Crabgrass and Your Lawn: Recognizing and Removing Weeds

Everything You Need to Know About Crabgrass

While at first glance it may seem to blend in with the rest of your lawn well enough, crabgrass can actually cause major issues in your yard. Nobody likes to have their soft, beautiful grass taken over by pesky weeds. Learning how to prevent crabgrass, as well as knowing how to recognize it early on helps you to maintain healthy turf. If your sod has become overrun by weeds, there are solutions to reclaim your yard.



Crabgrass Vs. Sod

The first step to knowing whether you have crabgrass in your yard is knowing what it looks like. Understanding what does and doesn't belong in your yard helps you to properly address any issues.

What Is Sod?

Whether it was there when you moved to your property or you put in yourself, sod is a valuable feature in a home that isn't cheap to replace. Depending on where you live, you may have one of many different kinds of grass in your yard. Common varieties include:

• Ryegrasses Grass
• St. Augustine Grass
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Dwarf Fescue
• Fescue Blends

While they have slightly different qualities, these types of grass are characterized by how good they look in a yard. They have the soft feeling that probably brings to mind memories of playing in the yard as a child. With proper care, they grow evenly and maintain a uniform look.

While some of these varieties are more prone to clumping up than others, for the most part, you should notice things stay soft and even. If you see patches that don't seem to belong, it is a good indicator that pest plants are beginning to take hold.

What Is Crabgrass?

When sod is not properly cared for it can become short and patchy. This creates the right conditions for crabgrass to take hold. Crabgrass gets its name from the many leg-like stems that protrude from it in a mound. Depending on the environment where it is growing, crabgrass can have a variety of appearances. Often, it will look much more coarse with larger stems than the rest of your lawn. It may be lighter in color, having a light green or yellowish tint.

Several weeds look similar to crabgrass but aren't, including nimblewill, quackgrass, and others. If you aren't sure what kind of weeds are invading your lawn, the best course of action is to work with a professional landscaper to help identify and eliminate them.

How Crabgrass Harms Your Lawn

Besides its scraggly unkempt appearance, there are a few reasons you should try to prevent crabgrass from making its home in your yard. Once it has a foothold, it will likely spread to other areas, feeding off of the nutrients that are supposed to be going to your turf. As summer progresses, conditions will likely continue to become more friendly to the weeds, which are harder in the heat than cultivated grasses. Due to the many seeds they contain, each clump has the potential to spread, and getting rid of it can quickly become a big project.

Preventing Crabgrass

Oftentimes the best way to prevent crabgrass is to keep your lawn healthy. Healthy sod should out-compete any weeds, keeping them from establishing themselves. To do this, your lawn will need to be well-watered, fertilized, and kept to a healthy height.

While it may seem counterintuitive, letting your turf grow a little longer can actually keep things neater in the long run. Invading weeds will have a more difficult time establishing themselves due to the shade longer grass creates. Thorough watering can also help your grass to root in strongly and prevent crabgrass from having anywhere to grow.

Fixing an Overrun Lawn

Weeds are signs of deterioration in your lawn, and they can get bad enough that the sod will need to be completely redone. If you find yourself at this point, working with a professional landscaping contractor to refurbish your yard helps a lot. You can use the opportunity to eliminate the weed-infested sod and redesign your yard to be more usable and easy to take care of.

Alternatives to Sod

While it is possible to maintain weed-free grass, you can consider reducing the amount of time you'll need to put into it by redesigning your yard with drought-tolerant landscaping. This type of yard design is mindfully made to incorporate less turf while still creating a beautiful outdoor space. It is easier to keep free of weeds and better for the environment, especially if you live in a drought-prone area.

Keeping Your Yard Free of Weeds

It is normal to encounter weeds now and then, but when left unchecked the problem can get out of hand. Crabgrass is one of the most common issues to watch for on your lawn. Whether you have a yard overrun by crabgrass that needs to be redone or you are looking to cut down on the time you put into the lawn with a yard redesign, we can help. Request a free quote today to get started.