What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Discuss how to and whether you should renovate your lawn
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Fingdragons
Posts: 1
Joined: April 4th, 2020, 6:09 pm
Location: Pheonix, AZ
Grass Type: Crabgrass
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Post by Fingdragons » April 4th, 2020, 6:27 pm

I bought my first house and didn't realize that my back yard is like over 70% crabgrass until a patch of it died to cold weather. I tried pulling up parts of it to see if it would be possible but every plant in the yard has shoots going for a couple feet in any direction. Is it even worth trying to go down the whole pre/post emergent herbicide then seed? If I go down that route, won't I have to pull all the dead ones out? (so like my whole yard) ...Or should I just nuke(if I even need to) the yard and then cut out top few inches and lay dirt with sod or seed? I live in Phoenix, Az.

Thanks for any advice!
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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Post by andy10917 » April 4th, 2020, 6:40 pm

I know that it seems circular to you, but you have to identify the other 30% for us to even pick a post-emergent (if possible) - otherwise the cure may kill the good grass too. If it isn't enough to save, make the tough decision and tell us that. Leaving the "grass Type as "Crabgrass" is quite cute, but doesn't help us help you...

TimmyG
Posts: 2244
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
Location: Dracut, MA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Experienced

Re: What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Post by TimmyG » April 5th, 2020, 12:27 am

And are you certain it's crabgrass? Looks more like a running species like St. Augustine.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3339
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » May 15th, 2020, 5:50 pm

It's most definitely St Augustine. For that shady area you should be taking good care of it. It's the only grass that will grow back there. Here is a picture of my friend, Vince's back yard in Gilbert.
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His yard is shaded by sissoo trees, so St Augustine is the only choice for him. St Augustine, had you been watering it and mowing high this past spring, would have looked like that in your yard. Vince waters once every 5 days about this time of year and will go to once every 4 days when the temps get up around 110.

Yours should be easy to fix if there is anything left to fix. Start watering deeply, once every 7 days. Water a full inch as measured by cat food or tuna cans placed around the yard. If you get runoff before the cans fill up, STOP watering and let it soak in for 15 to 30 minutes. Then continue watering. Repeat like that until you get an inch down. If you have living roots, they will wake up and you'll get green grass. Do NOT mow until the grass is 5 inches tall. Then mow at your mower's HIGHEST setting. There is never any reason to mow St Aug at a lower setting.

If you do not get any growth from the roots, the grass is dead and needs to be replanted. Please go straight out and buy a few flats or plugs of St Augustine to replace what you lost. There is no other grass that will work with that much shade in Phoenix. St Augustine spreads about 15 feet per year, so if you don't get full coverage right away, you will have it soon enough.

TimmyG
Posts: 2244
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
Location: Dracut, MA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Experienced

Re: What to do with my over 70% crabgrass lawn?

Post by TimmyG » May 17th, 2020, 12:25 am

It would seem that Fingdragons has left the building.

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