Tips for Keeping Crabgrass Out of New Grass Seed

Crabgrass is new grass seed's worst nightmare because it is the perfect breeding ground for the noxious plant. Crabgrass needs room to grow and spread, and because it germinates quicker than most desired grasses, the crabgrass can take over a newly seeded lawn faster than the new grass seed is able to establish itself.

There are a few things you can do to eliminate crabgrass from new grass seed and from a newly seeded lawn. The most important thing about keeping grass seed free of crabgrass is to act fast and resist waiting for the problem to grow. The longer you wait, the more crabgrass will spread until it chokes out the grass that you want, and completely ruins your lawn.

Before Adding Seed
Before you add any new grass seed to your lawn, be sure to remove and kill all crabgrass that is already growing. If you spread new grass seed where there is already crabgrass growing, and then proceed to water the seed, you will only accelerate the growth of the crabgrass which may choke out the seed entirely. Remove all crabgrass from the soil by hand, then lightly till the entire area completely so that any leftover crabgrass is upturned.

Once you have rid the soil of crabgrass, add seed starter fertilizer to the soil so that it is well prepared for the new grass seed that is going to be sewn. At the same time, add a herbicide to the soil that is specially formulated to kill crabgrass and crabgrass only. Dynaweed is a great product for preventing crabgrass seed from even germinating.

Adding Your New Grass Seed
Once you have completed all the preparation work to prepare your yard for new grass, spread the grass seed that you want to grow, water well and then cover with peat moss. Be vigilant about watching the grass seeds for crabgrass. You will be able to determine what is the grass you have planted and what is crabgrass within a few days of germination. The crabgrass will not shoot up in the air like other grass, but remain close to the ground and spread out like a vine.

Once you notice any crabgrass, immediately pull it from the ground so that everything above and below the soil is removed from the lawn. Continue watering and watching your new grass, removing all crabgrass that you notice. Once the lawn has established itself, apply a safe crabgrass killer to the entire lawn to prevent any stray crabgrass seed from growing. Vigilance is the most important part of keeping crabgrass seed out of your new grass seed, and the only way to entirely prevent crabgrass from growing.