Getting Rid of Crabgrass

I managed to neglect my lawn this year to the point of it being nearly all crabgrass. We would like to get our house on the market by next spring so we need to figure out a solution now. What can we do to make the lawn real grass again?

Thanks for any ideas.

Harold

Tear it out and put in sod.

a) its too late to grow grass this year
b) the crabgrass won't sprout till the ground gets hot so if you sell in the spring the new owners will never know till mid summer.

This.
Plus, your only oppertunity is a spring application of a pre-emergence crabgrass killer to get rid of it. Getting the application timing right requires a bit of the stars lining-up, but if you do, it's pretty effective. Don't screw aroung with weed and feed products.

There are a couple good crabgrass killers out there. "Dimension" is in pellet form and is both a pre-emergent AND post-emergent if the stuff is caught early. I used this this year for the first time and am pleased with the results. I still have some crabgrass but not as much as usual and we had the ideal summer for it so, yes, it works.

"Tenacity" is another product that looks to be very good. I plan to try that next year (if the borders ever open so I can shoot down and get some!)

There are a couple others out there but these two seem to have the most promise.

Thanks everyone for your replies. It looks like my best course is to wait until spring before I do anything. Hope there'll be regular grass on the lawn after the crabgrass is gone.

You need to get the pre-emergent down asap, keep seeds from germinating. You can use some weed killer with 2,4-D and quinclorac to take out what's there. But it'll brown and kill the crabgrass, which may or may not be better for what you are trying to do.

Pre-emergent needs to be done asap. At least that's what i'd tell you to do in Texas.

There are several products with the same active ingrediants, but I'm not sure if you'll find them in the big box stores. Although they claim to have some post emergent killing capability, nobody recommends post emernance application. The window for application is narrow, and will move around depending on the spring weather conditions. I think soil temp of 55°F - 3" below surface. A general rule is to apply when the forthysia is done blooming. If you apply dry, it will not become effective until after a good rain. This year we had a 3 week dry spell in the application window. You can apply in liquid too. It will only stay effecting for about a month.

Read the manufacturers label. There is a very short window for proper application. Apply it too early and it just gets washed away. Applying it anytime in Texas may be fine and dandy - for Texas, but in other parts of the world you want to follow the manufacturers instructions or you may as well just burn your money and spread the ash on your lawn - it will be just about as effective!

And FWIW, I think New Jersey weather is more similar to Canadian weather than Texas weather !!!

Around here in NC, the perfect timing for applying crabgrass preventer is when the Forsythia bushes are blooming their yellow blossoms.

Put it down while the snow is still on the ground, almost melted away, then a 1/2 rate application every 2 weeks until the soil temp gets up. You can use it year round. Some crabgrass will still sprout.... put a rubber glove on, then a cotton glove, dip that in roundup, and rub it on the plant so you do not have brown spits from spraying.

True crabgrass is an annual, it will die this winter. It sprouts in the spring. Use a pre emergent on it BEFORE it sprouts. You cannot see it sprout, if you can see the crabgrass growing it’s too late for a pre emergent. When the forsythias bloom is a great time.

Don’t apply lawn products when snow is on the ground. It’s A foolish waste. Follow the directions, they know how their products work.

"Dimension" is advertised as a "post-emergent" and it works very well when you see the sprouts. In fact that's a nice thing - instead of guessing when to apply it, you can apply it when you see the sprouts.

TRU-GREEN 69.95 every 5-6 weeks yard looks like million dollar golf course , only thing they can talk you in to $2000 in extras, just say no

weed-n-feed $$
weed-n-feed trees/shrubs $$
flea-tick $$
insects-bugs $$
mosquitos $$
aeration $$
re-seed $$