Control Crabgrass Using Halts

Crabgrass is an annual grass that grows out of control during the heat of the summer. Crabgrass is typically a problem around the warmer areas of the yard next to curbs, sidewalks and driveways. There are a few best practices for controlling crabgrass, one of which is using a pre-emergent herbicide called Halts.

Crabgrass rests in your yard through the winter, waiting to strike. Depending on your location, the seeds will start to germinate as early as February for those living in the south. For those farther north, it happens as late as May. You'll want to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your lawn before the crabgrass seeds germinate.

Halts is a very common pre-emergent made by Scotts, which is typically mixed with fertilizer. You apply it uniformly lightly to a dry yard. Ideally you'll do it before a rain so the granules are washed off the foliage and down into the soil. A single treatment in the spring will be effective for several months. It will prevent most seeds from germinating, so you won't want to seed after you apply Halts.