Crabgrass thrives in summer’s heat, making its removal during this season a test of persistence and the right technique. If you’re wondering how to get rid of crabgrass in the summer, you’re facing the toughest but most crucial time to act. This guide provides the clear, step-by-step methods you need to reclaim your lawn.
We will cover both immediate removal tactics and long-term prevention strategies. You’ll learn why summer is a unique challenge and how to adapt your approach for success.
How To Get Rid Of Crabgrass In The Summer
Summer crabgrass control is a two-phase war. The first phase is a direct assault on the visible weeds. The second, and more important, phase is building a lawn that prevents it from returning next year. This section focuses on the immediate, hands-on removal techniques you can use right now.
Understanding Your Summer Adversary
Crabgrass is a warm-season annual grass. It germinates in spring, invades throughout the summer, and dies with the first hard frost. By summer, it’s already mature, seeded, and deeply rooted. Its low, spreading growth habit smothers desirable turfgrass.
Pulling it in summer is difficult because the stems are tough and it spreads from a central root. The plant is also actively producing thousands of seeds, ensuring future problems if not handled correctly.
Manual Removal: The Hands-On Approach
For small infestations, manual removal is effective and immediate. The goal is to remove the entire plant, including its fibrous root system, before it sets more seed.
Here is a step-by-step process for pulling crabgrass by hand:
- Water the area lightly the night before. This softens the soil and makes roots easier to extract.
- Use a weeding tool, like a dandelion digger or a narrow trowel, to loosen the soil around the base of the plant.
- Grab the central clump of the crabgrass and pull steadily upward, angling the tool to lift the root crown from the soil.
- Shake off excess soil and place the entire plant into a bag, not your compost. This prevents seeds from spreading.
- Fill the resulting hole with a mix of topsoil and grass seed, tamp it down gently, and water it well.
Post-Emergent Herbicide Application
For larger invasions, a targeted post-emergent herbicide is often necessary. These are chemicals designed to kill weeds after they have sprouted. Choosing the right one is critical for summer use.
Selecting The Right Summer Herbicide
Look for herbicides with active ingredients like quinclorac, fenoxaprop, or dithiopyr. These are often labeled specifically for crabgrass and are effective on mature plants. Always opt for a selective herbicide, which targets crabgrass without harming your lawn grass, assuming you apply it correctly.
Avoid non-selective herbicides like glyphosate on your lawn, as they will kill everything they touch, leaving bare spots.
How To Apply Herbicide In Summer Heat
Summer application requires careful timing to maximize effectiveness and minimize lawn stress.
- Apply on a calm, cool morning when temperatures are below 85°F. High heat can cause the herbicide to vaporize and drift, or stress your lawn.
- Ensure the crabgrass is not drought-stressed. Water your lawn a day or two before application so the weeds are actively growing and will readily absorb the chemical.
- Mix and apply according to the label instructions precisely. Using more than directed will not work better and can damage your lawn.
- Do not mow for at least two days before and after application.
- Be patient. It may take 1-3 weeks to see the crabgrass yellow and die completely.
Repairing The Damage After Removal
Once the crabgrass is gone, you’ll be left with empty patches. These bare spots are open invitations for new weeds if not addressed promptly. Summer is a tricky time for lawn repair, but it can be done with careful attention.
For cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass or fescue, early fall is the ideal seeding time. However, if you must seed in summer, follow these steps:
- Loosen the top inch of soil in the bare patch.
- Apply a starter fertilizer to encourage root growth.
- Spread grass seed appropriate for your lawn type and the season. Consider a “quick germinating” or “heat-tolerant” blend.
- Cover the seeds lightly with straw or a biodegradable erosion mat to retain moisture and protect from birds.
- Water lightly but frequently—at least twice a day—to keep the soil consistently moist until the new grass is established. This is the most critical step for summer seeding success.
Why Crabgrass Takes Hold In Summer
To win the long-term war, you must understand why crabgrass wins battles in your lawn. It exploits weaknesses in your turf’s density and health. Summer conditions like heat, drought, and compacted soil favor crabgrass over many common lawn grasses.
Common Lawn Conditions That Invite Crabgrass
- Thin or Bare Spots: Every empty space in your lawn is a potential crabgrass nursery.
- Low Mowing Height: Cutting grass too short weakens it, reduces its shade canopy, and exposes soil to sunlight, which crabgrass seeds need to germinate.
- Improper Watering: Frequent, shallow watering encourages shallow grass roots, making lawn grass less drought-tolerant than deep-rooted crabgrass.
- Soil Compaction: Hard soil prevents air, water, and nutrients from reaching grass roots, stressing the lawn and creating ideal hard-packed conditions for crabgrass seeds to settle.
