crabgrass control


Old 08-18-19, 05:55 PM
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crabgrass control

I live in hot, dry, California. Near the San Francisco bay, but inland enough to have hot summers. I have some type of blue fecsue ?? something else ??? mix of grass.

I learned from Google that there's not much I can do for crabgrass control until spring. I assume that is correct? I vow to use preemergent herbicides next spring, water more carefully and keep up with fertilizing.

I have pulled up by hand several areas of crabgrass in my lawn. I was hoping to lay down sod in some of the bigger areas. Is that even stupider than letting the carbgrass gain control in the first place? Or what should I fill in the "holes" in the grass with?
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Old 08-19-19, 12:06 AM
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Pulling by hand is about all you can do now other than spraying with Roundup or similar. If grass is growing now, yes, you can patch the holes with seed or sod.
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Old 08-19-19, 01:44 AM
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Yea, I don't know of a lot you can do with bluegrass. There are post emergent herbicides you can use with cool season grasses like Fescue.

Next year apply a pre-emergent herbicide and because of the changing climate you may need to apply sooner than the package recommends. Then re-apply in late spring to hopefully provide protection through most of summer. I don't like to apply any herbicide during the heat of summer as it can stress your lawn even though the label says it's safe.
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Old 08-19-19, 07:54 AM
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Thanks to both of you, confirms what "Google" told me.
Old 08-19-19, 08:37 AM
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The emergence work to keep it under control but once its there you have to spray.

I have fond that pulling doesnt always work, if there are some roots left it comes back.

I just keep a spray bottle of weed and grass killer and make the rounds around the yard hitting them.

You will get a brown spot but eventually the surrounding grass will fill in!
Old 09-08-19, 05:07 PM
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Crabgrass Control

Before I had to sell it, I had a farm that had two acres of mowable growing turf. At the outset it was covered in crabgrass, and using a pre emergent for that much acreage was just not cost effective for me at the time. Someone suggested a wettable powder herbicide specific for crabgrass, )DRIVE) and it really worked well. A huge mix of grasses and weeds that weren't necessary broadleaf filled in eventurally and it was Ok for me. My home has about ten thousand square feet of lawn and after the Drive worked there, the lawn filled in with quack grass and fescue and bluegrass. I have had enough of the quack grass, and have been killing it a clump or small area at a time with ROUNDUP and reseeding it with sunny and shade grass seed. I do not care to kill the whole lawn at once but this is a very slow process and I will eventually succeed. Does Quack grass spread itself with seed, or from spreading it's roots underground, or both?

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