Will Burning Crabgrass Kill It? What You Need to Know

Crabgrass is one of the most invasive weeds. It seems like every spring and summer, a new product comes out claiming that it can rid your lawn of crabgrass for good. However, there’s a rumored tried and true method of burning the weeds to eliminate them, but does it work?

Burning crabgrass will kill it, though it won’t remove the roots. You can burn the crabgrass with a weed burner, then scoop the roots out of the soil with a shovel. Keep a bucket of water nearby, and make sure you only burn small patches at a time to keep it from getting out of control.

In this post, I’ll explain why burning crabgrass kills it, whether or not you should try it, and what will happen to the roots if you burn the crabgrass.

Will Burning Crabgrass Kill the Roots?

Burning crabgrass doesn’t kill the roots because the heat doesn’t go deep enough into the soil. The flame stops at the wet soil, which prevents the fire from spreading. You’ll have to remove the roots with another tool if you want to stop them from growing and dropping seeds.

Furthermore, Gardening Know How suggests flame weeding when the weeds are between one to two inches tall. Taller crabgrass shouldn’t be killed with fire because they often have a lot of moisture, not to mention the risk of the fire spreading to the nearby grass.

If it seems like your yard suddenly has a lot of crabgrass, it could be because you mowed a couple of crabgrass patches without knowing it. Crabgrass drops a ton of seeds, but burning these weeds will stop them from seeding.

The Flame King Weed Burner includes an adjustable valve to switch the flame’s size, a 33-inch handle to keep the heat away from you, and an ergonomic handle for maximum control. It also has an automatic ignitor to work the second you click the burner. Place it over the crabgrass for nearly instant results.

Some weed burners come with cone-shaped heads to target the weeds, while others have adjustable necks. There are all sorts of options, so it’s worth looking through what’s available to see what works best for your lawn.

How Do You Burn Crabgrass?

To burn crabgrass, follow these steps:

1. Fill a bucket of water or keep a hose nearby. Weed burners are designed to prevent the fire from spreading. The flame is very concentrated, but there’s no doubt that you should have precautionary measures. Keep a water bucket in case you need to use it.
2. Place the weed burner over the crabgrass and turn it on a low flame. It’s best to keep the burner right over the crabgrass without allowing too much room for the fire to hit the lawn around the weeds. Most weed burners have cones to help you regulate the fire.
3. If the fire spreads, douse it with water. Never let the fire spread around the crabgrass, even if you have a bunch of weeds. Spot treat each of the crabgrass weeds with the weed burner (though some people use a blow torch, I don’t recommend it).
4. Use a shovel to remove the roots. All weeds can grow if they have enough roots. Use a shovel or metal rake to rip the roots out of the soil. Whether or not you burn the crabgrass, you’ll still have to deal with the roots because they’re much deeper in the soil.
5. Till the soil, add topsoil, and then toss grass seeds on the patch. Topsoil helps you grow new grass, which is one of the most important parts of preventing weeds from coming back. If there’s no space for the weeds to come through the soil, they won’t be able to take over the lawn.

Burning crabgrass is an excellent way to remove it. However, it’s important to only burn small portions of the lawn. You shouldn’t burn a spot bigger than the size of your hand. Burning the weeds isn’t the best method since it can burn the dry grass, so never use a weed burner around dry plants.

If you’re interested in using a blow torch to get rid of crabgrass and other weeds, watch this helpful video guide:

What’s the Best Way to Remove Crabgrass?

The best way to remove crabgrass is to spray them with an herbicide, remove them by hand 48 hours later, then add a crabgrass preventer. You could also remove the crabgrass by hand. Never mow crabgrass because it can spread the seeds around the lawn.

Keep these suggestions in mind when removing crabgrass:

• Never cut the weeds before spraying them with herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals. It’s important to let the chemicals soak into the roots and stems for the best results. Let them sit, then spray the crabgrass again if the sunlight dries too quickly.
• Like most weeds, crabgrass grows quickly in bare soil. You can’t get too many weeds if there’s no room for them to grow. I always say the best way to prevent weeds is to maintain a healthy lawn and garden. Keep it mowed to 2.5 inches, use enough fertilizer, and remove weeds immediately.
• It’s better to remove crabgrass from its roots to stop it from growing. Crabgrass is easily one of the most invasive plants. It can spread throughout your yard with thousands of seeds in a matter of weeks. However, you can prevent them from growing and dropping seeds by taking out the roots.
• Use a crabgrass preventer to keep them from coming back. Scotts WeedEx Crabgrass Preventer goes in a spreader. Push it around the yard or sprinkle it by hand. This solution prevents crabgrass, chickweed, and more. Each bag treats up to 5,000 square feet.

Remember that you’ll have to prevent the crabgrass after getting rid of it. Crabgrass is a seasonal weed that can ruin a yard in a few weeks. Prevent them during the spring and summer if you never want to use weed burners, herbicides, etc.