Best Weed and Feed (2026): Lawn Picks by Grass Type and Season

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The best weed and feed for most lawns is Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5, a 26-0-2 granular that Scotts says controls dandelions, clover and other listed broadleaf weeds with 2,4-D and dicamba while it feeds, on bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass lawns (Scotts also lists Bermuda, zoysia, bahia and centipede). Bob Vila's testers ran it in their side-by-side weed and feed test, and The Spruce names Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed its best overall. If you also want to stop crabgrass before it sprouts in spring, Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action1 adds a preventer to the same pass.

St. Augustine lawns need a different bag, because Scotts rules it out for both of those and for its hose-end liquid. For St. Augustine, Floratam included, and for southern lawns of centipede, zoysia or Bermuda (not the Ormond variety), the pick is BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Southern Weed & Feed. The other two picks cover spraying from a garden hose instead of pushing a spreader, and weed control in fall. Every rate, wait and people-and-pets line about a product below comes from its own label, maker page or listing, because, as the EPA notes, pesticide labels are legally enforceable.

We also set the labels side by side in two tables: which grasses each product can go on, and how much ground and nitrogen one container puts down.

Jump to: Grass type table | Coverage and nitrogen | Bermuda | St. Augustine and centipede | When to apply | How to apply | Weed and feed or spot spray | New grass and seeding

Start here: which weed and feed for your lawn

• Dandelions and clover in a bluegrass, fescue or ryegrass lawn (Scotts also lists Bermuda, zoysia, bahia and centipede): Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5 (pick 1). It is also the pick for a bahia lawn and for Ormond Bermuda, the one Bermuda variety pick 3's label rules out.
• Broadleaf weeds now and crabgrass stopped before it comes up, in spring, on a lawn that is not St. Augustine or zoysia: Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action1 (pick 2), on a lawn you will not seed for four months.
• St. Augustine of any variety, or a southern lawn of centipede, zoysia or Bermuda (not the Ormond variety): BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Southern Weed & Feed (pick 3).
• No spreader, or a lawn you would rather treat from the hose, on a lawn that is not St. Augustine: Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Plus 2 Weed Control (pick 4); of the Bermudas, its page names only common bermudagrass. No hose-end pick here covers St. Augustine or names hybrid or Ormond Bermuda, so those lawns need a spreader: pick 3, or pick 1 on Ormond.
• Weed control in fall or the cool weeks of spring, on a bluegrass, fescue or ryegrass lawn: The Andersons Surge Weed & Feed 16-0-9 (pick 5).
• Buffalograss, kikuyugrass, seashore paspalum, carpetgrass or dichondra: none of these picks lists it; read the bag before buying anything.

Only a handful of weeds? Spot treating them may be simpler; see when a weed and feed is the right tool.

The best weed and feed, by job

1. Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5: best overall

This is Scotts' granular weed and feed, linked here in the 33.95 lb bag that covers 12,000 sq ft, by its listing. Scotts gives the analysis as 26-0-2 and the active ingredients as 2,4-D and dicamba, and the listing says it controls more than 50 listed lawn weeds, clover, dandelion, plantain and purslane among them. Scotts' page lists it for bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, bahiagrass and centipedegrass lawns. You spread it with a spreader on a damp lawn: Scotts explains that the granules must cling to the weed leaves.

Why it is the pick: Bob Vila's testers spread Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed, the 26-0-2 formula (their Home Depot link is this same 33.95 lb Weed & Feed5 bag), in its own square of a lawn with a serious clover and dandelion problem, and counted quick, visible thickening of the grass and its fit with many grass types among its strengths; on that plot the weeds stopped spreading over the test. The Spruce calls Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed its best overall weed and feed, and This Old House lists it among the three lawn weed products it recommends. It is the pick here for a bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass or bahia lawn, and for Ormond Bermuda, which pick 3's label rules out. Scotts also lists centipede, zoysia and the other Bermudas; for those lawns, pick 3 is a formula made for southern grasses that adds a crabgrass preventer.

