Dallisgrass is an upright weed that grows tall, whereas crabgrass has broad leaves and grows lower to the ground. Dallisgrass grows off the side of its stem and has large seed heads with black spots on them. Crabgrass grows out of the top of its stem and has small seed heads.
Dalligrass and crabgrass are two of the most common types of weeds out there. They’re quite different from each other, but they’re both weeds and can be quite annoying to have in your garden. Before trying to get rid of them, though, it’s important to know which type you actually have because they each need to be controlled differently.
Keep reading to find out more about the difference between Dallisgrass vs crabgrass, as well as weed control tips!
Contents
Differentiating Between Dallisgrass And Crabgrass
How To Identify Dallisgrass
Dallisgrass is coarse in texture and grows tall and upright. Its seed heads are quite large, they have tiny black spots on them, and they grow off the side of its stem. Dallisgrass is a perennial weed that grows in a circular clump and these ring formations can grow to cover and smother the surrounding grass in your garden, as well as the actual plant.
Unlike Crabgrass weeds, there’s no such thing as a Dallisgrass seed because they have short rhizomes and a continuously growing underground stem. This makes it very hard to control. They tend to achieve root establishment quickly when the soil is moist. They can grow back from the root system every year, making them one of the most troublesome types of weeds.
How To Identify Crabgrass
Crabgrass is a summer annual grassy weed. The two most common types of crabgrass in the northern region of the United States are the smooth crabgrass weed and the large crabgrass weed. Their names pretty much tell you how they can both be identified.
Smooth crabgrass weeds have less hair on their leaves than the large crabgrass species. The latter is also significantly larger than the smooth crabgrass species.
Crabgrass weeds, regardless of the type, generally have broad leaves and grow closer to the ground in a star-shaped pattern. Their seed heads are quite fine and small, and they grow out of the top of their stems.
They grow from seeds and not from a root system, like dallisgrass. They tend to grow to form a thick mat of weeds rather than in circular clumps, like dallisgrass, with lots of side branches.
Controlling Dallisgrass And Crabgrass
How To Control Dallisgrass
Dallisgrass is quite difficult to control once it’s established itself in your garden. This is why preventative measures are crucial.
You can prevent dallisgrass from growing in your garden by practicing regular and proper garden maintenance. This includes regular mowing and fertilization. Be careful of the type of fertilizer you use, though, because dallisgrass weeds grow incredibly fast when exposed to nitrogenous fertilizers.
These weeds are typically spread by lawnmower blades, animals and the wind. To control the spread of it across your garden, you can try the pre-emergent method, which involves applying a pre-emergent herbicide. If the herbicide is absorbed into your soil, any remaining dallisgrass remnants will eventually die out.
Another way to control the spread of dallisgrass is to dig it out using a garden hoe or use post-herbicides. You can use a post-emergent herbicide roughly every 2-3 weeks to reduce the possibility of it growing again.
In this video, YouTube user Solutions Pest & Lawn does a great job explaining how to get rid of Dallisgrass in 4 easy steps:
How To Control Crabgrass
Crabgrass can be prevented by using a pre-emergent herbicide, which will act as a protective barrier in your garden. Regular lawn maintenance, in addition to using herbicide, is the best way to control crabgrass from infiltrating your lawn.
Using herbicide is also a great way to get rid of pampas grass, which is just as invasive as these weeds.
If crabgrass has already found its way into your garden, you can get rid of it by using a post-emergent herbicide. Any variant, be it a selective or non-selective option, will work. However, it’s important to note that a selective variant will target just the crabgrass, whereas a non-selective option will target the entire area you’ve used it on.
Using fertilizer on your lawn to thicken it could also work to get rid of crabgrass. This is because a thick lawn will suppress the growth of the crabgrass.
If the crabgrass in your garden hasn’t dominated the rest of your grass, a selective variant of post-emergent herbicide will suit you best. If the crabgrass has made its way through almost every part of your lawn, it might be worth using a non-selective variant to clear everything and start growing a new lawn from scratch.
This option should be used only if all the other options haven’t worked on your lawn.
YouTube user The Lawn Care Nut explains how to get rid of Crabgrass in this video:
FAQs
How can you tell crabgrass from dallisgrass?
You can tell the difference between crabgrass and dallisgrass by looking at their seed heads. Crabgrass weeds have fine and small seed heads that grow out of the top of their stems, while dallisgrass has large seed heads with tiny black spots that grow off the side of its stem.
What does crabgrass look like?
Crabgrass looks small with smooth blades or large with hairy blades. The smooth type can grow up to 6 inches tall, while the large type can grow up to 48 inches tall. Crabgrass branches tend to grow out in angles that resemble crab legs.
How do you identify dallisgrass?
Dallisgrass can be identified by its physical characteristics: it is coarse in texture and grows tall and upright. Its large seed heads have tiny black spots on them and they grow off the side of its stem. They grow in a circular clump that can smother surrounding grass.
Are You Ready To Master The Battle Of The Weeds?
So, there you have it! That’s everything you need to know about differentiating between dallisgrass vs crabgrass, as well as how to control them.
Remember: preventing these weeds is easier than getting rid of them. But if they’ve already taken hold, pre and post-emergent herbicides are guaranteed to help rescue your lawn.
What did you think about my comparison and tips to control these weeds? If you found it to be helpful, please feel free to leave a comment or share!
