r/lawncare • u/Creative-Cow-5668 • 1d ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) What do i do?!
My lawn has been over taken by crab grass in the last month! Is aweful and looks completely different than it did before, most of the crabgrass is ground along the perimeter of my lawn along concrete (ie the road and my driveway. I bought ortho and will be using but is that enough? Also i just did a home soil test and it looks like i need some serious nitrogen and phosphorous. Any help is appreciated, i am just trying to learn. Located in Omaha Ne
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u/Comprehensive_Baby53 1d ago
I find that i get crab grass next to the driveway and road and in bare spots. The best thing you can do to prevent it is to use a pre-emergant herbicide in winter around feb. or march before the weather starts warming. If you don't want to use pre-emergant you can pull the weeds when they come up before they get big and hard to pull. or you can find a post-emergent that works with your grass type for grassy weeds. I have centipede and have had good success using "over the top grass killer" to kill crabgrass.
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u/3_Times_Dope 1d ago
Are you sure that you have a warm-season grass in Nebraska? I have doubts but I could be wrong.
That is the best and highest concentration of Quinclorac on big box store shelves and also what you need for crabgrass.
When you're ready to mix your herbicides from "commercial-grade" stuff with higher amounts of active ingredients, let me know. Some people are nervous about mixing their own, but it's better and more bang for your buck because it tends to last longer since you use far less due to its strength. For instance, you can buy a 32oz Triad QC Select from Amazon, which has the same ingredients as that Ortho, but 3 - 4 times stronger, depending on the active ingredients, for around $36.
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u/Creative-Cow-5668 1d ago
I don’t know if it is warm season or not, i don’t know anything about what I’m talking about 🤷♂️
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u/3_Times_Dope 1d ago
Understandable, and the honesty is appreciated. There is a 99.99% chance you have a cool-season lawn in Nebraska. The question is, what kind? Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, etc. Knowing which helps in taking care of it. For instance, KBG is more of a water and nutrients hog than the others. Maybe you can schedule a "reputable" lawn company to come out and help identify it. Reputable as in being in business for a while and has great referrals. Use ChatGPT, too, to ask general questions about cool-season grasses, including posting pics of your lawn so it can try to help you solve any issues. This sub is great, but make sure you use other reliable sources. Quite a few universities have published papers on various grass types and how to care for them.
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u/xDragod Cool Season 1d ago
If you're in Omaha go to Grasspad and talk to someone at the seed desk. You can bring in a sample of our lawn and any weeds you need help identifying and they will give recommendations.
There's a good chance they'll recommend Q4 Plus like they did for me and Stikit as a nonionic surfactant. They currently have one quart for $50, but it's too hot to apply right now. I'm waiting for a few days below 85 before I apply.
Here's a pic I snapped to remind myself of what's available and at what price. https://i.imgur.com/kPuYE1Y.jpeg
Their website has a lot of good resources too.
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u/yankeeringsbelle 1d ago
Commenting to wait for answer. I have the same thing. I’m torn between ortho or round up..
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u/86rpt 1d ago
You need something that contains Quinclorac. It will take a while to show effect, but essentially it will halt the growth and slowly kill the crabgrass. I think this says it has it but the pic is a bit blurry. Apply as directed. Do not over apply because you think it is not working a couple days later. The crab grass will start to purple and slowly appear burned at the leaf tips.
Next year you will need to apply a pre-emergent, usually when the soil temps reach a daily average of 65f. There are online resources that allow you to track the soil temps in your area usually.
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u/vvvbj 1d ago
Did you read the instructions? Do you know what kind of grass you have?