Two years ago my husband brought me a dump truck full of beautiful topsoil so I could make an awesome iris display in my yard. Then he brought another one for the 80 roses I was expecting from Jackson and Perkins. Unfortunately, this soil was full of crab grass seeds! I tried Ortho Crab Grass Killer (spray), and it didn't do a thing. The crab grass choking my irises and roses was BEAUTIFUL (not!!!)! So, last fall I dug everything up...all the roses and irises. Now I have several beautiful spots full of nothing but crab grass! Do I have to just get the backhoe and dig all this soil back up and get rid of it? (I have my irises and roses in a temporary spot until I get this crab grass problem solved.)

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!

i'm afraid i don't have good news. from the research i've been doing, (my lawn is mostly crabgrass), the herbicides kill seeds before germination, and that may be the way to go for you. They also say the herbicides kill all types of grass seeds and so it's best to apply it on an established lawn. Will the herbicides harm other types of plants/flowers??

However, all the sites i've found say the best way to prevent crabgrass is to have a thick dense "turf", and unfortunatley that isn't what you have in a flower garden.

They also mentioned that black plastic will kill all existing crabgrass, (as well as anything else planted in that spot), but that crabgrass seeds can lie dormant for up to 15 years!
I can't imagine anyone wanting to have sections of their yard covered in plastic for that length of time.

Perhaps-- -- I don't know if this idea will work, maybe a more seasoned gardener could be of help..
Maybe you could cover the offensive area with black plastic and build raised beds above it?? Will the plastic harm the environment or inhibit the roots of the iris bed??

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rellie

Hey Cindy,
Do you have a Animal Feed Supply near you??
Like a corn mill or a grainery that sells things to farmers..???????????
Go in there and talk to them, go to several if you have to.... and get their take on it from them.
My husband works in the feed delivery business and he's told me about it, the corn gluten as in farmers useage... they spread it on their fields as a natural weed deterant, but it is expensive they way my husband talks.
But for what little amount you use, the $$ may not be that much....
There's something in the gluten that will not allow seeds to germinate, but mind you every seed will be a "weed" in it's mind, so if you use it in area's that you WANT to reseed, it won't happen.
Karen *Catlover* and I had a conversation about it awhile back...I'll see if I can find the link, or do a forum search and type in Corn Gluten
(make sure it's on the all available topic and any dates, not sure how far back we were talking about it!!!

Weezie

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Cindy,
Do you know anyone that farms?
They'd be the ones really to talk to.
And ask their little tricks of the trade for it.
Worth a shot in the dark anyways.

I have the same problem with grass,
not sure if it's crabgrass or not...
I cover it up...
One area I have strawberries,
I cover with newspaper and compost.
But it does creep through it, but sometimes,
it's so long and stringie getting to the sun, it's easy to pull out, but still there just the same, maybe not as heavy???
Not sure if the news paper is cohabitable with the iris's though, may be too much moisture?????

Hard to make a call!

Weezie

Anyway to complain were you got the load from??

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Ohhhhh Cindy I feel for you.....I reallllly do!
I have the "evil" Burmuda grass"....runners, 8 ft. deep, seeds, etc. evil devil....
Round Up to the rescue....2 yr. here and I am still fighting it....but it sure slows it down.
Remember: Round Up is poisonous to animals....so spray and let it dry....then you can release kids and pets. Also use only % recommended for that grass....more is not better...you want it to attack and have time to kill the runners and roots. If you spray a higher concentration it will just kill off the top and nothing happens to the roots. I have also found spraying on a "windless"(very important or you will kill everything else around) day and as warm and sunny as possible. It will take a few days to really show you got it...then after a few weeks you can go back and either rake the dry grass into the soil and add as compost or pull it up and trash it!!!! Best to get any of the grasses before going to seed!!!!

