WEED ID · SUMMER ANNUAL GRASS
Crabgrass
Also called Large crabgrass, smooth crabgrass
A summer annual grass that spreads low and wide. It fills thin spots in warm-season lawns, then drops seed that comes back next year.
How to spot it
- Light green, fairly wide leaf blades that lie flat and spread out from the center
- Leaves are often covered in fine hairs
- Stems root where they touch the soil
- Seedheads look like fingers or a hand, 3 to 15 branches
- Often turns purple in fall and dies with frost
Why it shows up
Crabgrass seed sprouts when the soil warms in spring. It takes over where the lawn is thin, bare, or mowed too short. One plant makes a lot of seed, so it comes back every year.
How we treat it
Crabgrass is an annual, so timing matters. We apply a pre-emergent in late winter to early spring, before the soil warms and the seed sprouts. For plants already up, we spot treat with a product labeled for your grass type. We also fertilize on a schedule that helps your lawn thicken up and crowd it out.
What you can do
- Mow at the right height for your grass. Do not scalp the lawn in spring.
- Water deep and less often. Short, daily watering helps crabgrass.
- Act before spring. Once it is up and making seed, it is harder to stop.
WANT IT HANDLED?
Let a licensed applicator take it from here.
Tell us about your lawn. We’ll get back to you with a free quote.
Prefer to talk? 817-382-1722Licensed applicator, Texas Department of Agriculture · License #0984138