Professionals of lawn care in Decatur, Al have a few things they have to spot and deal with when it comes to lawn maintenance. Dandelions, chickweed, pigweed, are common irritations of professional and amateur lawn keepers alike. But not all weeds are alike, and some are more beneficial than others. Some are edible, used in teas, and can keep invasive animals away. However, the thing about weeds is that they show up when they aren’t wanted. They also compete with resources that should go to cultivated grass and flowers. This got me to thinking if there is no one size fits all with weeds, which ones are more beneficial, and which ones are more harmful?
Today, we are going to look at Crabgrass, where it is from and how useful it is.
Where did Crabgrass Come From?
For starters, crabgrass is not a native species to the local area. According to Gardenguides.com, “The origin of the crabgrass seed can be traced back to Africa where the Europeans first collected the harvested seeds and brought them back to Europe. Once in Europe, crabgrass was grown as animal forage and as a food additive. ” It was brought over to the United States from Europe in the 1800s by immigrants. “The early settlers grew the grass and harvested the seeds, which they would use like millet. They would bake crabgrass seeds in bread and porridge.”
Crabgrass is edible. While we try to get rid of crabgrass in America in parts of Africa crabgrass (fonio) is a staple grain, and as forage, it can produce a whopping 17 tons per acre. Crabgrass seed can be used as a flour, couscous or as grain, such as in porridge or fermented for use in beer making. ” That’s kind of impressive. But, if crabgrass is ediblethen why do we try to kill it in our lawns?
Profit.
After immigrants from Eastern Europe started to settle into the United States, they noticed that corn and wheat were more profitable as an agricultural crop and forage. So, since it made more money, they gravitated away from crabgrass.
How Does Crabgrass Grow?
According to whygoodnature.com, “Crabgrass is an opportunistic annual grass that sprouts in the late Spring, anywhere there is bare soil, water, and sunlight. Crabgrass continues to grow all Summer and doesn’t really become ugly until late Summer when it spreads seeds. After this time, Crabgrass is killed by the cold Winter, but the seeds remain intact for the next year. “
So, it sprouts seeds into the ground and dies before sprouting again in late spring. So far, so, normal.
What crabgrass needs to grow is an interesting thing to note. Crabgrass can outlast in any environment. If there is little water or outright flooding, it can grow. If there is the presence of or there is no trace of fertilizer, it can take over the area.
The one disadvantage it has is that it needs room to grow. It is a type of grass that needs to spread outward instead of upward, so space is important. The only chance of stopping the seeds from growing is to make sure there is no physical room for them to grow in. That’s why if you see crabgrass, then you know you are cutting your lawn too short.
What Can Get Rid of Crabgrass?
Any company that does lawn care in Decatur, Al will tell you that you need to apply a herbicide. If you are trying to remove it after it has sprouted, then you will want to apply it while the soil is moist during 60 F to 90 F degree weather. You want to treat the affected area and avoid using too much.
There are also preventative measures that you can take to prevent it from growing. These range from common sense lawncare practices like not over cutting the lawn. There are also special instructions, like watering your lawn specifically once a week in a long interval instead of short bursts.
Conclusion
Crabgrass, while not particularly a bad plant on its own is far too invasive for lawn care. The best thing to do is to just get rid of what is there on its own. If you are curious about cultivating it, you want to make sure you have the right species in a pot or something.
If you think that managing it in your lawn is far too much work, you can always call a company that specializes with Lawncare in Decatur, Alabama.