Preventing Crabgrass On Your Lawn

As summer approaches and hot and dry weather begins, it becomes the prime season for an invasion of crabgrass – an ugly, opportunistic weed that will try its best to get a foothold on your commercial landscape.

If you’re a commercial property manager, now is the time to make sure the right preventative measures have been taken to keep crabgrass from ruining all your hard work to upgrade the curb appeal of your property.

Steps To Avoiding Crabgrass

Because crabgrass grows faster during the summer months, remember to take the following preventative actions before the real heat arrives:

• Mow summer turf to a minimum of 3.5 inches. Crabgrass thrives in sunlight, so keeping the grass as thick and long as possible helps keep it at bay. Cutting your lawn too close will produce patches where crabgrass and other weeds can germinate.
• Apply a crabgrass pre-emergent. One or two applications of targeted, crabgrass-specific herbicide will help you control crabgrass hotspots. Apply the herbicide uniformly across your lawn; if you miss a spot, crabgrass can quickly take hold and spread to the rest of your lawn. Don’t use pre-emergent herbicide if crabgrass is already established or if you have just installed sod.
• Keep a close eye on high-stress areas. Pay particular attention to curb lines and roadways: radiating heat from paved surfaces plus residual chemicals from winter ice melt make these prime areas for crabgrass growth.
• Water long and heavy. Once your lawn is established, water in long, heavy intervals to avoid the dry conditions in which crabgrass thrives.
• Fertilize regularly. Fertilize three to four times a year – a healthy, dense stand of turf is the best defense against crabgrass.

Now is the time to control crabgrass on your commercial lawn. If it has already taken hold, you’ll need a different strategy to manage the problem – and that strategy starts with picking up the phone and calling the pros at Diamond Landscapes & Athletic Fields! Contact us today to learn more about commercial landscaping services in Connecticut.