Everybody who has a lawn has endured the dreaded crabgrass battle. Digging it out, spot treating it with weed killer and damaging the lawn around it, or the expense and labor of the do-it-yourself treatment with not so consistent results.

First, we need to know a little more about our enemy crabgrass. Crabgrass is a type of grass that appears in the warm season, with creeping stems that root freely. It requires plenty of sunlight, and has a very aggressive seeding pattern and grows rapidly. It starts germination when the soil temperature reaches a consistent fifty degrees or higher.

But, how do we get rid of it? Most importantly, how do we prevent it? As everyone knows, a healthy lawn will be a moderately weed free lawn. A pre-emergent weed treatment applied early in the year will help reduce the amount of unwanted seeds that germinate in the spring. Also, keeping any bare spots filled in will help as crabgrass loves to germinate where there is no competition. One new trend is to keep your lawn at a taller height, as the stems of the grass shade the crabgrass seeds and tend to reduce germination.

Pre-emergent herbicides once applied to the soil and watered in, prevent seeds from germinating. They do not affect growing plants and can be applied right over the top of existing lawns and other plants. Pre-emergents only last a certain amount of time in the soil, usually two to six months, as they are not a persistent herbicide which is safer for the environment. There are hundreds of pre-emergent herbicides on the market, and knowing which one to use should really be left up to a lawn care or chemical application professional. These professionals will know which ones are most effective for your climate and particular type of soil.

Post-emergent herbicides kill existing weeds and plants, but do not affect seed germination. Post-emergent herbicides are classified in two categories. Selective and non-selective. Selective herbicides only affect certain plant or weed species. An example of this would be a broad leaf weed killer that will not harm lawns or grasses. A non-selective herbicide would be one that kills any plant it comes into contact with. A commonly used example of this is Round-up weed killer. This would not be a good choice for an actively growing lawn.

Chemical treatments for your lawn are a safe environmentally friendly alternative for hours of exhausting manual labor. Crabgrass can be dug out one plant at a time, but as you remove these individual plants, you sometimes are also scattering new seeds from the plants you are removing.

The preferred method for keeping a weed free lawn and yard is to hire a lawn care professional or a licensed chemical application company. The chemicals they apply are professional quality, usually more reasonably priced, and are applied in the most effective manor possible. These professional companies will have the knowledge needed to determine which product will be the most effective for your property.