Best way to mow crab grass

[V6Pony]

I have a stand of what i used to call water grass but I think it is crab grass.

It is soaking wet all the time and grows like crazy. It can be 100 degrees out side and the grass is full of water. Just leaves a mess of clipping's on the lawn that tend to build up over the summer. The hotter and the higher the humidity the more it grows. As soon as it gets cool it quits growing.

I'm told that the only way to kill it is to use a chemical before it starts to grow in the spring. If anyone knows how to kill it in the summer I would like to know about it.

Does anyone have a way to mow it so it does not look so bad? I'm mowing 2 or 3 times a week now to keep it from growing as tall.

Thanks

 

[shiftsuper175607]

I have a stand of what i used to call water grass but I think it is crab grass.

It is soaking wet all the time and grows like crazy. It can be 100 degrees out side and the grass is full of water. Just leaves a mess of clipping's on the lawn that tend to build up over the summer. The hotter and the higher the humidity the more it grows. As soon as it gets cool it quits growing.

I'm told that the only way to kill it is to use a chemical before it starts to grow in the spring. If anyone knows how to kill it in the summer I would like to know about it.

Does anyone have a way to mow it so it does not look so bad? I'm mowing 2 or 3 times a week now to keep it from growing as tall.

Thanks

Roundup mixed at 2% and dish soap added as a surfactant, sprayed early in the morning.
That should kill it.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I have a stand of what i used to call water grass but I think it is crab grass.

It is soaking wet all the time and grows like crazy. It can be 100 degrees out side and the grass is full of water. Just leaves a mess of clipping's on the lawn that tend to build up over the summer. The hotter and the higher the humidity the more it grows. As soon as it gets cool it quits growing.

I'm told that the only way to kill it is to use a chemical before it starts to grow in the spring. If anyone knows how to kill it in the summer I would like to know about it.

Does anyone have a way to mow it so it does not look so bad? I'm mowing 2 or 3 times a week now to keep it from growing as tall.

Thanks

If you can hear the engine pull down just a little when you get into that area from other grasses we can usually say, yes that's crab grass. It's tuff to cut and a very sharp blade is a must. To make it look better after mowing a second pass may be needed to disperse the clippings after they dry some. I know that's just more mowing that you are probably sick of by now but that's just how it is until you can rid the lawn of it.

To kill it, glyphosate will do the job this time of the season but it will kill everything if sprayed. So if the crab is mixed with other desirable grasses it would take a special application technique.

There may be products just to kill crab grass but check with possibly your county extension office. They are usually very helpful.

Crabgrass preventer applied at the correct seasonal times for your area is about the only other solution.

 

[Grass Whisper]

Hey I would rather see you kill that off vs. continue to mow that weed. I like Celsius WG. Its a "Backed by Bayer" product and can be found at a John Deere Landscapes store near you. Its not cheap nor is it ineffective, so you get what you pay for. Now, if its above 85 degrees in your area, you can only use 1/2 teaspoon per gallon and I would use 1 oz. of mentholated seed oil per gallon of water. (If below 85 degrees then 1 teaspoon) Spot spray is all you need, and just make it wet. Control take about a week to occur and is noted with yellowing. Apply when no rain or irrigation for a day or so. It will knock you socks off how this stuff will be you now pal for weed control. Super product with great results. Although not cheap it will last you a while.

What kind of grass do you have?

 

[V6Pony]

Hey I would rather see you kill that off vs. continue to mow that weed. I like Celsius WG. Its a "Backed by Bayer" product and can be found at a John Deere Landscapes store near you. Its not cheap nor is it ineffective, so you get what you pay for. Now, if its above 85 degrees in your area, you can only use 1/2 teaspoon per gallon and I would use 1 oz. of mentholated seed oil per gallon of water. (If below 85 degrees then 1 teaspoon) Spot spray is all you need, and just make it wet. Control take about a week to occur and is noted with yellowing. Apply when no rain or irrigation for a day or so. It will knock you socks off how this stuff will be you now pal for weed control. Super product with great results. Although not cheap it will last you a while.

What kind of grass do you have?