If you do a forum search for Burmuda grass you will probably come up with some of my postings concerning the evil grass! You really have to keep at it....at least with the Burmuda and the crab sounds a lot like it!!!! Also water it real well a couple times ....get it growing REAL well and then zap the stuff....do this a few times over the next couple months and you should be rid of most of it!!! Then it is just for control. I bust out the gallon sprayer and then make some up for the quart spray bottle and when I see some...give it a zap when I am wandering around the yard!

Good Luck!!!!

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I'm glad you told me about the cheaper version of "Round Up". That stuff is SOOO expensive. I asked my husband the other day if he would bring the dozer or backhoe and just load the dirt up and get rid of it, but he said the crabgrass would end up all over the yard if he started pushing the dirt around, so I'm back to the Round Up. I didn't know that it wouldn't do as well if you mixed it higher strength. I figured I'd mix it real strong, but since you told me that you just saved me a bunch of money!!! It's been cold here ever since I posted that I was going to spray it, so I haven't started yet. It is worrying me to death (I obviously have no other life than my yard and my parrot!).
Thanks a bunch!

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!

There are many products out on the market that will control crab grass not only post emmergent but also in a pre emergent stage as well. The problem with dealing with crab grass after it is there is the fact that you have to catch it while it is still small, in the 2 to 4 tiller stage. This looks nothing like the plant does when it is full grown so you have to know what you are looking for. At this point the weed is easily taken care with selective controls, such as Acclaim or Drive. Just follow the label instructions to the letter.
There are also pre emergents that can be used in a garden as well. the same ones that you use in your lawn will work as long as you don't happen to have anything else coming up from seed. These are usually attached to a fertilizer base so you can kill 2 birds with one stone.

Good Luck

Mike

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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc

Phil or Laura

Not sure which one I am speaking too
Personally, like you I would rather not use pesticides in my garden, however I do happen to see the need for them when other methods fail, and will use them myself if I personally feel the need to.
I am a licensed commercial pesticide applicator, so I am pretty well versed in the dangers of miss use of pesticides. This is why I will always recommend that when needed that the user does follow the label directions exactly. This would include any safety recommendations that are given.
As far as pesticides being "poisons" goes, that is with out a doubt true, but no more so then many of your standard household items such as paints, cleaning solutions, adhesives, antifreeze ect... Any of which if miss used can have devastating results.
I would much rather share my experience and let someone know which pesticide to use and how to use it correctly, then to have them try out many different pesticide products, (many of which are gimmicks) and possibly do damage to themselves and their gardens, and never gain control of what they were targeting in the 1st place.
Everyone’s opinion on where they would draw the line in regards to pesticide use will differ.
Some may wish to not use any at all, (More power to them! They have all my respect.) Others will wait until the pest, be it insect, weed, or disease will be in danger of causing harm to their home or garden. Some choose to head things off before they will occur as in this thread, the use of a pre-emergent. Who is to say who is wrong or right? It is a matter of opinion, and all those different opinions are what make the world so wonderfully interesting.

Happy gardening to both of you!

Mike

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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc

Well, it's me again!
And, I haven't used the Round-Up yet. I wanted to wait and research a little more, and the more I read, the more I know!!! I think I have too many birds that live in my yard to risk spraying lethal chemicals here. I invited all thoses birds here, so I need to keep it safe for them. I don't use any pesticides at all in my yard, even though I have a terrible Japanese Beetle problem in the summer. Since I don't have a REAL job I have time to take care of those beetles one on one everyday, which is time consuming and, believe me, I'd much rather spend that time doing something besides squeezing Japanese Beetles...but my neighbor has bee hives, so I don't spray any pesticides. (He has no idea that I do this because of his bees, but I think I'll tell him this summer so that he may feel obligated to give me some honey!)

Back to the crab grass problem...
I've been seeing an advertisement for "Scott's Turf Builder with Crabgrass Control" on HGTV for the last few days. I know it is expensive, but if it works I don't care. I'm going to Wal-Mart in a little while and get some of it. It must have corn gluten in it or something similar. I will definitely read the label and find out before I buy it. Everything here in Kentucky is starting to grow FAST, so it shouldn't take much time to see if it's working or not.

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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!