Hi Everyone! I live in zone 6 and it has been in the upper 50's and 60's here this past week. I have been receiving advice on what to do about nixing my crabgrass before it takes over. I have been advised on getting crabgrass preventer from Scott's to spread over the lawn..this scares me! Just the idea of handling all that chemicals plus reading all the do's and don'ts makes my skin crawl. Is there an organic approach to preventing/halting the taking over of crabgrass? The soil is warming, my daffodils want to burst out, and I would sure like a pretty lawn to drive home to! Thanks!!

Island Girl,

Corn Gluten Meal (or as you may have seen it referenced here as "CGM") when applied in early spring, will definitely halt the germination of annual grass and broadleaf weeds. Crabgrass among them. We apply it when the forsythias are just about ready to bloom.

When it's applied in the fall, it prevents germination of perennial weeds.

Either do a search here for Corn Gluten Meal or read as much info on this website as you need.
http://www.gluten.iastate.edu/

It lists retailers of the CGM or if you're fortunate to live in an area of the country that has farm/feed supply stores, you can purchase the basic corn meal or corn gluten by-product for probably half (or less)the price of what you'd pay retail.

Remember, it doesn't kill existing weeds. It prevents any weed seed from germinating into MORE weeds!

gardenz

Excellent! Many thanks, Gardenz! Luckily, I do live in ag country so finding a feed store is no problem!
ps> I love your website! It's nice to put a face on your name! :0)

And if (when )c some of the crabgrass sneaks through the CGM barrier, there is another product that might work for you. Check it out at

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

This is basically baking powder with some other stuff. You dampen the weeds, dust the powder on, and in a day or three the crabgrass is supposed to turn black and die. Sound's hard to believe but several people on another forum have reported that it works just as advertised.

I might also add that many people have reported that the crabgrass lived through such a treatment, and their main grass died. Those people seem to live in the north above the zone where bermuda and St Augustine are popular grasses. Note that the product was developed in Florida.