- Nutrient Deficiency: A lawn that is under-fertilized lacks the vigor to thicken and crowd out invaders.
Building A Crabgrass-Resistant Lawn
The most powerful method for how to get rid of crabgrass in the summer is to prevent it from appearing in the first place. A thick, healthy lawn is your best defense. This requires a shift from reactive weeding to proactive lawn care.
Optimal Mowing Practices
Mowing correctly is the simplest way to improve lawn health. For most cool-season grasses, maintain a height of 3 to 4 inches during the summer. This taller grass shades the soil, cooling roots and blocking sunlight from reaching crabgrass seeds.
Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade in a single mowing. Keep your mower blades sharp; dull blades tear grass, creating brown tips and stress.
Smart Summer Watering Techniques
Deep, infrequent watering trains your grass to develop deep root systems. This makes it more resilient during summer dry spells. Aim for about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, including rainfall.
Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and fungal disease. Use a rain gauge or empty tuna can to measure how much water your sprinkler delivers.
Strategic Fertilization
Feed your lawn based on its needs, not just the calendar. A soil test can tell you exactly what nutrients are lacking. In general, fertilize cool-season grasses in early fall and spring, when they are actively growing.
Avoid heavy nitrogen fertilization in peak summer, as it can promote top growth at the expense of roots and increase the need for water and mowing. A slow-release fertilizer applied in late spring can provide steady nutrition without causing a flush of growth.
Core Aeration For Soil Health
Performed in the fall or spring, core aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil from your lawn. It relieves compaction, improves water and nutrient penetration, and encourages deep rooting.
This single practice can dramatically improve the health and density of your turf, making it far less hospitable to crabgrass. You can rent an aerator or hire a lawn service to do it.
Overseeding To Thicken Your Turf
Overseeding is the process of spreading grass seed over an existing lawn. It fills in thin areas, introduces newer, more disease-resistant grass varieties, and increases overall density. The best time to overseed cool-season grasses is early fall.
Before overseeding, mow the lawn short and rake to remove debris. This allows seed to contact the soil. After seeding, keep the area moist until the new grass is well-established.
The Role Of Pre-Emergent Herbicides
While this article focuses on summer removal, understanding pre-emergent herbicides is vital for a complete strategy. These products form a chemical barrier at the soil surface that prevents crabgrass seeds from sprouting. They do not kill existing plants.
Timing Is Everything
Pre-emergents must be applied in early spring, before soil temperatures consistently reach 55-60°F—the germination point for crabgrass. This is typically when forsythia bushes start to bloom in your region.
Applying a pre-emergent in the summer is ineffective, as the crabgrass seeds have already germinated. Think of it as a preventative measure for next year’s battle.
Application Tips For Success
Apply the product evenly according to label directions. Water it in lightly to activate the barrier. If you plan to overseed in the fall, ensure you use a pre-emergent that is labeled as safe for seeding, or your new grass seed will not germinate either.
Natural And Organic Control Methods
If you prefer to avoid synthetic herbicides, there are organic approaches, though they require more diligence. Corn gluten meal is a natural pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. It must be applied in early spring with the same timing as synthetic pre-emergents.
For existing weeds, organic post-emergent options include herbicides based on iron HEDTA or fatty acids. These work by desiccating the plant on contact but often require multiple applications for perennial weeds. Manual removal remains the most effective organic tactic for summer control.
Maintaining high soil health through organic matter additions like compost can also improve your lawn’s natural resilience over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Kill Crabgrass In The Summer?
Yes, you can kill crabgrass in the summer using post-emergent herbicides or by manually pulling it. The process is more challenging because the plant is mature and resilient, but consistent effort with the right methods will be effective.
What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Crabgrass?
The fastest visible result for a large patch is using a selective post-emergent herbicide. For a single plant, careful manual removal provides immediate results. However, the “fastest” long-term solution is combining immediate removal with lawn health practices to prevent regrowth.
Will Crabgrass Die On Its Own In The Fall?
Yes, crabgrass is an annual plant that will be killed by the first hard frost in autumn. However, it will drop thousands of seeds before it dies, guaranteeing a new generation of weeds the following spring if you do not remove it or improve your lawn’s health.
Is It Better To Pull Or Spray Crabgrass?
For small, isolated patches, pulling is precise and avoids chemicals. For widespread infestations, spraying a post-emergent herbicide is more practical and thorough. The best approach often combines both: spraying large areas and hand-pulling outliers near garden beds or where spraying isn’t advisable.
How Do You Prevent Crabgrass From Coming Back?
Prevention relies on a healthy lawn. Mow high, water deeply but infrequently, fertilize appropriately, aerate compacted soil, and overseed thin areas. Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring, before seeds germinate, is also a highly effective preventative measure when combined with good lawn care.