Killing crabgrass in a garden.
 

I planted a variety of nice plants in the front of my house in
Cincinnati Ohio at the end of April. However, since then I have had a
major problem with crabgrass. I sprayed some crabgrass killer on it on
multiple occasions, and it did not help much. Since then, I have been
reduce to pulling it out. (Of course, when I pull it out, I try to get
as much root out as I can.) I have peonies, day lillies, and
snapdragons in the garden. Can someone give me an idea as to how I can
control the crabgrass.

Thanks,

JD

"Mark" expounded:

I planted a variety of nice plants in the front of my house in
Cincinnati Ohio at the end of April. However, since then I have had a
major problem with crabgrass. I sprayed some crabgrass killer on it on
multiple occasions, and it did not help much. Since then, I have been
reduce to pulling it out. (Of course, when I pull it out, I try to get
as much root out as I can.) I have peonies, day lillies, and
snapdragons in the garden. Can someone give me an idea as to how I can
control the crabgrass.

What makes you think it's crabgrass? Crabgrass is an annual and is
easily controlled in a flower bed by cultivating with a garden fork a
few times when it's germinating; I've never found it to be hard to
pull by hand even after it's established. It could be quackgrass, in
which case you have to remove all of the root, the smallest piece will
resprout quickly, quackgrass is very difficult to control.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Ann wrote:
"

What makes you think it's crabgrass? Crabgrass is an annual and is
easily controlled in a flower bed by cultivating with a garden fork a
few times when it's germinating; I've never found it to be hard to
pull by hand even after it's established. It could be quackgrass, in
which case you have to remove all of the root, the smallest piece will
resprout quickly, quackgrass is very difficult to control.
--

Ann,

I have had crabgrass before in lawns and easily killed it with
a spray. This looks similar. However, whatever it is grew very
tall (12 to 14 inches) -- after I sprayed it, I waited for it to die
and most of it did not do so. Since I have never had a major crabgrass
problem before, and the crabgrass was always in a lawn where it never
had the chance to grow, I can't definitely say it is crabgrass. Also,
I would add that when an experienced gardener visited my house on one
occasion, she referred to it as crabgrass. I'll make an effort to
specifically identify the plant, but in the meantime, I would
appreciate any suggestions as to how to control crabgrass or quakgrass.

Thanks,

JD

"Mark" expounded:


I have had crabgrass before in lawns and easily killed it with
a spray. This looks similar. However, whatever it is grew very
tall (12 to 14 inches) -- after I sprayed it, I waited for it to die
and most of it did not do so. Since I have never had a major crabgrass
problem before, and the crabgrass was always in a lawn where it never
had the chance to grow, I can't definitely say it is crabgrass. Also,
I would add that when an experienced gardener visited my house on one
occasion, she referred to it as crabgrass. I'll make an effort to
specifically identify the plant, but in the meantime, I would
appreciate any suggestions as to how to control crabgrass or quakgrass.

I'm not a sprayer, I'm a weeder and a cultivator. I'd hand-weed it,
no matter which one it is.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

I'm not a sprayer, I'm a weeder and a cultivator. I'd hand-weed it,
no matter which one it is.

The roots of crabgrass and quackgrass can be fished out of the soil
with a hand tool called the weed twister with double coils. The other
weed twisters on the market that do not have the double coils will not
get the roots out effectively.

Ray
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EWIRM: Nature makes plants, humans make weeds!