August 9, 2004 · Garden Review / weeds

Crabgrass immigrant

HELP!! Crabgrass is taking over not only my lawn but also my garden!!!
It seems every time I give my garden a good soaking the crabgrass doubles in size. Creeping closely to the ground and branching freely, it tenaciously hangs on to every inch of moist soil it comes into contact with. It reminds me of the alien plant in Little Shop of Horror. Water me and I will keep growing!!

Recently I read the interesting origin of crabgrass, the scourge of every turf grower. It was introduced to the U.S. in 1849 as forage for cattle, sheep, hogs and horses. When that venture failed, another opportunity came up fifty years later when immigrants from Slovak countries brought the grain, a type of millet known as manna grits (AKA crabgrass) with them to grow for food. Crabgrass it seemed grew well in any soil and quickly produced a large crop. Later, the immigrants discovered that corn and wheat could be grown just as easily, and it was worth more money. Within 10 years crabgrass farming was abandoned and it was destined to become the wayward wanderer growing on roadsides and waste areas no longer a wanted crop but an immigrant weed.

3 Comments

  1. jjoe - August 30, 2004 at 12:27 pm

    Hoe best rid of crabgrass. I pull them by hand, but this is tiresome

    You have to treat crabgrass in the spring when the weather gets warm. In the midwest, it is recommended to treat the lawn around early May when the crabgrass starts to grow and before it makes any seeds.

    Reply
  2. denise - August 19, 2005 at 8:22 am

    I have a suggestion on how to kill crabgrass. Try sprinkling baking soda on the crabgrass. It works! only kills the crabgrass and not your original grass

    Reply
  3. admin - February 9, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    I have a problem in my grass, there are pinkish spots and after a while the grass dies. What can I do, have this problem for an long time

    Brigitte,
    I need to know what kind of grass you are growing and what part of the country it is in.

    Hi Kris, I dont know the Type of Grass, I live in Orting,WA and we have lots of Rain….

    There’s a good chance that your grass has a fungal disease either red thread or pink patch. Red thread is especially prevalent in the Pacific Northwest in the spring and fall. Both red thread and pink patch have similar symptoms and are active in cooler, humid wet climates. The fungal disease occurs in grass that is deficient in fertility. For starters a good fertility program based on a soil test will promote a healthy lawn and reduce red thread. Mow often at the recommended height to remove diseased grass blades. Fungicide are not recommended for home lawns. There are additional cultural practices to cotrol the fungus . For more info go to http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/diseases/series400/rpd413/#top or http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/publicat.htm

    Reply

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