Even though it has a reputation as a lawn weed, crabgrass is a high¬ quality, very palatable grass that is excellent forage for grazing livestock. It is a summer annual grass that germinates in spring, grows through summer and dies at frost in fall. Daily weight gains or milk production of livestock grazing crabgrass can easily exceed that from bermudagrass. It is very productive under good manage¬ ment. Crabgrass works well to provide summer forage when grown in mixtures with cool¬season grasses such as tall fescue or with small grains used for forage.
Crabgrass germination begins when soil temperature is around 58°F, so planting can usually begin by mid¬ April. Planting after mid¬June is risky due to the lack of dependability of late summer rainfall. Plant 4-5#/acre
