Organic lawn treatments - Ask Extension
I have found organic lawn nitrogen and potassium. Is there organic treatment for lawn crabgrass, dandelions and grubs.
Knowledgebase
Organic lawn treatments #928728
Asked April 17, 2026, 2:18 PM EDT
I have found organic lawn nitrogen and potassium. Is there organic treatment for lawn crabgrass, dandelions and grubs.
Wayne County Michigan
Expert Response
Good Morning,
Crabgrass is an annual plant, growing from seed each year. The best management is to prevent this annual plant from taking hold each spring, and then again in mid summer. Corn gluten meal has some pre-emergent effectiveness, applied two times per season. A thick healthy lawn is going to shade out weed seeds, including crabgrass, preventing them germinating. Perennials weeds, and any large annual weeds like mature crabgrass, must be hand weeded out.
Here are some Organic weed control methods that research shows are effective:
-Keep thick, healthy lawns mowed no shorter than 3 inches; irrigate 1- 1 1/2 inches per week, fertilize as per a soil test recommendation. Thick lawns crowd out and shade out weeds.
-Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a protein-based, natural product with potential pre-emergent herbicide activity. CGM has no effect on established weeds. It is not selective and can inhibit germination of desirable plant seeds as well as weed seeds. Apply in spring when forsythia blooms, and again in late summer.
-Some success can be had using weed-strength vinegar or acetic acid solutions. This is not household vinegar. They burn all plants, not just weeds, so you must carefully spot treat the weed to avoid killing or damaging the grass or other desirable plants. These products are strong enough to burn skin and eyes, so cautions must be taken. See related link below.
-Manually pulling young weeds and digging large ones is effective.
-As always, please read and follow all precaution on labels of any garden products used.
Natural Organic Lawn Care | Ohioline
MSU ag specialist guest column: Weed management for lawns
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
Crabgrass is an annual plant, growing from seed each year. The best management is to prevent this annual plant from taking hold each spring, and then again in mid summer. Corn gluten meal has some pre-emergent effectiveness, applied two times per season. A thick healthy lawn is going to shade out weed seeds, including crabgrass, preventing them germinating. Perennials weeds, and any large annual weeds like mature crabgrass, must be hand weeded out.
Here are some Organic weed control methods that research shows are effective:
-Keep thick, healthy lawns mowed no shorter than 3 inches; irrigate 1- 1 1/2 inches per week, fertilize as per a soil test recommendation. Thick lawns crowd out and shade out weeds.
-Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a protein-based, natural product with potential pre-emergent herbicide activity. CGM has no effect on established weeds. It is not selective and can inhibit germination of desirable plant seeds as well as weed seeds. Apply in spring when forsythia blooms, and again in late summer.
-Some success can be had using weed-strength vinegar or acetic acid solutions. This is not household vinegar. They burn all plants, not just weeds, so you must carefully spot treat the weed to avoid killing or damaging the grass or other desirable plants. These products are strong enough to burn skin and eyes, so cautions must be taken. See related link below.
-Manually pulling young weeds and digging large ones is effective.
-As always, please read and follow all precaution on labels of any garden products used.
Natural Organic Lawn Care | Ohioline
MSU ag specialist guest column: Weed management for lawns
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
