Taustin83
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Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:50 pm

Help!! Lawn has been invaded with Crabgrass

Soo last year due to a bad run in with chinch bugs my lawned turned to a barren waste land that was very quickly replaced by a lawn made up of almost 100% crabgrass. Not sure if I have to go the nuclear option and till it in the fall and rake or if that will even do it or if there is a less drastic way to reclaim my lawn from crabgrass invader? I’m located in Atlantic Canada so by late September we will likely see frost... and herbicides aren’t as available to us as they are in the US. Need help !

imafan26
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Posts: 13947
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

If you have mostly crabgrass and the grass you had did not survive the pests, I think you need to just start over. Dig out the crabgrass you can. It could be worse, you could have California grass. Mow the crab grass to make sure it does not go to seed if you can't get to it all before then. There are organic weed killers. Boiling hot water will kill it. You need to set a big turkey cooker outside filled with water and take pot fulls of boiling water over to the weeds and douse them. It is time consuming but if you hoe up most of the smaller ones maybe there won't be so many left. Do this in sections and cover it immediately with cardboard or a weed barrier to keep weed seeds from invading the sections that are done.

I would look for a hardier grass for your area. Your grass will have a better chance to establish if you actually did some prep and added some compost and manure and till that in first. Before you plant keep the tiller handy. Water and remove any weeds that pop up and repeat until you don't see any more weeds coming up before you plant. Better yet, think about an artificial lawn or reducing the amount of lawn you have to what you can take care of.

Taustin83
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Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:50 pm

Corn gluten work as weed barrier?

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I tried it once and it seemed like it worked to feed everything. So I had a very green patch of lawn and weeds. I will say that I did not apply it nearly as densely as the directions specified. But that is because it would have been too expensive for me to use it as recommended. A 5 lb bag costs $17 and covers 250 square feet (ie 25 x10). Even on my small lawn that would have required several bags. Probably if you could find it in bulk somewhere, it would be a lot less expensive and more manageable.

imafan26
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Posts: 13947
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Corn gluten is what is in preen. It is a weed preventer but is usually used for established flower beds. It only works as long as the crust is not disturbed. It does not actually kill weeds, I think it mostly interferes with weeds sprouting. I don't think it would stop weeds like nutsedge which will break through ordinary weedblock.



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