The Top Reasons to Eliminate Crabgrass in Your Lawn
Crabgrass is one of the most common weeds found in Indiana lawns. In an otherwise pristine and well-manicured lawn, a single patch of crabgrass sticks out like a sore thumb. If you want to reduce the impact of this weed and ensure it doesn’t ruin the look of your property, it’s important to learn more about it.
Crabgrass, just as the name implies, is a type of grass. It’s just not the turf-type of grass used to create lawns.
The main difference between Crabgrass and more desirable types of lawn grasses is that Crabgrass is considered an annual grass. Grasses that are used for beautiful lawns are perennial grasses.
Keep reading to learn more about crabgrass and why hiring professionals to handle the problem may be the best move.
Getting to Know Crabgrass’s Lifecycle
In the local area, there are always thousands of dormant crabgrass seeds in the soil. When spring moves in and the soil temperatures exceed 55 degrees, some of the seeds in the lawn will begin to grow. Therefore investing in an early application of crabgrass preventer is so important in the spring.
At this point, the crabgrass seeds will crack open, and the plant’s life cycle begins. The crabgrass will keep growing and spreading during the spring, summer, and partly into the fall. It will also be producing seeds as it grows.
Any existing crabgrass plants will die when cold weather returns (usually sometime after the first frost). For those crabgrass plants, that’s the end of their lifecycle – they will not come back to life next spring. However, every plant has released thousands of seeds on your lawn. These seeds are what will result in even more crabgrass the following spring.
What’s the Big Problem with Crabgrass?
The main reason you want to eliminate crabgrass is that it’s ugly. While it may sound a bit harsh, it’s true. Crabgrass isn’t turf-style grass. It also grows all season long. It can take over if you let it get out of control, especially during the summer months.
The grass used for lawns in the local area grows most during the spring and fall. In the summer, the growth may halt and even stop. However, crabgrass will continue to thrive, even when it is extremely hot and dry outside.
Most landscape professionals know that crabgrass is an “opportunistic” plant. That means it will start growing in bare areas in your lawn. However, it may also begin to crowd your good grass that may be weak – sometimes this occurs if you mow too short, are dealing with insect problems, disease, or something else.
Even worse, when a hard frost moves in, all the crabgrass in your yard will die, turn brown, and be even uglier!
Seek Professional Services to Eliminate Crabgrass Once and for All
If you want to make sure that you eliminate crabgrass from your lawn and keep it from coming back, hiring professionals is recommended. They can get to the “root” of the problem and provide the treatments needed to help you maintain your beautiful lawn.