Crabby Over Crabgrass? Blame The July Heat

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Noticed some unwanted grass in your yard this summer? You're not alone. Crabgrass is out in full force.

And as it turns out, it has a lot to do with Minnesota's July heat.

"I've lived here since 1993 and I've never seen it like this before," said homeowner Dwight Bjerke. "It messes it up pretty bad. It doesn't look good."

The nuisance grass has been springing up over the past week and the heat had something to do with the boom.

"Our recent heat wave helped to warm the soils quickly plus it was combined with some periodic rainfall in there," said Robert Mugaas, an educator/horticulturist with the University of Minnesota Extension. "You need warm temperatures and moisture for those seeds to germinate."

The crabgrass is commonly located along the edges of your yard, curb line or next to parking lots -- before it spreads to the rest of the lawn.

"Those areas tend to accumulate more heat, more quickly," Mugass said. "The soil around them will warm more faster and we call those heat sinks and because of that, the crabgrass will germinate more quickly."