I love the summer time and the smell of fresh cut grass. What I cannot stand is the ever growing population of crabgrass plants that seem to find their way into every reach of my yard. I decided to see if I could learn a little something about this kind of yard pest and this is the basics and the best way to keep your yard soft and slightly.

The lawn weed, crabgrass (Digitaria spp) is a warm-season annual weed, which means it reproduces by seed.

To get rid of crabgrass (see pictures at right), it helps to know its life cycle. When spring soil temps (at a depth of 2"-3") reach 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, the first crabgrass seed will germinate. From midsummer to fall, crabgrass produces seed. The crabgrass plants (but not the seeds) are killed by frosts in autumn.

Herbicides can be helpful and come in either granular or liquid form and kill crabgrass seedlings as they germinate. Think of herbicides as forming an invisible shield across the soil surface that stops emerging crabgrass dead in its tracks.

If herbicides are not for you there are other ways to take care of this problem organically.

· Use Fertilizing compost more heavily in autumn than spring. By autumn, frosts will have already killed any crabgrass.

· Don't let bare spots remain uncovered for long, else opportunistic crabgrass will take root. In the fall, fill in those bare spots by over seeding.

· When irrigating the lawn, water more deeply and less frequently. Crabgrass is a notoriously shallow weed.

· Mow "high", leaving the lawn grass at a height of 2 1/2"-3". This will allow the lawn grass to "protect its own turf" better, depriving crabgrass seeds of the light they need to germinate.

These are just a few of the things I have learned over time and I do help they help you to keep your lawn looking as great as you dream of.

Please send questions or comments to S. Rizzotto at VermontBackyard@gmail.com