Best Pre Emergent Crabgrass Preventer Review

Are you the owner of a beautiful garden with flowers, plants, and bushes? Let me guess: crabgrass is one of your biggest headaches, and you’re constantly trying to get rid of it. But the thing is – without proper treatment, it can be quite hard to eradicate this tough-to-control weed. So, what can we, fellow gardeners, do to keep this “plague” from taking over? I’ve got just the perfect solution for you!

With the Best Pre Emergent Crabgrass Preventer, you’ll be able to kill it and let the turf grass grow faster. There are all kinds of preventers available on the market right now. To figure out which one deserves your attention, I personally tested quite a few in my own garden. As a result, I picked three outstanding products that will be money well spent.

Comparison Table – Best Pre-Emergent Crabgrass Preventer (Updated July, 2023)

Product Product Information View on Amazon
Editor’s Choice

Tenacity Turf Herbicide - 8 ounces

1) Tenacity Turf Herbicide

  • Best Features:
    – Above-average shelf life (up to eight years)
    – Impressive coverage
    – Targets a long list of pests
  • Coverage: 35000-40000 sq. ft.
  • Recommended to Use for: Kentucky Bluegrass, Centipedegrass, Buffalograss, Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Fine Fescue, and St. Augustinegrass.

Read More

Primesource Meso 4 SC Select

2) Primesource Meso 4 SC Select

  • Best Features:
    – Highly flexible: can be applied anytime you see fit, in any situation
    – Rather affordable; offers excellent value
    – An excellent performance against tough-to-control weeds
  • Coverage: 3000-35000 sq. ft.
  • Recommended to Use for: all types of grass

Read More

Scotts Halts Crabgrass Preventer + Wizz Hand-Held Spreader

3) Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer

  • Best Features:
    – All-season protection; very easy to use
    – Easily handles rain, snow, and harsh winters
    – Also available in a 5K sg. ft. + Wizz Spreader configuration
  • Coverage: 15 000 sq. ft.
  • Recommended to Use for: Kentucky Blue Grass, Fescue, Ryegrass, Centipede, Bahiagrass, Bermuda, Zoysia
  • Available Options:
    5,000 sq. ft.
    – 5,000 sq. ft. with Spreader

Read More

Best Pre Emergent Crabgrass Preventer Review

1. Tenacity Turf Herbicide

Crabgrass never goes down without a fight. Furthermore, unless you treat it with the right product, it will definitely go back stronger next year. Thankfully, with Syngenta’s tenacity turf herbicide (pre-emergence and post-emergence), that won’t be a problem for you. This weed killer easily handles large and smooth crabgrass and prevents it from “bullying” the less aggressive grass and plants. On top of that, it’s also highly effective against a long list of pests.

I’m talking about clover, henbit, carpetweed, thistle, and more. The long shelf life (up to eight years) is even more reason to pick this product over the competition. The only downside – it’s not very capable against nimblewill. You will, of course, be able to get rid of it with this herbicide, but it will take you a lot of time and nerves. However, since our focus today is on crabgrass, that’s a very minor con.

Product Rating
Easy to Use
5
Coverage
5
Value for Money
5
Result
5
Pros and Cons
Long-lasting (can “survive” on the shelf for 5-8 years)
Impressive coverage (up to 40K square feet)
Effective against a wide range of pests
Not the best choice against nimblewill

General Impression
Stephen James
Stephen James
Ask Question

If you’re looking for wide coverage, a long shelf life, and, above everything else, effectiveness against crabgrass, this product might be exactly what you need. It can be used to successfully control (pre and post-emergence) forty-six species of grass and weed.

2. Primesource Meso 4 SC Select

Next, let’s take a look at what Primesource has to offer with Meso 4 SC. First of all, this a chemical product, not poison. It prevents weeds/pests from photosynthesizing and has proven to be highly efficient against crabgrass (even the worst kind). It takes this herbicide up to two weeks to stop weed growth. In three weeks, they start to die due to the lack of the necessary fuels to activate growth. You can even plant new seeds while you’re killing the weed.

I was also pleased by the more than reasonable price-tag on this product. It offers excellent value and will be a safe bet for your garden. The bad news is – it’s only available in forty US states, meaning it’s not for sale in the remaining ten. The reason is standard (state-specific laws), so, make sure to check whether your state is in the “blacklist” or not before ordering Meso 4 SC online.

Product Rating
Easy to Use
4.9
Coverage
4.9
Value for Money
4.8
Result
4.9
Pros and Cons
You can use it anytime or anywhere you are seeding
A reasonably-priced product with above-average value
Strong against the most tenacious types of weeds/pests
Not for sale in ten US states

General Impression
Stephen James
Stephen James
Ask Question

If you’re on a budget but still need a high-quality solution to your crabgrass problem, take a closer look at this product. It is strong against the toughest weeds and pests and gets rid of unwanted grass and plants in less than a month. It’s not available in ten states, though (including Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona, to name a few).

3. Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer

Here, we have a two-in-one type of product with the Scotts turf builder. On one hand, it prevents crabgrass from spreading. At the same time, it feeds the “good grass” and ensures a fast green-up in spring. It’s a bit expensive; yet, if you’ve got some extra dollars to spend, this could be a good investment. It is available in different packages (5K sq. ft. and 15K sg. ft.); plus, you can purchase it with a Wizz Spreader.

There are a lot of options from which you can choose:
5,000 sq. ft.
5,000 sq. ft. with Spreader

Another standout feature of this product is its flexibility. Once you apply it, harsh winters and rainy autumns won’t affect its effectiveness in any way. Here’s how I do it: I apply the turf builder after the fourth mowing in early spring to block crabgrass growth. The results are quite impressive and the whole process doesn’t take long. Again, it’s not cheap but does offer decent value.

Product Rating
Easy to Use
4.7
Coverage
4.7
Value for Money
4.9
Result
4.8
Pros and Cons
635-days protection; blocks crabgrass growth
Not affected by rain, snow, and below-zero temperatures
Available in different packages
Not exactly cheap (but with a wide coverage)

General Impression
Stephen James
Stephen James
Ask Question

To battle crabgrass and to promote fast green-up, you may want to commit to this product. It is equally great at killing weed and stimulating greenery growth. And you won’t have to worry about bad weather conditions: once the fertilizer is applied, rain, snow, and below-zero temperatures won’t be able to stop it.

Conclusion

And that’s about it for my list of the best pre-emergent crabgrass killers. As we learned today, it won’t take a lot of effort (or bucks) to get rid of this nasty weed. There are a lot of worthy options out there, all with their pros and cons. If you’re only interested in getting rid of crabgrass, Scotts might have just the right product for you. It can also be bought with a spreader, which is always good news.

As for the folks that are looking for something more universal, Syngenta’s offer may be a reasonable investment. Finally, the Primesource Meso 4 SC is equally affordable, capable, and flexible. Which one should you choose? Well, only you can answer that question! Again, these are all high-quality products, but, they’re only good for certain things. Find out what is it exactly that you need, and go kill some weeds!

Stephen James
Stephen James

Hello! My name is Stephen James, and I am a home-improvement fanatic! It is amazing how many interesting items there are that can make your home a lot safer and comfortable. What I do is seek for all the innovative inventions that each and every one of you can easily introduce into your house. Every item that I see fit to be reviewed and incorporated into your home is carefully picked and then tested by me. My primary goal is to help you fix any possible issue in the household with the best fitting solutions. If you want to know some more about my daily activities, you can follow me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/stephenjamespro

Rate author
Household Professor
Leave a Reply