Crabgrass Basics

• To understand what you are up against, you should be familiar with some basic information about crabgrass. There are several varieties of crabgrass. There is a smooth variety of crabgrass, known as Digitaria ischaemum; a larger, hairier variety, called D. sanguinalis; and many others. Apart from being able to identify what type of crabgrass is infecting your yard, distinction between the different varieties can play a role in elimination efforts. If you know what type of crabgrass you have, you can better choose an effective herbicide to deal with it.
  
  

Prevention

• Unless you plan to fight a tiresome war against crabgrass all summer long, the best way to deal with it is to prevent it. Crabgrass prevention can save you a lot of time and money while keeping your yard and gardens beautiful. One of the best ways to prevent crabgrass from growing in your lawn is to properly care for it. The idea behind this is simple: if you keep your lawn healthy and full, without cutting it too short, crabgrass will be unable to compete for resources with the rest of the lawn and will not grow.
  
  

Herbicide Control

• One of the most popular ways of dealing with crabgrass is to apply herbicides. These chemicals are divided into two categories, based on how they work and the timing of their application. Pre-emergent herbicides are applied before the crabgrass appears in the lawn. These herbicides work by inhibiting cell division in the young root system of the crabgrass, thus preventing it from ever becoming a problem. The other type of herbicide used to eliminate crabgrass is post-emergent herbicide. A post-emergent herbicide is applied directly to the crabgrass after the weed has appeared in the yard. These herbicides work in several ways but the most effective varieties work by absorbing into the crabgrass and killing it from the roots up.
  
  

Process

• Eliminating crabgrass from your yard does not have to be an intensive process. With the right combination of cultural control and chemical control, a prudent homeowner will be able to keep the crabgrass population to a minimum. A person should start by applying a fertilizer, with pre-emergent herbicide mixed in, to his lawn in the spring. After that, the lawn should be kept trimmed to a height that will shade out any possible new crabgrass plants attempting to spread. Lastly, with a post-emergent herbicide, simply walk around the yard and spray any crabgrass that might have managed to make it through to the surface of the turf.
  
  

Organic Alternatives

• These days, everything is available with an organic alternative and crabgrass herbicide is no different. Researchers at Iowa State University suggest that those who want to treat their crabgrass problem organically should substitute corn gluten meal for use as a pre-emergent herbicide. Apply this product once in the spring, a few weeks before the crabgrass is expected to show up, and once again in the fall to build up turf strength. For an organic solution to post-emergent herbicides, get some gloves and a trowel to dig up the plants by hand.