re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 5:52 pm to cstev12)
Most chemicals that get crabgrass will injure St Aug. If its not to much pull byhand. If the crabgrass is taking over then your St Aug is weak. Fertilize at .5-1.0 pound of nitrogen per square foot every six weeks.
Also what is your mowing height? Most folk I see mowing St Aug to short. It likes 2.5-3". The St Aug should shade out the weeds and be healthier at 3" and mow more frequently like every 5 days.
Geauxtiga NC-Wilmington Fan No man's land Member since Jan 2008 24318 posts
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 7:49 pm to Nodust)
quote: Also what is your mowing height? Most folk I see mowing St Aug to short. It likes 2.5-3". The St Aug should shade out the weeds and be healthier at 3"
I didn't realize that about St. Augustine.
I have bermuda and a very clean stand. I have a friend who is always on my arse about cutting it too short (2 inches) so I'm going to make myself go to 3 this year.
Geauxtiga NC-Wilmington Fan No man's land Member since Jan 2008 24318 posts
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 7:59 pm to Nodust)
quote: Bermuda is fine at 2".You can go lower if you have the right mower.
Man, speaking of mowers. If my deck is the least bit off it shows. Also, it's virtually impossible to turn without scalping.
I was tempted to get a huge reel mower to pull behind my 4-wheeler. My yard is almost an acre and my bermuda gets to looking great then lines show as it grows.
I have a John Deere riding mower. When you say "the right mower", what would you recommend.
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 8:12 pm to Geauxtiga)
To get below 2" you would almost need a reel mower. But then that is a whole new set of problems with getting the reel and bedknife sharpened.
The main thing with bermuda is to cut frequently. You never want to cut more than 1/3 of the grass off. So if you cut at 2" you should be cutting when the grass is a little over 2.5".
Geauxtiga NC-Wilmington Fan No man's land Member since Jan 2008 24318 posts
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 8:29 pm to Uncle JackD)
quote: Ill trade you some nutsedge for that crab grass.
"Permit" and it's very selective to nutsedge. You can spray it growing through flowers and not kill the flowers. Go by the Co-op in VP and Thank me later.
Geauxtiga NC-Wilmington Fan No man's land Member since Jan 2008 24318 posts
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/18/12 at 10:25 pm to TutHillTiger)
quote: atrazine?
I've only used it once as a pre-emerge control of stinging nettle, aka "burning grass". This was in the late fall when the grass was pretty dormant-plus it was bermuda. Have no idea if it would control dollar grass.
I spot sprayed and found decent control but have never used it for anything else.
Be careful:
quote: The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 requires that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) set safe drinking water standards for chemicals in drinking water. Atrazine has entered surface water and groundwater mainly through runoff from herbicides used in row crops and wastewater from manufacturing facilities. This potential for water contamination prompted the regulation of atrazine in 1992 with both the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) and Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) being set at 3 parts per billion (ppb).
Despite restrictions, atrazine has contaminated groundwater. In fact, it was the second most frequently detected pesticide in the EPA’s National Pesticide in Drinking Water Wells Survey
Studies have shown atrazine to be slightly to moderately toxic to humans and animals,
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/19/12 at 10:13 am to Geauxtiga)
quote: didn't realize that about St. Augustine.
I have bermuda and a very clean stand. I have a friend who is always on my arse about cutting it too short (2 inches) so I'm going to make myself go to 3 this year.
Check out any St. Aug at any of the resorts in Orlando - they cut it at 3 or 4" min and it looks great. I'm at about 3 on my zoysia and it chokes out ocassional weeds easily.
When I was a kid I used to scalp the crap out of my parents St. Aug. I grew up thinking St. Aug was supposed to look like ground vines.
re: How to kill crabgrass? (Posted on 4/19/12 at 11:06 am to thedogman)
Don't kill it. Embrace it. Encourage it. You may find that once it's gone, you won't have any grass at all. You'll more than likely need to do an entire lawn renovation.
Crabgrass can actually keep your yard nice and green all Summer long while everyone else's yard is brown from dryness...
