Crabgrass Makes Me Crabby

This is the most disappointing time of year.  The desirable grass has gone dormant in the heat and the crabgrass seems to have taken hold.  I've tried hand pulling the crabgrass and other weeds, like wood sorrel, out of the lawn, but, seriously, it's like trying to move a mountain of snow with a teaspoon.  Sure, it can be done, but is it really worth it?  Probably not.  I found myself feeling particularly discouraged while mowing the lawn yesterday about the proliferation of crab grass and its ability to lie so low that the mower doesn't cut it (or its blossoms which will set the seeds for next year-lucky me!).

Ideally, each Spring, just as the forsythia is beginning to bloom, you spread a "pre-emergence" on the ground to prevent weed seeds from sprouting in your lawn ("pre-emergence" containing corn gluten is an all natural, safe alternative to chemical pre-emergent herbicides).  The only trouble is you can't spread grass seed at the same time (obviously, since the pre-emergence will keep those seeds from sprouting, too).  What to do?  Looking back over this year we chose grass seed over pre-emergence and I may be regretting that decision. Because so much of the crabgrass has bloomed and thrown its seeds all over creation, next year we'll do the pre-emergence, suffer with brown turf in the summer, and then put down grass seed in the Fall.  (We wouldn't have to worry about grass seed each year but our yard has a lot of fill, sand, rocks, and glass, with very little loam, and poor drainage.  After a wet winter we can end up with standing water in the backyard that will cause damage to the grass as it freezes and melts in the spring.)