Crabgrass!

[whatyouare]

Ok, I've done my share of searches on how to prevent/get rid of crab grass. I'm going to use a pre-emergent herbicide (scott's brand).

My problem is this: I have one very large spot in my yard that has a lot of crabgrass. We're not talking a couple little patches, we're talking maybe 15 square feet or so, if added up total, of dead crabgrass at the moment.

If I apply the herbicide and successfully keep the crabgrass from growing again this year, I will have these big bare, dead crabgrass spots. That's not desireable. The herbicide states that you should not seed or sod for 3-4 months after applying. So, the option is not there to apply the herbicide to prevent crabgrass from thriving again and then replacing the dead area with seed/sod after the fact.

My other plan was to rip up the section of yard that holds these big patches, lay down sod, and apply the herbicide to the rest of the lawn. I'm just not sure if that's the best solution, and it's a lot of work, so I'm looking for advice before I take any action.

Any help is appreciated! (yes, I'm a lawn newbie, I didn't even know what crabgrass was as it was running rampant in my yard last summer)

[Bestlawn]

Would you tell me what type of grass you have? There in Missouri, it could be cool season type or warm season type, so please tell what species of grass you have. Bluegrass? Tall Fescue? Bermuda? Zoysia? Other?