How to Get Rid of Crabgrass

Have you noticed crabgrass taking over your lawn? If so, our Signature 7-Step Lawn Care program is an effective way to get rid of crabgrass and keep it from coming back.

A combination of our pre-emergent treatment and post-emergent crabgrass program will help eliminate and prevent crabgrass.

Identifying Crabgrass

Crabgrass is an exceptionally tenacious weed, and it can be difficult to tell if your lawn contains crabgrass, which is why step one of getting rid of crabgrass calls for identification. Through close visual inspection, you can determine whether or not your lawn has been overrun by crabgrass.

Crabgrass is very common in lawns and sprouts annually.
Crabgrass has smooth leaf blades and lies flat and spreads wide with the purple color at the base.
It is more commonly seen around the edges of the driveways, sidewalks and streets as these tend to be the warmest part of any lawn.

Crabgrass typically starts to sprout around May and can continue to grow through July and is targeted with our weed control which is included with our signature step 7 lawn care program on each application.

During Step 1 we apply a lawn booster to help the lawn wake up from dormancy as well as a pre-emergent for crabgrass before germination occurs. This will help reduce the amount of crabgrass that germinates and this will improve each season that we are able to put the pre-emergent down.

Lawn Aeration

Aeration helps to break down and reduce the soil compaction that crabgrass often thrives in. By aerating your lawn, you significantly reduce the threat of crabgrass sprouting up and taking over your lawn. The process involves using a mechanical aerator, which inserts spikes into the soil and opens troughs or tiny holes that enable air, water, and fertilizer to penetrate down to the root level more easily. This is a natural and recommended process in the spring and fall.

Recovery Seeding and Overseeding for Your Lawn

Planting new grass seed in the spring is good for your lawn for two reasons. One, as new seed takes root and grows, it leaves little space for unwelcome weeds. Crabgrass and other weeds will thrive in the weakest parts of your lawn like spaces that aren’t getting nutrients or retaining moisture. Two, recovery seeding introduces a new and diverse seed blend into your lawn, making it more resistant to fungus and lawn diseases.

Remove Any Existing Crabgrass Immediately

Getting rid of crabgrass starts with swift action. As soon as you can identify that your lawn has been affected by crabgrass, it’s important to remove the visible growths immediately. Hand-weeding is an effective way to remove existing crabgrass and any other weeds that may have been present in your lawn.

Use a Pre Emergent Treatment like our Signature 7-Step Lawn Care Program

The easiest way of preventing the emergence of weed seeds from taking root in your lawn is with our Signature 7-Step Lawn Care Program. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring, such as late-March or April will help keep crabgrass at bay throughout the year.

Use Spot Treatments on Active Infestations of Crabgrass

If the crabgrass in your lawn is already beyond preventative measures, our Turf Techs can apply a targeted spot treatment using a post-emergent herbicide. With our high-quality crabgrass formula, we’re able to effectively control crabgrass without treating the entire lawn.

If the crabgrass is very mature, a spot treatment such as our Specialty Grassy Weed Control may also be a great option. This treatment is designed specifically to target established grassy weeds while protecting the surrounding turf.

Struggling With Sedge and Weedy Grass?

Grassy weeds like quackgrass and nutsedge require specialized treatments applied at specific times throughout the growing season. The key is timing applications to target these weeds at different growth stages throughout the year. It’s not a quick fix — it’s a season-long strategy that actually works. Discover how to get rid of sedge and weedy grass.