Why Do I Have Crabgrass Along the Edges of My Lawn?
This is a question we get asked a lot! And it’s a good question!
What’s Going on at the Edges of My Lawn?
Edges are the bane of any lawn care professional. The reason crabgrass and other weeds are often found along the edges of the turf is that conditions at the edges can make the grass weaker than the grass in the middle of the yard. Below are the main problems we run into that cause crabgrass along the edges of a lawn.
Weaker Grass Equals More Crabgrass
Weed Wacker
When it is used to trim the grass at the edges of the lawn, it is very common for the grass to get cut too low.
This opens up opportunities for crabgrass and other weeds to come in.
Scalping with a Lawn Mower
Often, there will be an edge cut along landscape beds. This looks very nice and defines the bed from the lawn; it creates a very clean look. There is nothing wrong with this.
The problem occurs when the wheels of the lawn mower go down into this cut, and this causes the mower blade to be too low, and it scalps the grass.
Hard Surfaces Next to the Lawn
Driveways, sidewalks, and other hard surfaces can make life hard for turfgrass in a couple of ways.
They get really hot in the summer. The soil and roots of the grass along a driveway or sidewalk will be much hotter, drier, and, therefore, more stressed than other areas of your lawn.
Also, when these surfaces are installed, there is usually gravel under the concrete or asphalt. This gravel invariably gets mixed in with the adjacent soil which is not ideal.
These conditions can kill the grass or just thin it out. Either way, the turfgrass is weakened and not able to compete with the crabgrass.
Should I Get Crabgrass Preventer?
Yes! Without it, your lawn doesn’t have a fighting chance to minimize the amount of crabgrass.
Many studies have shown that crabgrass preventer controls at least 80% of crabgrass seeds. While there are a lot of variables that can affect the performance of the crabgrass preventer, it is a lot better than nothing.
As you can see, crabgrass preventer is not perfect, and nobody can control all of the situations listed above, but the main things to consider are:
Measure the grass with a ruler from the soil to the top of the blade after it is cut.
Don’t rely on the settings on the mower – often setting “3”, for example, may not mean “3 inches”.
It could just be setting “3” and have no relation to the mowing height.
Don’t scalp the lawn; cutting it down to the nubs will cause problems.
And finally, if you are watering your lawn, be sure to hit the edges along the driveway and sidewalk.
If you have a Green Giant lawn care package and you received a crabgrass preventer treatment this year, we have you covered! Just let us know, and we will treat the crabgrass for you at no charge