Good to know: it is not for St. Augustinegrass (Floratam included), creeping bentgrass, dichondra, carpetgrass or lippia, and Scotts says to keep it away from flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetable plants. Scotts' directions are to spread it while the weeds are growing actively and the daytime temperature stays between 60 and 90 degrees F, then hold off watering for at least 24 hours, and to pick a time with no rain forecast for the next day. Scotts says weed stems and leaves begin to twist and curl within a few days, but full control can take a month or longer. On bahia and centipede in spring, Scotts says not before mid-April, and only after three mowings; in fall, it says to finish by September 1 on centipede and November 1 on bahia. Scotts' page allows it no more than twice a year, and says to wait at least a month before seeding or sodding and to give a brand-new lawn at least four mowings first. Amazon also carries Weed & Feed3 bags; Scotts' product pages now cover Weed & Feed5, so that is the formula linked here.

2. Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action1: best with a crabgrass preventer

A 14.10 lb bag for 5,000 sq ft that does three jobs, by Scotts' page: it kills listed broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, clover, ground ivy, dollarweed, henbit, chickweed, plantain and English daisy, keeps crabgrass and other listed grassy weeds from coming up for 4 months, and feeds at 25-0-2. Scotts lists three active ingredients: pendimethalin, the crabgrass preventer, plus 2,4-D and dicamba. It is for Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall and fine fescue, bermudagrass, centipedegrass and bahiagrass.

Why it is the pick: The Spruce's weed and feed roundup calls Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action the most effective of its picks for weed prevention. On a bluegrass, ryegrass or fescue lawn, it is the only pick here that also prevents crabgrass, so one spring pass covers the weeds you can see, the crabgrass you cannot see yet and a feeding.

Good to know: it will not kill crabgrass that is already up, so timing matters. Scotts says to apply it in spring while daytime temperatures run consistently between 60 and 80 degrees F, to grass damp with dew or lightly watered, with no rain forecast for 24 hours; after those 24 hours you water it in, which starts the crabgrass preventer. Its page also says to skip mowing for 24 hours after. Scotts says seeding, sodding or aerating has to wait at least 4 months, so it does not suit a lawn you plan to overseed that season, and a brand-new lawn should be mowed at least four times first. It is not for St. Augustinegrass (Floratam included), dichondra, lippia, carpetgrass or bentgrass lawns, it should stay off flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables, and Scotts says stray granules can stain paving, so sweep them back onto the grass. Scotts allows no more than two applications a year, at least 2 months apart. The Amazon listing also names zoysiagrass, which Scotts' page does not, so check the bag if your lawn is zoysia.

3. BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Southern Weed & Feed: best for St. Augustine and centipede lawns

Sold in full as "3-in-1 Weed & Feed for Southern Lawns," this is a 10 lb bag of granules for southern grasses only. The label lists three weed killers, dicamba (0.088%), penoxsulam (0.041%) and indaziflam (0.027%), with a 35-0-3 fertilizer in which 17.5% of the 35% nitrogen is slowly available. By the label it kills listed weeds such as clover, dandelion and dollarweed, and prevents listed broadleaf and grassy weeds plus crabgrass for up to 6 months. The rate is 2.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft, so the 10 lb bag treats about 4,000 sq ft, the same figure the listing gives. It is for established lawns of Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, zoysia and all varieties of St. Augustinegrass, Floratam included.

Why it is the pick: Scotts lists St. Augustinegrass among the grasses picks 1, 2 and 4 are not for, and pick 5's label rules out Floratam; this is the only pick whose label covers every St. Augustine variety. It is also the one formula here made for southern lawns, so it is the pick for centipede, zoysia and Bermuda (other than the Ormond variety) too, with weed control, a crabgrass preventer and a feeding in one pass. Neither Bob Vila's test nor This Old House's list covers this product, so it rests on its label; it is sold by Amazon.