I would say I have about 50 percent zoysia. No crab grass in the zoysia. The area with the crab grass is some fescue and other weeds. The zoysia is in the back and the other is in the front.

I keep the zoysia out of the front because I just could not decide if I could live with the brown lawn in the winter. I love the zoysia in the back it has no weed problems. Easy to care for easy to mow. Looks great in the summer. Just like outdoor carpet.

 

[Shughes717]

Roundup mixed at 2% and dish soap added as a surfactant, sprayed early in the morning.
That should kill it.

Round up doesn't need a surfactant. It was originally designed as an industrial soap. You can spray round up straight. It will kill grass, but it will come back. you should spray a mixture of round up and prowl in the early spring before the grass starts growing. Prowl is a pre emerge, and the round up will act as a surfactant as well as kill most standing weeds. The issue you may run into is whether the prowl will affect the turf grass that you don't want to kill. It doesn't affect Bermuda, but I would consult your local co op before spraying it to make sure it won't harm your turf grass. I just read your post saying you have zoysia. I probably wouldn't put prowl on zoysia.

 

[Grass Whisper]

Zoysia is very resistant to lots of selective herbicides. I did a quick search on Prowl BASF product. I could not find out a thing for turfgrass use and its not likely used in residential turf. I just don't have the exposure on this product. I have used Celsius and think its very effective. I have the normal lot of florida weeds but my biggest opponet is my pal, Mr. Torpedo Grass. He's a mean one. But for those who have zoysia you can beat him back. To the tune of about 90%.

Zoysia is the first to go to bed and the last to wake up in the seasons. Mine didn't green up until about April. Its a warm grass and it likes heat!

Hope this helps you friend.

 

[Shughes717]

Zoysia is very resistant to lots of selective herbicides. I did a quick search on Prowl BASF product. I could not find out a thing for turfgrass use and its not likely used in residential turf. I just don't have the exposure on this product. I have used Celsius and think its very effective. I have the normal lot of florida weeds but my biggest opponet is my pal, Mr. Torpedo Grass. He's a mean one. But for those who have zoysia you can beat him back. To the tune of about 90%.

Zoysia is the first to go to bed and the last to wake up in the seasons. Mine didn't green up until about April. Its a warm grass and it likes heat!

Hope this helps you friend.

I have an agriculture background. Grew up on a large farm. We have used it for years, and use it as a pre emerge on our Bermuda lawns. It doesn't affect Bermuda. Although I didn't get the opportunity this season due to the wet spring we had here.

 

[Grass Whisper]

So about that Bermuda: I have Empire Zoysia and my neighbor next door has Centipede and it is loaded with areas of Common Bermuda. Now, I wanted to know what I can do (if anything ) to stop the spread to my yard.

In my neighborhood, there are a number of us that have Zoysia and have sprayed Fusalade II to treat it. I just about lost my yard using that product.

Any chance Bermuda could be treated with something after zoysia goes dormant?

 

[Shughes717]

So about that Bermuda: I have Empire Zoysia and my neighbor next door has Centipede and it is loaded with areas of Common Bermuda. Now, I wanted to know what I can do (if anything ) to stop the spread to my yard.

In my neighborhood, there are a number of us that have Zoysia and have sprayed Fusalade II to treat it. I just about lost my yard using that product.

Any chance Bermuda could be treated with something after zoysia goes dormant?

That is a tough one. Every chemical that I know of that will have a residual effect to prevent Bermuda from growing will also prevent zoysia from growing. What I would suggest is a hot dose of round up (32 oz per acre or a little more)in the spring when your zoysia is still dormant, but the Bermuda is turning green. Round up is a contact killer, so the Bermuda will come back, but it will give your zoysia a head start to choking it out. I would come back with another hot dose in the early fall after your zoysia goes dormant again. You can try fusalade or select, but round up is much less expensive and will burn the Bermuda down just as well as either of them will. You don't have to mix a surfactant with round up either. As a matter of fact you don't have to use a surfactant when mixing round up with other chemicals either, because round up acts as a surfactant. Bermuda is very hard to kill, that's why it is so prevalent in lawns that endure the hot dry summers where I live.