Prevention is always better and easier than treatment, so don’t wait until your yard or lawn is covered by weeds. For instance, some cases are so serious that you can't save them anymore or the treatment process will leave a severe consequence.
Let prevent their germination from the beginning with the best granular pre-emergent.
Here are the best granular pre-emergent you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Chickweed Prevention: Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer
- Best For Goosegrass Prevention: The Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent
- Best For Poa Annua Prevention: Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent
- Best For Foxtail Prevention: Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide
- Best For Henbit Prevention: Scotts Crabgrass Preventer
- Best For Crabgrass Prevention: Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent
| 6 Best Granular Pre-Emergent | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Chickweed Prevention | Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer | |
Best For Goosegrass Prevention | The Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent | |
Best For Poa Annua Prevention | Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent | |
Best For Foxtail Prevention | Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide | |
Best For Henbit Prevention | Scotts Crabgrass Preventer | |
Best For Crabgrass Prevention | Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent | |
Best For Chickweed Prevention: Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer
- Cheap
- Easy to use
- Slow to work
Is your lawn attacked by chickweed? If so, choose the Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer. According to the manufacturer, it is formulated to treat this problem.
However, you follow their directions on the product label for the best result. To prevent the germination of chickweed - a winter weed, you need to apply this granular pre-emergent in fall (from August to October).
| Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 9.63 Pounds |
Highlight Features | Rain, snow or freezing-proof |
The Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer works great to prevent chickweed.
Best For Goosegrass Prevention: The Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent
- Not harmful for pets
- Easy to use and spread
- Extremely efficient
- Expensive
- No instructions on bag
Why do I recommend this product for preventing goosegrass?
First, goosegrass is listed in the product label. It is one of 30 grass and broadleaf weeds that the Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent can prevent.
However, its active ingredient is 0.48% of prodiamine, so you need to keep some things in mind:
- It can prevent the growth of goosegrass for a long time, but it also delays planting new grass seeds.
- This product is excellent for preventing goosegrass, not controlling nutsedge.
| The Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 40 pounds |
Volume | 40 lb |
Ingredients | 0.48% of prodiamine |
Highlight Features | Professional-grade |
The Andersons Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent is good to prevent goosegrass the most.
Best For Poa Annua Prevention: Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent
- Easy to spread
- Clear directions
- Smell
Is your lawn attacked again and again by poa annua? Before it strongly grows one more time, you can prevent its growth with the Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent.
Although this product is formulated to prevent many types of weeds, the manufacturer presses about its effect on crabgrass and poa annua many times.
Customers also said that this pre-emergent works well on preventing their poa just after 2 applications.
| Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 5.2 Ounces |
Volume | 5 oz |
Ingredients | Prodiamine |
Highlight Features | A 5 oz bottle can cover 6,000 sq ft area Water dispersible granule |
Both customers and manufacturer said that the Yard Mastery Professional Pre Emergent is good for preventing poa annua.
Best For Foxtail Prevention: Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide
- Easy to use
- Very effective
- Hard to apply evenly
If you are looking for a solution to prevent foxtail, here is it. The Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide is formulated for this type of weed by manufacturer and proven about its prevention effect on foxtail by customers.
| Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 5 Pounds |
Volume | 5 Liters |
Ingredients | Prodiamine 65% |
Highlight Features | Flexible application |
The Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Pre-Emergent Herbicide is formulated for preventing and controlling foxtail.
Best For Henbit Prevention: Scotts Crabgrass Preventer
- Convenient to use
- Easy to spread
- Very economical
- Not clear application instructions
Although the manufacturer said that the Scotts Crabgrass Preventer is good at preventing henbit, haven't you believed in its effect?
If so, let customers tell you about their experience when using this product. Even if they apply this product improperly, it can control at least 50% of henbit.
| Scotts Crabgrass Preventer Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 4.64 Pounds |
Volume | 10.06 lb |
Highlight Features | Season-long prevention 5,000 sq. ft. coverage |
The Scotts Crabgrass Preventer can prevent the growth of henbit in the future.
Best For Crabgrass Prevention: Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent
- Easy to apply
- Can nourish the grass in your yard
- Can't kill anything
Crabgrass is a common type of weed, so many manufacturers produce pre-emergent that can prevent crabgrass. However, not all of them can give you an effective outcome.
The Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent targets 2 main weeds: crabgrass and poa annua, but make sure that you apply it at the right time. For example, if you want to prevent crabgrass, you must spread it in the spring.
| Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Ingredients | 38% Prodiamine |
Highlight Features | Prevent crabgrass |
The Yard Mastery Granular Pre Emergent is really effective in preventing the common crabgrass.
How To Choose The Best Granular Pre-Emergent?
What Is Your Problem?
Normally, there are 2 ways to find a product that can solve the right problem in your yard
The first way is the easiest method. After determining the problem in your yard, check the information on the label. Is it used to treat your problem? Normally, all essential information is listed on the product label.
Or checking the active ingredients of a pre-emergent herbicide can provide you with more information:
Dithio Pyr
This ingredient is extremely effective to fight against crabgrass and many common broadleaf weeds. Dithiopyr also works well as a post-emergent herbicide for some certain types of weeds, especially, it's safe to apply on ornamental grasses.
The Dithiopyr ingredient can prevent annual bluegrass, goosegrass, crabgrass, bittercress, dandelion, clovers, oxalis, and chickweed, but struggle to control spurge and broadleaf weeds.