Good to know: use it only on the four grasses it names; the label rules out fescue, ryegrass, bahiagrass, bentgrass, buffalograss, carpetgrass, dichondra, kikuyugrass, seashore paspalum and the Ormond variety of Bermudagrass. The label says a sodded lawn needs to be 3 months old or more and a seeded or sprigged one 16 months or more, and that after an application seeding waits 12 months and sod 6. The label's timing: in spring, once the grass is growing and you have mowed it twice, not while it is just turning green; in fall, at least 6 weeks ahead of your area's first historical frost date, and never on centipede after October 1. It says to apply between 50 and 90 degrees F to a dry lawn or, for best results, one wet with dew, then to keep water off for at least 24 hours, and after that to water lightly to set the preventer. The label also says to keep granules off flowers, ornamental shrubs and trees, to sweep strays off paving, and to leave the clippings from the first three mowings on the lawn rather than using them as mulch or compost. The label allows two applications in any 12 months, not within 90 days of each other. BioAdvanced lists the states it is sold in and says it is not registered in all states.

4. Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Plus 2 Weed Control: best liquid weed and feed

A 32 fl oz ready-to-spray bottle that attaches to your garden hose, so there is no mixing and no spreader. Scotts gives it a 25-0-2 analysis and three weed killers, 2,4-D, MCPP and dichlorprop-p. By the listing it kills dandelions, clover and other listed weeds, with poison ivy, ground ivy, chickweed, henbit, plantain, spurge, knotweed and oxalis named among them. One bottle covers as much as 4,000 sq ft on a cool-season lawn and 6,000 sq ft on a warm-season one. Scotts lists it for bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass and for bahiagrass, common bermudagrass, centipedegrass and zoysiagrass.

Why it is the pick: Bob Vila's testers named it their best liquid weed and feed. It was among the few products in their test to kill weeds that were already growing, with the weeds dying back by the third week, and they found the hose-end bottle easy to use, with a clear strip on the side that showed how much they had sprayed.

Good to know: Scotts says to spray while weeds are actively growing and the temperature is below 85 degrees F, then not to water the lawn for 48 hours; if the lawn is dry, water it 24 hours before. Its page also says to leave the mower parked for 1 to 2 days after. For tougher weeds, Scotts says a second application 3 to 4 weeks later may be needed, and the product can go down up to two times a year. Scotts says to wait 3 to 4 weeks before seeding or sodding, and on a newly seeded lawn to wait for at least three mowings. It is not for St. Augustinegrass, buffalograss, dichondra, lippia or lawns where you want to keep clover, and the spray should stay off shrubs, trees and flower or vegetable beds. Scotts recommends chemical-resistant gloves while you spray, and says to keep people and pets off until the spray is fully dry.

5. The Andersons Surge Weed & Feed 16-0-9: best for fall weed control

A 40 lb bag of small granules with four broadleaf weed killers, by the label: 2,4-D, dicamba, mecoprop-p and sulfentrazone, in a 16-0-9 fertilizer. The label's rate is 3.0 to 4.0 lb per 1,000 sq ft on Kentucky bluegrass, the fescues, perennial ryegrass, common bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, and 2.0 to 2.5 lb on St. Augustinegrass, centipedegrass, hybrid bermudagrass and bentgrasses, so by the label's own figures the bag covers 10,000 sq ft at its 4.0 lb rate and 16,000 sq ft at 2.5 lb. The Andersons says it controls more than 250 common weeds, with dandelions, clover, chickweed and plantain among them.

Why it is the pick: Iowa State University Extension calls fall the best time to treat perennial broadleaf weeds such as dandelion and creeping Charlie, because the plants are moving food down to their roots and the herbicide travels with it. Surge's label calls spring and fall the times for the best control and claims superior cool season performance, and The Andersons says it keeps working in the cooler weather of spring and fall. Its label lists four broadleaf weed killers, the most of these picks. Neither Bob Vila's test nor This Old House's list covers it; it is here on its label.

