A healthy and appealing lawn can add a great deal of appeal and value to your home. Unfortunately, implementing and maintaining this lush area of grass is not so simple for most people. Even with the right amount of care, your lawn may develop weeds that spread quickly, taking over and killing grass. This guide will help you understand a few interesting facts about crabgrass, how to prevent it, and what you can do to treat it.

Green Still a Problem

Crabgrass weeds are green and thick, so you may not consider them big problems for your lawn.

At first glance, you may think the new, abnormally-shaped blades of grass are just different types of grass popping up in your lawn. Just because they are green, you may not place much emphasis on them.

It is important to note that even they the patch of crabgrass is small now, it will not remain so. Crabgrass can spread, enlarging over the entire lawn, taking over and killing the other sections of grass.

Without proper treatment, crabgrass can take over the entire lawn. While it will be green, your lawn will mostly be weeds and not actual grass.

Pre-Emergents Are Crucial

Crabgrass can develop in your lawn during the growing seasons, such as spring and summer, but there are ways to prevent these weeds from affecting your grass.

In the spring, apply the first treatment of pre-emergent. This treatment will kill any crabgrass seeds that are in the soil, preventing them from sprouting and germinating.

Pre-emergent should not be applied too early in the spring season, though. Make sure you will not expect any more frost or cooler temperatures because the pre-emergent will not be effective if the soil is too cold.

It is best to wait to apply the pre-emergent until the first new growth on flowers, shrubs, and trees occurs in the spring because temperatures will be warmer.

Also, if you wait to apply the pre-emergent until later in the spring or early summer, you may have already developed crabgrass. Post-emergent must be applied if you have already noticed even small patches of crabgrass.

Watering and Mowing Can Help, Too

Crabgrass can also be prevented with proper watering and mowing.

If your lawn is in distress from heat and drought-like conditions, the grass will die off, causing the lawn to thin out. In most cases, weeds will begin to sprout quickly in thinning areas of your grass. Therefore, make sure to water your lawn properly.

Also, the shorter your grass blades are, the thinner your lawn can be. To reduce the risk of crabgrass and other weeds, mow your lawn at higher heights.

For more information about lawn care, contact a landscaping company in your area.