Best Crabgrass Killer
A thick lawn is the best defense against crabgrass, other weeds, insects and drought. If, however, you need the best crabgrass killer now, the experts at Jonathan Green can help.
Jonathan Green has been growing beautiful lawns since 1881. Today, we are a major supplier of grass seed, organics, and turf products to both the independent retailer and professional lawn care markets and breed genetically superior turf grasses, such as those found in our Black Beauty grass seed mixtures in our own grass seed breeding program in Oregon. Our genetically superior grass seed and soil food products will transform your lawn and help it thrive.
What is Crabgrass?
Crabgrass is a coarse, light green, unattractive summer annual weed and a very aggressive species that steals valuable moisture and nutrients from the soil and competes with desirable lawn grasses.
Crabgrass is relentlessly prolific and each plant can produce more than 150,000 seeds. The seeds begin to germinate when soil temperatures reach about 55-57 degrees Fahrenheit, and the plants really spread in lawns in July and August.
Although crabgrass will die with the first frost (usually October), the plants will produce seed heads during late summer to ensure a new crop of crabgrass plants the following year. Until you break the cycle of the seeds turning into seedlings, they will lay dormant in the soil until spring and jump into action again.
A sound crabgrass strategy involves interrupting the germination of crabgrass seeds in the spring, ideally in April or May. You can accomplish this by introducing grass seed to thin areas of your lawn, applying a crabgrass preventer (pre-emergent herbicide), and following our New American Lawn Plan.
Pre-Emergent & Post-Emergent Herbicides
Herbicides will kill the crabgrass seedlings as they are germinating. Pre-emergent herbicides will kill weeds before the seedlings emerge from the soil, and post-emergent herbicides will kill the crabgrass as it begins to grow and then keep it under control.
Pre-Emergent
Apply Jonathan Green Veri-Green Crabgrass Preventer plus Lawn Fertilizer on the same day you sow grass seed. This pre-emergent herbicide prevents crabgrass and grassy weeds from germinating without injuring new grass seedlings. It contains 30% slow-release nitrogen to feed the new seedlings gently and longer.
When you want to prevent crabgrass and fertilize your lawn but don’t intend to seed, consider Jonathan Green Corn Gluten Weed Preventer plus Lawn Food. It stops crabgrass, dandelions and weeds before they sprout and includes an organic fertilizer that greens up the lawn quickly. It also releases organic proteins into the soil to encourage root development. Apply it in early spring, but do not sow grass seed for at least 60 and up to 90 days.
Post-Emergent
If it’s mid-summer and crabgrass has already shown up in your lawn, you can wait it out and attack it in a timely manner next season or treat it with an herbicide specifically labeled for crabgrass control.
Jonathan Green Veri-Green Crabgrass Preventer plus Lawn Fertilizer contains the newest technology with Dimension® Crabgrass Control Herbicide. This product controls crabgrass before and after it germinates (up to the 3-leaf stage of growth; crabgrass is a 7-leaf plant when mature) and can be applied up to four weeks later than other crabgrass preventers. It will feed your lawn gently for up to 8 weeks; however, do not seed with this product.
Mentioned Products
When you need the best crabgrass killer around, visit Jonathan Green online or visit your nearest independent retail store for advice.