Crab Grass

[Bill in Arlington]

I have crab grass in my St Augstine lawn. I heard Howard talking to some one about using baking soad on it and he said try postassium bicarbonate (sp?) I put some on and saw no results. Do you put it on dry, how much, what about watering after application, etc.?
Everytime I mention I have crab grass, people ask are you sure it's not Dallas grass. It is not Dallas grass. It only seems to surface late in the summer when I have my mower at the highest setting. It doesn't show up until then. I have put out CGM and have been organic for 6 years.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I believe you wet the crabgrass first for best results. Then don't water it.

You might also try laying black plastic down on it for a week. One of the pros on another list reported that worked well for him. Anchor it down with bricks. I realize that won't look cute, but supposedly it works well.

[Bill in Arlington]

On Monday evening the 6 of Oct, I dust a small box of baking soda on my lawn where I had lot of crabgrass. That night there was a very heavy dew. Then last night when I returned from work I went to check. All of the crabgrass where I sprinkled the baking Soda was all dead. It did seem to harm the St Agustine (sp?) grass.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Please clarify; it DID or it DID NOT harm the St. Augustine? Thanks!

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

We never did get clarification on that last message about whether it hurt the St Aug, did we. :? Well, I've got more great news on the crabgrass front. All y'all's crabgrass should be dying out about now but for next year, let's try to remember this one.

Check out this website...

http://www.crabgrassalert.com/index.htm

for their crab grass killer called Crabgrass Control. It is a post emergent weed killer. The ingredients are...
Active: 0.95% cinnamon bark.
Inert: corn flour, wheat flour, sodium hydrogen Bicarbonate, cumin, yellow #5 and red #40.

So it sounds like someone mistakenly used baking soda instead of baking powder in their corn meal recipe and dumped it outside onto the lawn only to kill the crabgrass. The dyes are in there to turn the product yellow if you have the grass wet enough when you apply.

I found out about this on another website from a professional who uses it all the time. He says it works great and causes no problems.

Very cool product.
8) 8) 8)

[jmeier]

Thanks for that info,

FEI-I have used a relatively heavy application of baking soda on crabgrass in both St. Augustine and Bermuda and neither so much as flinched.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Thanks for the update on your trial.

When you tried it, was the crabgrass damp before you dusted it? That seems to be a prerequisite for it working.

[jmeier]

No, I did not wet it, however it was early in the morning and there may have been a light dew present.

[trent]

I have recently used a product called Crabgrass Control, must be applied when the grass is wet, damp, etc. I live in Florida and use this product on St. Augustine infested with crabgrass. The results has been very good with no damage to the St. Augustine. I would say this is a very good product for spot control. :D