| I have a problem with crabgrass in my shrubs. What can I do to control the crabgrass without killing the shrubs? |
| This is the type of situation where an ounce of prevention is worth several pounds of cure. It's easier to keep weeds and grasses out of the garden than to get them out once they've established themselves. The safest treatment is to dig the grass out. Crabgrass is an annual that begins to sprout about the time the forsythia blooms, so one of the best controls is to either cultivate the soil lightly to disturb those seeds (lightly so you don't bring more seeds up near the surface where they'll germinate, too) or to use a layer of mulch to smother them. Another option is to use corn gluten as an herbicide. The gluten releases an enzyme that kills germinating seeds, and at the same time adds nitrogen to your soil. This product is marketed under several brand names. |
