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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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Crabgrasses |
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| COMMON NAME: | Crabgrass |
| SCIENTIFIC NAME: | Digitaria spp. (see below) |
| TYPE: | Annual Warm-season Weedy Grass |
| DESCRIPTION | |
| Germination: | April to July. |
| Reproduction: | By seeds July to October. |
| Stems: | Prostate, rooting at the nodes. |
| Leaves: | Leaves are smooth without hair whereas large crabgrass has hairs on both blade and sheath of leaf. |
| Flowers/ Inflorescence: |
Seed heads of both composed of 2-6 fingerlike branches. |
| Fruit: | Seed unit includes entire spikelet. |
FOUND: |
Crabgrass can be found in lawns, most row crops, following wheat during summer, and in thinning alfalfa stands. |
CONTROL: |
Herbicides applied to crabgrass in dormant season usually do not have enough residual activity to last all summer. On sandy soil, TREFLAN applied in February and incorporated continues to be a good option. ZORIAL, a preemergence residual herbicide, applied in February, has given dependable control of crabgrass for the entire summer at the high rate. However, treatment is expensive. Often the best alternative is to utilize the crabgrass as a grass-alfalfa hay or graze since crabgrass makes good quality forage. One or two applications of grass herbicide like POAST PLUS or SELECT after second and third cutting to small plants will control emerged plants. However, if it rains too much, crabgrass will emerge and still grow enough to have crabgrass in hay. |
| Large
Crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. |
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| In Alfalfa |  Plant |
 Leaf |
 Plant |
 Seed Head |
| Additional Large Crabgrass Images | ||||
| Smooth
Crabgrass Digitaria ischaemum (Shreb. ex Schweig.) (Schreb. ex Muhl.) |
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| In Alfalfa |  Plant |
 With Yellow Foxtail |
 Plant |
Seed Head |
| Additional Smooth Crabgrass Images | ||||
| Jim Stritzke Former Alfalfa Weed Control Specialist Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Oklahoma State University |
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