Midsummer weather can put even a great looking lawn into a slow
dive of despair without careful attention. As the heat kicks
into high gear, soil temperatures reach their smoking point and
crabgrass seeds begin germinating in earnest, popping like corn
in a microwave. Limey green crabgrass plants appear virtually
overnight exposing vulnerable areas along driveways, patios,
walkways, mailboxes among others. Where did they come from? How
can they grow so fast? Ah, the games have just begun! If you
have not watered and your lawn is cut short, now is when your
thin lawn becomes choked out with crabgrass plants the size of
small cars. During hot, humid weather, cool season grasses will
stop growing, sitting idle while crabgrass seemingly grows an
inch an hour, basking in the searing July heat. A weak or thin
lawn, or those lacking a pre-emergent crabgrass barrier, are now
at high risk for a crabgrass invasion that will only cease when
school reopens. While post-emergent sprays do exist, spraying at
this stage is l