Struggling with crabgrass in the middle of summer? You’re not alone. Once crabgrass takes hold, it can spread fast—but with the right summer lawn care strategy, you can get rid of crabgrass naturally and keep your lawn healthy all season.
Most articles about crabgrass often start with a truly unhelpful "the best defense against crabgrass is a healthy lawn." While thats true, it's not what you want to hear in summer, when crabgrass is at full tilt and invading your lawn and the chance for prevention is long gone. So instead this article will try to help you identify it, kill it off, and only then turn to preventing it again next season.
Time Required: 15 min
Difficulty Level: Beginner
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How to get rid of crabgrass, fast
The best crabgrass removal method depends on the plant’s age and how much of your lawn is affected. Start by removing existing plants, then prevent new crabgrass by strengthening the lawn and applying pre-emergent at the right time.
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Best for small areas
Pull young crabgrass
Young plants that are about 1–2 weeks old usually come out easily by hand. Pull from the base and remove the entire root system.
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Best for scattered weeds
Spot-spray early growth
Apply an iron-based selective herbicide directly to crabgrass plants during the early stages of growth, following the product label.
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Best for severe patches
Solarize large patches
Mow the affected area low, water it thoroughly, and cover it with clear plastic for 4–6 weeks to heat the soil and kill the plants.
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Best for prevention
Prevent crabgrass next spring
Apply an organic pre-emergent before the soil temperature reaches 55°F to help prevent crabgrass seeds from establishing.
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Best long-term fix
Overseed in the fall
Add new grass seed in the fall to create a thicker lawn that leaves less open space for crabgrass and other weeds to grow.
Important: Existing crabgrass dies after the first hard frost, but its seeds can return the following spring. Removal and prevention work best when used together.
What Causes Crabgrass in the Summer?
First lets set some expectations. It's likely that if you have crabgrass in your lawn right now, it's been there for several years and has dropped thousands of seeds, which can take years to germinate. Crabgrass cannot be controlled in one growing season because of the great number of viable seeds that accumulate in the soil from years of infestation.
How to Identify Crabgrass
Crabgrass is an annual plant. It lives for one year, drops seeds, and then dies off in the early fall. It changes appearance extensively over the course of its short lifespan, and is relatively easy to take out early on, so identifying it quickly is important.
In its early stage, crabgrass will appear bright green, with thick silky and shiny leaves branching out from the center.
As it matures it will spread out, forming greenish-purple seed heads that will spread further, and crowd out other grasses which are not growing as quickly.
Mature crabgrass is the version that causes real problems in lawns. It will smother existing lawns in the process of releasing thousands of seeds which can lie in wait for several years before growing. And it happens quickly. Crabgrass is the fastest thing growing in your yard by July-August. It will can mature in the course of a few weeks in some situations.
It's important to point out that this battle will be fought over the course of several years. So prepare yourself for the long haul.
Best Ways to Remove Crabgrass in the Summer Without Chemicals
What kills crabgrass naturally?
The best method for getting rid of crabgrass largely depends on the phase the plant is at and your propensity for manual labor. Earlier stage plants can be easily pulled or sprayed. As the plant matures, more complex strategies like solarization are necessary. And longer-term strategies such as applying pre-emergent in early spring or overseeding in the fall can create an environment where less crabgrass starts.
Just pull it
In the early stage (the first 1-2 weeks after emerging) crabgrass can be pulled easily by hand, and is the preferred approach for small patches or individual plants.
Spray it
If you have a large infestation, you'll need to break out the spray. Post emergence herbicides can be used when crabgrass is in the 2- to 5-leaf stage. This is very early, when it has not yet put out a seed head, and still looks like a light green and thick grass blade.
Repeat applications may be required depending upon treatment specifics Make sure you're not using anything with chemicals that require full PPE to apply. We recommend our Pulverize selective herbicide, which uses Iron HEDTA product.
Solarize it
In late stage crabgrass (if it looks like the second picture) then you have to go nuclear. Wait until the sunniest and warmest period of the year, use your lawnmower to cut the lawn as short as you can, apply a generous amount of water, and use a sheet of clear plastic to cover the ground.
This process is called solarization, and it’s a good way to kill a large section of grass or weeds.
You need to ensure that the plastic isn’t punctured in any way. Leave it on the ground for between a month and six weeks. During this time you’ll answer the same question repeatedly when all your neighbors ask what the heck you’re doing, and the sheet and the ground beneath will heat the ground sufficiently to destroy all the seeds below it.
