“I Repent!” Crabgrass is here.

I repent!

I’m sad to say that my past pontificating about the total lack of the hated weed, Crabgrass, over the last couple of decades, has come to an end. We do/will have a problem with this weed for the unforeseeable future. The cause, most likely, is the two very dry, hot summers of 2014 and 2015 which set up conditions conducive to Crabgrass proliferation in Thurston county. The recent pictures below show a significant stand of Crabgrass along a fence at South Bay Elementary School.

The dreaded Crabgrass

Wayne Tilley, North Thurston School District Maintenance Supervisor, said he is seeing it “everywhere” which doesn’t surprise me in the least. Should these weeds be allowed to mature and cast seed, and the seeds make it to the lawn and beds on the school grounds, the expense to control them will certainly not be in the school maintenance budgets.

There is also a companion weed, Barnyard Grass  that looks very much like Crabgrass that is also raising it’s ugly (seed) head in these parts.

Young Barnyard Grass Plant

We’ve found Barnyard Grass in newly seeded lawns and ornamental plantings, most likely brought in with imported soil. The distinction is easily noticed in the purple stems of Barnyard Grass and the distinctly different seed head.

Crabgrass Seedhead

Barnyard Grass Seedhead

The good news is that these weeds can be controlled before (pre-emergence) or after they germinate (post emergence) with timely, safe herbicide treatments.

So even though I had to repent from bragging about our escape from these weeds for decades, I’m glad to say they are rather easily controlled with timely treatments.

Please call us if you are seeing this weed and we’ll identify them and explain the methods for control.

Answers and solutions since 1960,

Neal Wolbert, President

Wolbert’s Inc.

3944 South Bay Rd NE
Olympia, WA 98516
360.491.7711 office
360.239.3126 cell

neal@wolberts.com