Dallisgrass vs Crabgrass
They Look Alike. They Are Not the Same Problem At All.
People mix these two up all the time, and it matters, because one of them dies on its own every November and the other one lives in your yard for years.
Crabgrass is an annual. It comes up from seed every spring, spreads out flat, and the first hard frost kills it. Stop the seed and you never see the plant.
Dallisgrass is a perennial. Same clump comes back every April from the same crown, a little bigger than last year, and pre-emergent barely touches one that is already established.
Here is how to tell which one you have got.
Six Ways to Tell Them Apart
The growth habit and the seed head will settle it faster than anything else.
How It Grows
Crabgrass lays flat and spreads out from one center point, like a hand pressed on the ground. Dallisgrass stands up in a tight round clump that gets wider from the outside every year.
The Seed Head
This is the giveaway. Dallisgrass sends up a tall stalk with a few branches and the seed is peppered with black specks. Crabgrass looks like three to seven skinny fingers coming off one point.
What Winter Does
Crabgrass is gone after the first hard frost and leaves a bare spot. Dallisgrass browns off but the crown lives, and that same clump is right back in April.
Pull One Up
Crabgrass comes up easy. Dallisgrass fights you, because it is anchored by a thick crown and short runners. Break it off and whatever stays in the ground grows back.
Look and Feel
Dallisgrass blades are wider, coarser and a lighter gray-green, and the clump is standing taller than the bermuda around it two days after you mow. Crabgrass is finer and closer to the color of your lawn.
Where You Find It
Crabgrass takes thin edges and driveway strips. Dallisgrass likes damp low spots and packed ground, and it gets brought in on mowing equipment more often than people realize.
What Fixes It
Fertilization & Weed Control
Pre-emergent three times a year is what stops crabgrass. Dallisgrass takes targeted work over more than one season, and we will tell you that up front.
Dallisgrass
The full write-up on the clumpy one, including what a realistic timeline actually looks like.
Core Aeration
Dallisgrass likes packed, damp ground. Opening the soil takes away part of what it is living on.
Why Choose Lawn Jox?
Free Service Calls
Our job is to make sure your lawn is beautiful all season long. If you think there is something wrong with your lawn, call us. The inspection is free.
Right Size Equipment
Lawn Jox started with push mowers and we still have them. We use the right sized equipment for the right job, optimizing our time and lowering your cost.
Professional, Uniformed Crews
Just like your lawn, we have standards with our appearance as well. All of our lawn care technicians are uniformed and professional.
Fully Licensed & Insured
As a fully licensed & insured lawn care company in the state of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, we make sure your assets are protected while on your property.
Electronic Quotes & Invoicing
We save on paper and make it easy to pay. With our electronic system, you’ll receive quotes and invoices on your devices so you can accept bids and pay invoices all online.
No Contracts
Nothing to sign and no minimum term. Your program carries over each year so the spring pre-emergent is never missed, and you can stop any time by calling or texting the office.