Prevent crabgrass killer and foxtail in your turf lawn

Crabgrass

Controlling Crabgrass in the Lawn
Of all lawn weeds, crabgrass is the most common and bothersome. It is probably the only weed that everyone hates! Even though it is a grass, crabgrass doesn't blend in with lawn grasses in color, habit or texture and can be so aggressive that it out-competes the good turf grass. Understanding the life cycle of crabgrass will help you deal with it more effectively.

What exactly is crabgrass? Crabgrass is an annual grassy weed with broad blades with a rough texture and a lighter green color. Since it is annual weed, crabgrass germinates in the spring when soil temps reach 55°- 60°F. From mid-summer to fall, crabgrass plants mature and produce seed heads. The crabgrass plants are killed by frosts in autumn, leaving behind seed and a bare spot for the crabgrass seed to germinate next spring.

What does crabgrass look like? Crabgrass is a low-growing weed with lots of stems that form flat clumps. Clumps spread out and root along the stems at joints. The blades are coarse, pointed and short. As crabgrass matures, they send up branched seed heads that have thousands of crabgrass seeds. Looking out over your yard, crabgrass shows up as patches of a much lighter green than the rest of your turf lawn.

How do I prevent crabgrass? PREVENT!® with spring fertilizer must be applied before crabgrass begins to germinate. Depending on how quickly the ground warms up in the spring, plan on applying PREVENT!® between Mid-March to Mid-April. PREVENT!® is a combination of spring fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicides to help strengthen the turf grasses and keep turf grass more competitive. For season long control of crabgrass a booster shot of PREVENT!® is applied Late-May to Early June.

Why two application? Uncle's Idiot Proof Lawn Care Program includes two applications of PREVENT!®, when used as directed, two applications will give 98% control on ugly annual grassy weeds like crabgrass and foxtail. This two application PREVENT!® is superior to any one step application herbicide because:

It's Idiot Proof! Grass Pad's two step application of PREVENT!® is more forgiving if over applied. If your spreader was not calibrated accurately or you have over estimated the size of your lawn and you over apply a one application formulation pre-emergence, it's possible to sterilize the lawn from seeding for an entire year.
Formulated for Kansas City. The amount of pre-emergent required to kill crabgrass in Kansas City is not the same as needed for crabgrass in Newark NJ. National name brand crabgrass killers use the same pre-emergent formula as the homeowner from Newark to San Diego.
Bigger bags containing larger pellets have better particle distribution. Bigger particles hold more herbicide means more herbicide on the lawn. National name brands want smaller and lighter bags, so they can ship more on a pallet.
Spring fertilizer in PREVENT!® promotes rapid growth of dense turf which significantly reduces the amount of crabgrass in the lawn. Spring fertilizer makes the grass grow, leaving little room in the soil for crabgrass to grow.

How long do I have to wait before seeding grass? PREVENT!® will remain active in the soil 10-12 weeks, affecting all grass seeds, not just crabgrass. When you understand how PREVENT!® kills crabgrass seed there are ways to be successful with spring seeding and a sales person can explain it in greater detail or To read more about PREVENT!® and spring seeding. Click Here.