Good to know: it kills only weeds that are already up; The Andersons says it does not prevent new ones. By the label, water the lawn thoroughly (more than half an inch) and mow it 1 to 2 days ahead, spread it in the morning while dew is on the grass, and keep the lawn dry for 24 hours. The Andersons says weeds start turning white or brown within 5 to 7 days, complete die-off can take up to 21 days, and heavy infestations may need another pass about 30 days later; the label allows two applications a year at least 30 days apart. The Andersons advises against applying on days above 85 degrees F. The label keeps it off Floratam St. Augustinegrass, dichondra, carpetgrass, creeping bentgrass and lawns with clovers you want, and away from flowers, vegetables, groundcovers and landscape plantings, including inside the drip line of trees and shrubs you want to keep. Bahiagrass is not among the grasses its label lists; Scotts lists bahia for pick 1, applied before November 1 in fall. Wait at least 30 days to seed afterward (The Andersons), and on new grass wait until after the third mowing (label). It may not be sold or used in New York's Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and the listing says it is not sold in New Hampshire or Washington.

How we chose these

We compared the weed and feed products in Amazon's catalog, granular bags and hose-end liquids, by the job each one does and the grasses its label or maker page allows. For every pick we read the maker's product page, and the full product label where the maker publishes it as text (BioAdvanced's and The Andersons'); Scotts' product pages carry each formula's analysis, active ingredients, grass lists and directions. Then we read the hands-on weed and feed test by Bob Vila's testers, who spread each product in its own square of the same weedy lawn and photographed the squares every week, and the recommendations in The Spruce's weed and feed roundup and This Old House's lawn weed killer guide. Picks 3 and 5 are not in Bob Vila's test or This Old House's list; each is here for a job its label covers: every St. Augustine variety and the other southern grasses it names (pick 3), and a four-herbicide formula its maker sets up for spring and fall (pick 5).

Each pick was in stock on Amazon on October 25, 2026, sold new by Amazon or, for pick 5, by the seller listed as The Andersons PN. Every rate, temperature window, watering and mowing interval, seeding wait and re-entry line here comes from the label or the maker's page, named where it appears. Timing and technique come from land-grant extension services at Iowa State, Minnesota and Clemson, and the EPA, each named where it appears.

Also considered: products that missed the list and why

GreenView weed and feed. Bob Vila's best overall, which it calls "GreenView Broadleaf Weed Control Plus Lawn Food": in their test the grass in its square grew noticeably taller and greener, and fewer new weeds came up there, though it did not kill the weeds already growing. Bob Vila lists it as 27-0-4.

BioAdvanced 5-in-1 Weed & Feed. Bob Vila's upgrade pick, a 22-0-4 that also targets crabgrass; their testers saw it brighten and lengthen the grass.

Espoma Organic Weed Preventer. Bob Vila's natural pick: corn gluten meal that feeds the grass (9-0-0 by Bob Vila's list) and helps stop weed seeds from sprouting, though Bob Vila notes it does not stop weeds that are already growing. On October 25, 2026 its Amazon offer came from a third-party seller, not Amazon.

Spectracide Weed & Feed 20-0-0. Another hose-end liquid; its listing says one 32 oz bottle treats up to 7,500 sq ft. It met our floor, but none of the testers we read covered it, and pick 4 has Bob Vila's test behind it.

Scotts Turf Builder Bonus S Southern Weed & Feed2. A southern weed and feed whose listing names St. Augustinegrass (including Floratam), centipedegrass, zoysiagrass and carpetgrass; it goes on a dry lawn and is watered in right away. On October 25, 2026 the single bags were out of stock on Amazon and the two-pack came from a third-party seller; pick 3 covers St. Augustine.

Which weed and feed can go on your grass? The labels side by side

Check the grass list before anything else. Each label names the grasses it is for and the ones it rules out, and Clemson's extension service warns that some broadleaf weed killers can damage the more sensitive lawn grasses, centipede and St. Augustine among them, if used while the lawn is greening up in spring.