Isoxaben
Isoxaben will disrupt the production of an enzyme that plays an important role in photosynthesis, so weed seeds won't germinate. This ingredient works so selective that your present turfgrass is still safe.
You can use products with isoxaben to prevent chickweed, clover, thistle, and dandelion instead of controlling grassy weeds such as crabgrass, carpetgrass, and annual ryegrass.
Trifluralin
Trifluralin is proven to prevent the growth of weed. This ingredient is highly effective because it inhibits the root. It is also selective, so there is no need to worry about the safety of your flower beds and vegetable crops.
Choose trifluralin if you want to prevent red-deaf nettle, redroot, chickweed, annual bluegrass, and summer grass. However, this is not a perfect choice to control wild turnip, daisies, clover, and thistle.
Prodiamine
Prodiamine also disrupts the cell division of the weeds, so it can prevent the new leaves and stem formation.
This ingredient has a longer residual period (about 3-4 months) compared to others that are just effective within a few weeks, but it also has a bad side. Although prodiamine is a long-lasting control solution of crabgrass and other annual weeds, it will cause a serious delay of planting grass seeds and other crops.
Prodiamine can prevent grassy and broadleaf weeds such as chickweeds, dandelion, creeping bentgrass, crabgrass, thistle, clover, witchgrass, and chickweed, but it's difficult to control nutsedge.
Corn Gluten
This is good for those who are looking for an organic solution. Though corn gluten can prevent the growth of weeds and add an exorbitant amount of nitrogen, it is a non-selective herbicide. So, don't use it if you need the formation of beneficial seeds. This inhibits the formation of the roots, so it can't touch the perennial weeds and annual weeds.
Benefin (aka Benfluralin)
Benefin is good at preventing knotweed, goosegrass, foxtails, pigweeds, sandbur, annual bluegrass, chickweed, carpetweed, ryegrass, and crabgrass.
Oxadiazon
Oxadiazon is a good ingredient for controlling knotweed, thistle, dandelion, clover, and crabgrass.
Should You Choose Organic Or Non-organic Products?
Non-organic herbicides are synthetic types that contain chemical ingredients to kill weeds. Although it is fast-acting and more affordable, this type can harm the environment and affect your soil's fertility.
Organic pre-emergent are an excellent solution for the environment because it is safe. However, this option also comes with some drawbacks such as attracting bugs, releasing slow, and having a high price.
Will You Choose Selective Or Non-selective Herbicide?
Selective herbicides just target some plants, so it is usually used for lawn areas. This type can control weeds without harming your turfgrass.
Meanwhile, non-selective herbicides target all including what living plants you grow. Choose it if you need a clean driveway, for example.
Are You In The Right Place?
You are here to buy granular pre-emergent herbicides, not liquid form. So, check the information below to make sure that the granular type can meet what you need.
The granular pre-emergent herbicides require you to buy a spreader to apply and it takes more time to work compared to the liquid type. However, there is no need to mix and measure before applying. Though it's easy to spread, it's difficult to distribute on a large area evenly without equipment.
Which Brands Make The Best Granular Pre-Emergent?
Yard Mastery
Yard Mastery, which is a company about soil treatments and fertilizer products was founded by Allyn Hane and Josh Whitford - his business partner in early 2019.
Their products are so high-quality that there are some of the most used soil treatment products around the United States.
FAQs
Which is better: liquid or granular pre-emergent?
This depends on what you will apply the pre-emergent on. However, if you are a first-time user, the liquid pre-emergent will be a safer solution. It’s easier for anyone to apply it precisely so that you can straightforwardly and quickly get an even coverage across your lawn. Meanwhile, it’s harder to apply the granular pre-emergent on your lawn evenly without leaving any error.
After applying, the liquid type can give you an effect immediately while you need to spend more time and effort on the granular solution. The latter requires you to water in it and wait for a certain time until the granules break down and spread to the soil before killing weeds.
However, if you have time for waiting and know how to apply the granular pre-emergent properly, this type will be a more worthy and long-term investment. It can prevent the growth of weed for a long time without being washed away.
What month should I apply granular pre-emergent?
For lawns and perennial flower beds, you should apply the pre-emergent in early spring to minimize the number of annual summer weeds such as sandbur, foxtail, and crabgrass, which germinate in late spring.
You had better apply the pre-emergent again in the fall to prevent weeds in fall and winter.
How long does granular pre-emergent last?
Normally, a pre emergent application can last from 3 to 5 months.
Can I apply granular pre-emergent twice?
Yes.
Is it OK if it rains after applying granular pre-emergent?
Many people think that rain will wash away their pre-emergents, but this element can make the granular pre-emergent work better. Rain helps the pre-emergent push into the soil for working. However, make sure that you can let the pre-emergent sit in the weeds from 3-4 hours before raining for the best effect.
Conclusion
Who is the best granular pre-emergent for? This product is formulated for people who want to prevent and control the growth of weeds for a long time. Of course, this type requires a lot of time and effort to wait for it to work compared to the liquid form, but you will get what you pay for. Before making a purchase, ensure that you have enough time and effort for this type while your lawn hasn't been attacked by weeds. This is prevention, not treatment.
Harry RamosI’m Harry Ramos, who's crazy about all things green. I’m here to share some experience in my gardening adventure and how to choose the best products for your garden. Let's dig in, get our hands dirty, and celebrate the simple, earthy pleasures of the garden together!
