How to Kill Crabgrass Naturally

If you're trying to kill crabgrass, prevention is key. Once it has grown to a certain length, the only natural way to kill it is to uproot it by hand. Luckily, there are many ways to prevent and kill crabgrass naturally before it can get a foothold in your lawn.

Step 1

Spread more turf seed than usual. This eliminates places for crabgrass to grow. The best time to do this is in the early fall.

Step 2

Fertilize grass in the fall instead of spring. The first frost kills all crabgrass. Fertilizing after this only benefits the surviving turf grass.

Step 3

Water your grass more infrequently and more thoroughly. If the soil is allowed to dry between waterings, the crabgrass has more trouble germinating. A more thorough watering encourages the turf grass to grow more deeply and more easily combat crabgrass.

Step 4

Use the highest blade level setting on the mower. Taller turf grass soaks up sunlight that crabgrass desperately needs to germinate.

Step 5

Pull any fully grown crabgrass you find. Apart from herbicides, fully grown crabgrass can only be removed by hand pulling. This frees more room for turf grass and gives a head start on next year's work.