What it shows: on a bluegrass, fescue or ryegrass lawn, picks 1, 2, 4 and 5 all fit; for St. Augustine, only pick 3 covers every variety, and pick 5 covers all but Floratam. Centipede and Bermuda appear on all five grass lists, with the timing and variety notes in the sections below, and bahia only on those of picks 1, 2 and 4. Every pick lists clover among the weeds it kills, so none of them suits a lawn where you want to keep clover. If your lawn is buffalograss, kikuyugrass, seashore paspalum, carpetgrass or dichondra, none of these picks lists it; read the bag before buying anything.

How far does one container go, and how much does it feed?

Bag sizes differ, and so does how much fertilizer each label puts down. The table works out how much ground one container treats at the label rate and how many pounds of nitrogen one feeding delivers per 1,000 sq ft (the label rate times the nitrogen percentage, our arithmetic), and adds the wait before you can seed.

What it shows: one feeding from any of the granular picks stays under 1 lb nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, the most per application that the University of Minnesota's lawn nitrogen table assumes; pick 3 comes closest at about 0.88 lb. UMN's yearly nitrogen totals for an established lawn run from 0.5 lb to 4 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, depending on watering, clippings and soil organic matter, and a weed and feed's nitrogen counts toward that total. The seeding waits run from 3 to 4 weeks (pick 4) to 12 months (pick 3).

Best weed and feed for Bermuda grass

For a Bermuda lawn, the pick is BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Southern Weed & Feed (pick 3): its label covers Bermudagrass except the Ormond variety, and it adds a crabgrass preventer that lasts up to 6 months. The other four picks list Bermuda too, with label details to check: picks 1 and 2 list bermudagrass, pick 4 lists common bermudagrass, and pick 5 goes on hybrid bermudagrass at a lower rate (2.0 to 2.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft) than on common (3.0 to 4.0 lb). On an Ormond Bermuda lawn, which pick 3's label rules out, pick 1 is the one, or pick 2 if you also want a spring crabgrass preventer; Scotts lists bermudagrass for both and rules out no variety of it. To spray from the hose, pick 4's page lists common bermudagrass and names no hybrid or Ormond variety, so no hose-end pick here is listed for those two. Clemson HGIC advises against postemergence weed killers on warm-season lawns during spring green-up; once the lawn starts coming out of dormancy, wait until it is fully green.

Weed and feed for St. Augustine and centipede grass

For St. Augustine, Scotts rules it out entirely for picks 1, 2 and 4, and pick 5's label rules out the Floratam variety. Pick 3's label covers all varieties of St. Augustinegrass, Floratam included, along with centipede, zoysia and Bermuda other than the Ormond variety. No hose-end liquid here covers St. Augustine; pick 3 is a granular and needs a spreader. Scotts' Bonus S Southern Weed & Feed2 is also made for St. Augustine (see Also considered).

Pick 3 is the pick for centipede as well; its label says not to apply it to centipede after October 1. On centipede, zoysia or common Bermuda you can use pick 4 from the hose instead. Centipede is on the grass lists of the other four picks too, with their own rules: Scotts says not to use pick 1 on centipede or bahia in spring before mid-April and three mowings, and to apply it to centipede before September 1 in fall, and pick 5 goes on centipede at its lower 2.0 to 2.5 lb rate. Clemson's caution about spring green-up applies to both grasses: it names centipede and St. Augustine as more sensitive turfgrasses.

When to apply weed and feed

Apply when the weeds are up and actively growing. The University of Minnesota Extension explains that the broadleaf weed killer in a combination product has to contact the weed leaves, and that the weeds must be visible and growing for it to work best. Past that, the season depends on what you are after:

• Spring, for crabgrass. A preventer has to be down before the seeds sprout: the University of Minnesota's turf extension says before the upper 1 to 2 inches of soil reach 55 degrees F for several days. Scotts sets pick 2's window at daytime temperatures consistently between 60 and 80 degrees F.
• Fall, for dandelions and other perennial broadleaf weeds. Iowa State University Extension calls fall the best time, mid-September to early November in Iowa, because the herbicide moves to the roots along with the plant's food stores. Pick 5's label calls spring and fall the times for the best control.
• The label's temperature window. Pick 1: daytime temperatures consistently between 60 and 90 degrees F. Pick 3: 50 to 90 degrees F. Pick 4: below 85 degrees F. Pick 5: The Andersons advises against days above 85 degrees F. Scotts adds that for most people April is prime time for pick 1 and that November might be pushing it, depending on where you live.
• Warm-season lawns. Wait until the lawn has fully greened up in spring (Clemson), and with pick 3 finish a fall application at least 6 weeks ahead of your first historical frost date.