After this, you can reseed the area with grass seed, or put down sod
Boil it
Finally, you can use boiling water on mature crabgrass. This method is especially effective because it will instantly kill any seeds that come in contact with the boiling water. Just watch out for your lawn!
Bonus tip: Keep Mowing!
It’s ok to mulch clippings as long as you are mowing often. Frequent mowing prevents the plant from reaching maturity and developing a seed head. However, if you see a seed head that looks like this (see below), start bagging the clippings and dispose of them far away from your lawn.
How to Prevent Crabgrass Next Year
The focus here is on preventing the crabgrass seeds from germinating in the spring, and over the course of the next few seasons.
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Aerate and overseed in late summer or early fall. This is when your lawn is growing quickly and can support new growth. Crabgrass and other weeds that germinate in spring begin to die off around September, so there's very little weed pressure around this time of year.
- Pro tip: Ditch the mechanical aerator and try Aeroflow, Lawnbright's liquid aerator. It loosens compacted soil and improves nutrient flow, using just your hose.
- Set your lawn mowers height of cut to at least 2.5-3 inches. The taller grass shades the soil and keeps soil cool. Crabgrass will not grow in shady, cool conditions. Adjust your cutting height depending on the turfgrass species. Rye and bluegrass can be cut on the low side, and Fescue likes to be cut taller, near 3-4 inches. (Not sure what kind of grass you have? Check out our grass identification guide.)
- Water deeply once or twice a week and avoid frequent irrigation. Crabgrass has a very shallow root system, and will thrive in lawns that get short, frequent bursts of irrigation, where the water stays close to the surface.
- Avoid summer fertilization. Crabgrass benefits more from fertilizer application under high temperatures than Rye, Fescue, or Kentucky bluegrass. In fact, you will add stress and increase the risk of disease by adding a high dose of nitrogen rich fertilizer to your cool season lawn in the summer.
- Use a pre-emergent next spring to prevent the existing seeds from germinating when soil temperatures reach optimal range for crabgrass germination. Lawnbright plans offer an organic crabgrass pre-emergent like Weed Wipeout, which ships when the timing is perfect for crabgrass to germinate in your area, taking all of the guesswork out of the equation.
Crabgrass is one of the fiercest lawn adversaries, but with enough patience and the right guidance, the battle can be won. These are strategies you can use in the summer, and to prepare yourself to reduce crabgrass next spring.
FAQ: Getting Rid of Crabgrass in Summer
Q: Can you get rid of crabgrass once it’s already growing in summer?
Yes. While pre-emergent products are most effective in spring, you can still control crabgrass after it sprouts. Hand-pulling works for small patches, and natural post-emergent sprays can help weaken mature crabgrass without harming the rest of your lawn.
Q: Is it better to pull crabgrass or use a spray?
Both methods can work, depending on how much crabgrass you have. Pulling is effective if you only see a few plants. For larger infestations, a selective spray or spot treatment is easier. The key is to act before the plants drop seeds, which usually happens by late summer.
Q: Does mowing get rid of crabgrass?
Mowing alone won’t kill crabgrass. In fact, mowing too short can make it worse by stressing your grass and creating bare spots where crabgrass thrives. Keep your mower height at 3–4 inches to shade the soil and discourage new weeds.
Q: Will crabgrass die on its own?
Yes. Crabgrass is an annual weed, so it dies off with the first frost. The problem is that each plant can drop thousands of seeds, setting you up for an even bigger outbreak next year if you don’t control it during the summer.
Q: How can I prevent crabgrass from coming back next year?
The best prevention is a thick, healthy lawn. In spring, apply a pre-emergent (Lawnbright ships a natural option at the right time for your region), overseed thin areas, and mow at the correct height. Healthy grass shades the soil and crowds out crabgrass naturally.
Q: Are natural crabgrass killers effective?
Yes. Natural post-emergent sprays can weaken crabgrass when applied consistently, especially when combined with cultural practices like proper mowing, deep watering, and overseeding. They may take longer to show results than chemical options, but they’re safer for kids, pets, and the environment.
Q: How do you get rid of crabgrass permanently?
There's no one-and-done fix — crabgrass drops thousands of seeds that stay viable for years. “Permanent” control means a two-part routine: kill this year's plants before they seed, then apply an organic pre-emergent every spring so new seeds never germinate. After 2–3 seasons the seed bank is dramatically reduced.