NJ Lawns Community

I'm at my wit's end here in Fort Lee. Been fighting crabgrass for a decade now and I'm losing badly. I posted last year about this and got some advice but this summer my perennial rye lawn which was gorgeous in spring is absolutely overrun. I've tried Barricade, Dimension, you name it. I put down the pre-emergent in early April like everyone says. I aerated. I fertilized properly. And yet here we are mid-July and it's like a crabgrass farm out there. My next door neighbor does NOTHING and his lawn is half crabgrass too but mine looks worse somehow because I actually TRY. Can someone explain what the heck is going on? Is Fort Lee just cursed or something?

Hold up - you putting down Barricade in early April might be your first problem. For our area (Bergen County) you're usually looking at late March to early April BUT the soil temp needs to hit 50-55°F consistently BEFORE you apply. That’s key. Also how much are you watering? A lot of guys in Fort Lee overwater in spring thinking they need to keep it hydrated. If your ground stays wet it actually encourages crabgrass seed germination even WITH the pre-emergent. What’s your irrigation schedule look like?

Ivan makes a good point but honestly I think the bigger issue is the ryegrass itself. Nothing against perennial rye but it’s not near as aggressive as say a tall fescue blend when it comes to crowding out weeds. I switched most of my clients in the area over to a KBG/fescue mix and the difference is night and day. Crabgrass hates competition - if your turf is thick and healthy it chokes that stuff out naturally. Your neighbor does nothing and gets less crabgrass? Probably because his lawn isn’t being OVER-fertilized which can actually feed crabgrass if you’re using the wrong nitrogen at the wrong time.

See now THIS is the kind of info I needed. Steve - what exactly are you recommending for a blend? I get that KBG is great but in Fort Lee with the clay soil we've got, isn't that harder to establish? I thought ryegrass was the standard around here. And Ivan - I'm watering twice a week, about 20 minutes per zone. Maybe that's too much?

Twice a week in July is probably fine but in APRIL and MAY you need to dial it back. Early season overwatering is killer - crabgrass seeds love warm damp soil. Also check your sprinkler coverage. I bet your neighbor has dead spots in his lawn that he’s not even seeding - crabgrass actually fills in those bare areas naturally. If you’ve got thin patches from winter damage get those seeded BEFORE you put down your pre-emergent or you're just wasting product. The barrier works by forming a chemical layer - if you've got exposed dirt the crabgrass will come right through that gap.

OK let me get this straight - apply pre-emergent WHEN? Everyone says early spring but if the soil isn't warm enough yet it's pointless? That's what I'm hearing. Also finding it hard to believe I should seeded INTO my existing ryegrass instead of trying to fix what I've got. Has anyone used Tenacity or whatever for post-emergent in this area? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.

Tenacity works but it's not a silver bullet - more for spot treatment on small patches. Real talk though - your timeline might be backwards. Pre-emergent goes DOWN first in late March/April (soil temps 50°), THEN you seed in fall for best fill-in. By the time you're seeing crabgrass in July it's already too late for that growing season. Hit it HARD next spring with prodiamine (Barricade is fine just need proper timing), cut your watering back until you see actual heat stress, and seriously consider overseeding this September with a fescue blend. Stop fighting the war in summer - the battle is won in spring. Happy to come look at your layout if you're near Fort Lee - I'm in the area all week.