NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, I'm in Edgewater and totally stressed. It's June 2nd and I'm just now seeing crabgrass popping up all over my front yard. I thought I missed the window for pre-emergent but now I'm thinking maybe I should've done something different? I have a mix of tall fescue and some KBG that came with the house. Is it too late to hit it with quinclorac or should I just accept defeat this year and focus on thickening everything up for next season? My lawn looks okay otherwise but this crabgrass is everywhere now. Already bought a bag of Scott's Halts - did I waste my money applying it too late? Any help from the pros would be amazing right now honestly.

NewbieNate - don't panic yet, you've got options. While June is late for pre-emergent (that window closed back in early April for most of Bergen County), quinclorac absolutely still works on actively growing crabgrass. The key is catching it young before it heads out and goes to seed. Drive XLR8 or Q4 Plus are your best bets right now - they'll translocate down to the roots on young plants. Make sure you're getting good coverage and hit it while temps are above 70 but below 85 for best uptake. Once we hit July heat waves it gets trickier. That said - yes you're probably too late for the Halts you put down. Pre-emergent breaks down after 6-8 weeks and crabgrass seeds have been dormant in your soil all season waiting for the right conditions. That ship has sailed for 2025 honestly. Your best move now: spot treat what you see, mow high (3.5-4"), and start thinking September for overseeding with KBG to thicken up.

GrassGuru is right that quinclorac works but I'd encourage you to think twice before going the chemical route if you can avoid it, especially on an established lawn. Here's what I'd suggest: dig out any clumps you can manage with a hula hoe or dandelion puller - tedious I know but it works. Then focus on outcompeting it. Tall fescue is aggressive when fed properly. Hit the lawn with a good organic fertilizer (Espoma's organic lawn food is what I use locally), water deeply but infrequently (once a week, 1 inch), and mow at 3.5" to shade out those crabgrass seedlings. If you DO need to spray, quinclorac is relatively safe but it will bleach out any dollarweed or certain garden plants nearby so be careful around beds. I've had decent luck with Tenacity too but honestly for a homeowner in June I'd start with just improving cultural practices and see how much comes back next year. Prevention > cure.

WeedWarrior - appreciate the organic perspective! I hear you on the digging out method but honestly there's like hundreds of these plants across my front lawn now lol, I'd be out there every weekend for a month. Quick question though - what's the deal with Tenacity? I've heard mixed things about it. Would that be better than quinclorac or is it more for early prevention? I've seen it at the Home Depot in Paramus but wasn't sure. Also - when should I actually apply pre-emergent NEXT year? I totally missed the boat by doing research too late. Around March 15th?

NewbieNate - yeah don't bother digging, you'll lose your mind. Hundreds of plants across a normal sized lawn is manual labor for weeks. For next year timing - around March 1st to March 15th is your window in Bergen County. We usually base it on forsythia bloom; when those yellow flowers hit, it's time to put down prodiamine or dithiopyr. Don't wait until April like most people think - by then crabgrass is already germinating in our warmer south-facing slopes. Tenacity (mesotrione) is actually really solid but it's more a预防 thing than a curative. It'll knock down emerged crabgrass but works best as a pre-emergent barrier. For what you have now actively growing, quinclorac is still your best bet. And yeah it does have some bleaching risk on ornamental plants so keep it away from foundation plantings. Honestly given where we're in the season, I'd get some quinclorac down this week, mow high, water deep once a week, and call it a damage control year. Then hit it hard with pre-emergent next March.

Fair enough GrassGuru - I know chemical is inevitable for heavy infestations. Nate - just want to say don't beat yourself up. Most homeowners in this area dealt with the same thing this year. We had a weird cold spring that delayed everyone's lawns AND the crabgrass germination. Even folks who applied pre-emergent on time got germination because of that unseasonable cold snap in April. This weather has been all over the place lately. Whatever route you choose - get it done soon. Once crabgrass goes to seed in July/August you're looking atdouble the problem next year. Those seeds stay viable for YEARS in the soil layer.