Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae, tribe Paniceae
Grass Category
Invasive/Weed Grass
Variety / Cultivar
Common wild type
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3-10, dies with the first hard frost of autumn, highly heat tolerant during summer
About This Grass
An aggressive, coarse annual grassy weed with a sprawling, sprawling growth habit, light to medium green color, medium-coarse texture, forming patches in thin turf areas, producing finger-like spike seed heads in late summer
Blade Characteristics
Medium width (4-8mm), flat shape, pointed tips, light to yellow-green color, rolled in the bud (vernation), prominent membranous ligule, lacks auricles, often has hairs on the blade and sheath surfaces
Root System
Shallow, fibrous root system originating from nodes on creeping stems (stolons), rapid establishment from seeds, poor drought tolerance without frequent moisture, forms weak sod
Growing Information
Origin Region
Europe and temperate Asia; now naturalized worldwide in tropical and temperate regions
Growth Habit
Stoloniferous and prostrate, spreading rapidly along the ground and rooting at the nodes to form loose, wide mats
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full sun, requires moist soils during germination and active growth, highly susceptible to prolonged drought unless irrigated, adapts to a wide range of well-drained soils with pH 5.5-7.5
Mowing & Maintenance
Mows well at low heights (1.0-2.0 inches) but survives by growing prostrate below mower blades, high maintenance requirement to control via pre-emergent herbicides and hand-pulling
Special Characteristics
Low traffic/wear tolerance, high competitive ability in thin lawns, poor cold tolerance (annual lifecycle), highly invasive in poorly managed turf, light green color contrasts poorly with standard lawns
Ecological Information
Introduced species, acts as a primary weed in turfgrass and agricultural fields, provides minimal wildlife forage compared to native grasses, excellent at colonizing bare soil to prevent immediate erosion