between mid-March and late April, depending on where you are in the state.
The key is to pay close attention to the soil. Using the soil temperatures will give us a road map as to when to apply your crabgrass preventer and help us eliminate the fluctuations of air temperature, which is often misleading. If you pay close attention to your soil temperature, then it’s best to apply your crabgrass preventer when the soil reaches 55 degrees for three to five consecutive days.
Timing is everything when trying to prevent crabgrass. You can use many environment observations to help know when to apply preemergent in Maryland. One of the most famous indicators is the forsythia bush. When this bush starts to show its beautiful colorful flowers, it indicates that time is of the essence.
This will help somewhat, but more concrete methods such as soil temperature and moisture are typically better simply because the forsythia can be influenced into blooming early for various reasons such as plant placement and erratic weather conditions. If you are checking the soil temperature consistently and it reaches our ideal temperature for three to five days consecutively, then there is no guessing involved! It is time to act!
Crabgrass loves having plenty of moisture in the soil to germinate. In Maryland, our weather is very unpredictable, so unfortunately, you cannot just pick a date on the calendar and cross your fingers in hopes of applying your product within the proper window ahead of time.
Proper preparation prevents poor performance. When it comes to crabgrass, it truly is well worth the time to use the various indicators diligently before using your crabgrass preventer to ensure you don’t apply it too early or, even worse, to wait until it’s too late.
Taking your soil temperatures and paying close attention to the weather is the best way to determine when to spread a crabgrass preventer. When you apply these treatments, they soak into your lawn, targeting any crabgrass seeds trying to germinate and preventing their success, eliminating them from your lawn.
Ensure that you are thorough when you spread your crabgrass preventer across your lawn. You’ll want to get every inch of your lawn because the crabgrass will flourish in any spots you’ve missed. Your crabgrass preventer will get to work right away and should last for several weeks.
Preventers can become less effective in the weeks following application, especially if you experience heavy rain that speeds up the product’s decay. Be sure to consult your preventer’s label so you know the recommended waiting period between applications.
Crabgrass preventers are effective herbicides, but you want to be sure you choose an option with the least impact on your lawn, your family and the environment. Some products are more environmentally friendly and kind to other plants in your yard.
If you have pets or kids who will be playing on your lawn, select a product rated as safe for use around animals and children.
If your timing isn’t quite right or your lawn has thin spots, your preemergent treatment may not be enough to eliminate your crabgrass growth. Crabgrass that grows after preemergent treatment — also known as breakthrough growth — will require additional treatment to prevent a takeover.
Use a post-emergent spot treatment product to address any breakthrough crabgrass growth before it reaches maturity to ensure it doesn’t have the opportunity to deposit any new seeds into your lawn.
Maintaining a thick, healthy lawn is also a great preventive measure against crabgrass invasions. Crabgrass is a very competitive weed that thrives during the hottest months when cool-season lawn grasses are under some stress. This invasive weed will seize any opportunity to overtake your grass. Here are some tips for keeping an overall healthy lawn to fend off crabgrass.
To keep your lawn dense and healthy, you should give it everything it needs to thrive, including the right amount of water. At the peak of summer, your Maryland lawn will require about 1 inch of water per week, including rain and manual irrigation. We recommend splitting this 1 inch of water into two or three deep waterings per week, letting the soil dry between waterings.
The best time to water your lawn is soon after a light rain because the natural rain pretreats your soil, allowing it to absorb your irrigated water for a deep soak more easily.
In addition to regular watering, fertilizing your lawn annually will give it the energy it needs to grow thick and vibrant. Learn more about how to properly fertilize your lawn each year.
Crabgrass requires sunlight and heat to germinate and grow in your lawn successfully. When you maintain a thicker, taller lawn, the grass will actually block the sun’s heat, preventing it from reaching the crabgrass seed or sprouts below. Though some people like to mow their lawns lower, keeping your grass about 3 inches high is best for preventing crabgrass growth.
Aerating and overseeding your lawn are both standard techniques for encouraging your grass to grow as healthy and dense as possible. Lawn aeration breaks up dead organic materials and allows air and nutrients to more easily penetrate your soil, while overseeding your existing lawn eliminates thin patches by quickly replacing old grass with new, healthy blades.
The best time to aerate and overseed your lawn in Maryland is in the early fall when the weather begins to cool.
At OrganicLawns, we have been in business for over 20 years, and we take crabgrass very seriously. We know that the most important part of lawn beauty is keeping crabgrass from invading our lawns. We have talked the talk and walked the walk with crabgrass for two decades and plan to make it three.
As mentioned above, the most crucial keys to crabgrass control are timing, proactive treatments and diligence. Our expert team knows exactly how to time treatments for the ultimate efficacy, and we’re dedicated to maintaining your lawn in a way that helps eliminate crabgrass growth. Let us worry about the timing and testing and bring out the lush, thick, weed-free lawn you’ve always dreamed of.
We’re ready to help you tackle your crabgrass prevention head-on. Give us a call at 410-536-5800 or contact us online, get a free quote or speak to a lawn care professional about how we can help.
