Digitaria is a type of lawn weed known by a number of names that include fonio, finger-grass, and crab grass. No matter what you call it, this opportunistic plant is certainly unsightly and can quickly invade your entire lawn. There are two varieties of Digitaria, Digitaria sanguinalis and Digitaria ischaemum. Both types will typically start appearing around the edges of your driveway or other paved areas from July through September. You are probably wondering how to prevent them from growing on your lawn or want to know how to get rid of them. Here’s some tips to help you control this pesky uninvited plant.

Limit Seed Germination
Believe it or not, before this particular lawn weed dies at the end of the year, it would have already dropped over 150,000 seeds to ensure its continuity. Its seeds can stay dormant for several years. Yikes! This means prevention would ideally be the best way to combat it. To limit seed germination, mow your lawn frequently at the highest recommended setting for your type of grass. Digitaria needs plenty of light to germinate. So, keeping your grass thick and long would be beneficial to create shade near the soil surface to discourage crab grass germination.

The Complete Removal Strategy
Okay, so maybe you don’t have over 150,000 sets of eyes or even the time to constantly monitor this particular type of lawn weed. To be honest, who does? You are perhaps now in damage control mode because this pesky plant has established its way through the thin and bare areas of your lawn and you are now considering it to be a full out invasion, just in time for your annual barbeque gathering. What to do? What to do? Well, don’t panic. This next tip, rather strategy, can help you get rid of them. Pull up your sleeves and begin manually pulling them out as much as you can. As an alternative, you can use horticultural vinegar to kill off this weed and may take anywhere from 24 hours to several days for Digitaria to wilt and die. At that point, make sure you rip them out from their roots to prevent regrowth. Also, be careful not to spray horticultural vinegar near any desirable plants you want to keep.

The Takeaway
These are only to mention some tips to help you control this invading type of lawn weed. Remember, try to limit germination by reducing the amount of sunlight and warmth from reaching the dormant seeds. If it has already established itself on your lawn, then follow the above complete removal strategy to get rid of them quickly and effectively.