Maintaining a manicured summer yard involves a lot more than just mowing your grass. To keep your lawn in tip-top shape, you’ll need to give it enough water, fertilize it with care, ward off pests, and control the aggressive weeds that threaten your lush blades. While all summer weeds are unwanted, there’s one particular plant that’s a gardener’s worse enemy during the warmer months: crabgrass. If you’ve recently noticed a patch of thick, coarse grass that seemed to appear out of nowhere, chances are, that’s exactly what you’re dealing with.
With sprawling, finger-like stems, crabgrass is a warm-season annual that loves hot, dry weather, which means it shines in the summertime. It germinates from seeds when soil temperatures warm up in spring, and once established, it thrives in warm, sunny spots in lawns and gardens. Due to its low-growing, fast-spreading nature, this invader can quickly outcompete desired grasses, take over thin or bare patches, and lead to an unkempt and uneven look. While it’s one of the most common weeds, it’s also one of the most difficult to manage—especially if you fail to catch it early. However, with the right approach, you can tackle crabgrass before it consumes your yard—and prevent it from returning next year. Here’s how to get rid of crabgrass, according to Lowe’s store manager Brian Shaunfield.
Why Crabgrass Is Taking Over Your Yard
Although it might seem like it, crabgrass doesn’t just pop up out of thin air. Instead, this troublesome weed takes advantage of stressed-out lawns. Here are some of the most common reasons why crabgrass might be taking over your yard:
Your Lawn Is Sparse
When lawns have thin or patchy areas, crabgrass tends to jump on the opportunity to invade them. Whether it’s due to heavy foot traffic, disease, or drought, sparse spots provide the ideal environment for crabgrass to spread: When blades aren’t growing, the weed has more sunlight and space and less competition to flourish.
Your Grass Is Cut Too Short
Believe it or not, mowing your lawn isn’t enough—there’s a correct method to follow. If you cut your grass too short (called scalping), the soil beneath the blades will receive more sunlight, creating the perfect conditions for crabgrass seeds to germinate.
Your Soil Is Compacted
If your yard gets a lot of foot traffic from kids, pets, or heavy equipment, odds are, your soil is compacted. When soil is densely packed, it’s harder for grass to get the nutrients it needs to grow, which crabgrass is very good at detecting.
Heat Is Stressing Your Yard Out
When summer temperatures soar, your lawn becomes weaker and more stressed out. Since crabgrass loves hot weather, the weed (unlike your grass) comes to life in the heat. Because crabgrass has the upper hand, it outcompetes regular grass and spreads fast.
You Missed Your Herbicide Window
A single crabgrass plant can produce thousands of seeds, which typically stay dormant until the right conditions surface. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide can prevent the weed from germinating and establishing, but in order for the product to work, it must be sprayed in early spring. Otherwise, you might be dealing with a crabgrass overload.
How to Get Rid of Crabgrass
Now that you’re well aware why crabgrass has invaded your lawn, you can take the necessary steps to eliminate it. If crabgrass is actively growing in your yard, removing it requires a chemical treatment or manual removal, not just lawn care. “If crabgrass has become established in your lawn, proper lawn maintenance alone may not be enough," Shaunfield says. Here’s how to get rid of crabgrass:
Apply a Post-Emergent Herbicide
For crabgrass that’s already established and is currently growing, Shaunfield recommends applying a post-emergent herbicide. To spot-treat the weed, purchase a product that contains quinclorac, which kills crabgrass in one to two weeks. A natural weed killer made with one gallon of white vinegar, one cup of salt, and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap is an effective DIY alternative.
Manually Pull the Weeds
If you have just a few patches of crabgrass and the soil is damp, hand-pulling crabgrass can be successful—just make sure you get the roots to prevent the plant from re-sprouting. Taking the manual route does take some work, but pulling them early can prevent a bigger problem down the line.
How to Stop Crabgrass from Growing Back
If you've been lucky enough to avoid crabgrass so far, there are proactive steps you can take to maintain a weed-free lawn. "The best defense against crabgrass is a healthy lawn," Shaunfield says. "Unwanted grasses and weeds simply can’t thrive in a robust stand of grass." Follow these short-term and long-term preventative measures to keep crabgrass out of your lawn for good:
Use a Pre-Emergent Treatment
Crabgrass might die in the winter, but the invasive plant leaves behind thousands of seeds that can germinate in the warmer months. To stop these seeds before they sprout, apply a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring when soil temperatures are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Look for a product that contains ingredients like dithiopyr, pendimethalin, or prodiamine, and be sure to use it over several consecutive days.
Keep Your Grass Longer
Since cutting your grass too short, especially in late spring and early summer, gives crabgrass enough sunlight and space to grow, a strong defense mechanism is keeping your blades long and thick enough to shade the soil. Check the mowing height guidelines for your specific type of grass, and cut your lawn at the highest recommended setting. Just be sure not to cut more than one-third of the grass at a time!
Deeply Water Your Yard
Instead of hydrating your lawn in shallow, frequent intervals, deeply water it when needed (typically once or twice a week) to promote deeper root growth. Consistent—but less frequent—watering will help your grass stay strong and competitive against crabgrass.
Regularly Fertilize Your Lawn
To keep your grass thick and weed-resistant, apply a fertilizer once a year. Just be sure to avoid over-fertilizing, which can stress out the blades and actually encourage weed growth. By following these methods and staying vigilant, you can effectively manage crabgrass and maintain a lush, weed-free lawn year-round!
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
