Getting a Handle on Crabgrass in Southern California

There is something here that homeowners share with those across most of North America.  Crabgrass is the bane of residential lawns, despite being the right shade of green.  This coarse, spreading weed loves the heat and drought that is so typical of our summers.

Smooth crabgrass is the most common variety seen in Southern California and, if left to grow, can spread quickly and take over large patches of a lawn area.  Fortunately, there are a number of ways to make your lawn a place where crabgrass doesn’t stand a chance.

A Healthy lawn:  Ensuring that your lawn can put up a fight is the first line of defense against crabgrass.  Lawns need to be watered regularly, kept at an optimal height (not too low), and fertilized to encourage good root growth that can overtake those of the crabgrass and other emergent weeds.  Deep and infrequent waterings are best for turfgrass in our region.  Keeping lawns at about 3” high will block the sunlight crabgrass needs to grow and thrive.

Treatments:  A pre-emergent herbicide in the spring is effective in proactively stopping crabgrass from spreading.  Once the lawn has been treated, leave it for a while to make sure it has time to work its magic.  And save overseeding, aerating, and dethatching until fall, well after crabgrass is inclined to reseed itself on exposed soil.  If crabgrass has already established itself in your lawn, it can be treated with targeted post-emergent weed control methods such as hand-pulling, raking it out, and chemical weed control products.

LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

LANDSCAPE DESIGN – SANTA BARBARA

When it comes to creating a landscape, homeowners generally fall into two categories:  those who itch to start putting plants into the ground themselves and those who recognize a need to hire out the work. Just as it wouldn’t be wise to  …

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Get ahead of it:  Crabgrass will die back in the cold weather, so use the winter months to get a plan of attack for next season. Consider enlisting the help of a landscape professional who can prescribe a good program for lawn care and pre-emergent weed control.

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Jorge CortezContractor and Owner
California Landscape Licensed Contractor. Having grown up right here in Santa Barbara, Jorge Cortez graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in 2007 and went on to join the United States Marine Corps. After completing a tour in Afghanistan and receiving an honorable discharge, Cortez continued his education at Santa Barbara City College. Today, with over fifteen years of experience in landscape maintenance, he combines his passion for the land with his business acumen as owner of SB Evolution Landscape.
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