Many of our customers ask us if their lawn needs crabgrass control. Our answer is an unequivocal “yes!” If you live in the Kansas City area, and you want a weed free lawn this summer, you definitely need crabgrass control. The lawn care experts at Green Head Turf know what a battle it is to keep crabgrass at bay. Here are some tips about crabgrass and why it’s so hard to get rid of.
What Makes Crabgrass So Resilient?
Most weeds have a short cycle and time period in which you can get them under control. Crabgrass is unique. Crabgrass is probably successful (as a weed) because it is an annual that acts like a perennial. It is difficult to eradicate because it keeps growing all season. If the weather is warm, crabgrass is growing. New plant growth, developing seed heads, and mature seeds will all be present on a plant throughout the warm seasons. Because of a variety of size, maturity, and depth in the ground, crabgrass seeds vary as to when they are ready to germinate. They are very dependent on the temperature of the soil. Some will germinate earlier than others and some will germinate later. Technically, when nighttime soil temperatures reach 50 degrees for three nights in a row, crabgrass can start to sprout. But there again, that can vary greatly in different areas. Shady areas, the thickness and height of your turf, trees, moisture, winds, cloudiness and more can affect soil temperature.
Crabgrass Preventer Has a Short Effectiveness Window
The end result is, these pesky weeds will pop up consistently over an extremely long growing season. Will your pre-emergent still be effective when the late blooming crabgrass appears or will it have worn off already? For best results, pre-emergent should be applied and least two times, if not three. The first application should be in early spring. Look for crabgrass along the edges of sidewalks and driveways where the soil warms up first. As soon as you see crabgrass there, apply pre-emergent to your entire lawn. Crabgrass is a very determined weed. For best results, get it down as soon as possible and also get it down as late as possible.
When you hire Green Head Turf Systems for your lawn care, we’ll take care of crabgrass as well as all of the other weeds prevalent in Kansas City lawns. Give us a call at (913) 645-9586 if you need help with your lawn care.