How to apply weed and feed: wet leaves, then a dry day

The granules or spray need to land on damp weed leaves and stay there, so the first day runs differently from a plain fertilizer, which the University of Minnesota says to water in after applying:

• Read the whole label first. The EPA notes that pesticide labels are legally enforceable, and each one carries the statement "It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling."
• Wet the weeds. Iowa State says to spread fertilizer and broadleaf weed killer granules while the weeds' leaves are wet, early in the morning with dew or after watering, because broadleaf herbicides are absorbed by the leaves, not the roots. The directions for picks 1, 2 and 5 say the same; pick 3 may also go on a dry lawn.
• Then keep it dry. No watering or rain for 24 hours (picks 1, 2, 3 and 5, and Iowa State's advice), or 48 hours for pick 4. Picks 2 and 3 then get watered in after those 24 hours to start their crabgrass preventers.
• Time the mowing. Iowa State suggests no mowing for 2 to 3 days before a treatment and 3 or 4 days after. The labels are shorter: pick 1, trim a day or two before and rest the mower at least 24 hours after; pick 2, no mowing for 24 hours after; pick 3, mow 1 to 2 days before or 1 day after; pick 4, wait 1 to 2 days after; pick 5, mow 1 to 2 days before.
• Keep it on the grass. Every pick's label or page keeps it off flowers and shrubs, pick 5's adds the drip line of trees and shrubs you want, and picks 1, 2 and 3 say to sweep stray granules off driveways and walks.
• Keep people and pets off until it settles or dries. For the granular picks 1, 2, 3 and 5, the labels and Scotts' pages say not to let people or pets into the treated area until the dusts have settled; for the liquid pick 4, Scotts says until the spray has completely dried.
• Twice a year at most. Each of the five allows no more than two applications a year, with gaps of at least 2 months (pick 2), 90 days (pick 3) or 30 days (pick 5).

Weed and feed or spot spray? When one bag is the right tool

A weed and feed treats the whole lawn at once, so it fits best when broadleaf weeds are spread across the lawn and the grass is due a feeding anyway. The University of Minnesota Extension lists the conditions: the weeds must be visible and growing, the product has to contact their leaves, and a broadleaf-only combination will not keep new broadleaf weeds from coming up. Where weeds are scattered, UMN says spot-treating single weeds or small patches is no harder, and Iowa State likewise suggests spot treating when only a few areas have weeds. For that, our best weed killer guide covers selective lawn weed killers, label by label, and our guide to the best weeding tools compares the tools for pulling weeds out by the root.

For crabgrass, the University of Minnesota's turf extension points out that with a fertilizer-plus-preventer product, the right time for the preventer may not line up with the right time to feed, so set the date by the crabgrass window and treat the feeding as the bonus.

Can you use weed and feed on new grass or before seeding?

Not right away, in either direction. On a new lawn, the directions want the grass established first: at least four mowings for picks 1 and 2, three mowings for picks 4 and 5 (pick 5's label also allows it once cool-season seedlings have tillered and rooted), and for pick 3 a seeded lawn at least 16 months old or a sodded one at least 3 months old. After an application, the seeding waits are 3 to 4 weeks for pick 4, at least a month for pick 1, at least 30 days for pick 5, at least 4 months for pick 2 and 12 months for pick 3. If you plan to overseed, time the weed and feed around it.

Related guides

Before you feed, a soil test shows whether the lawn needs more than nitrogen; the University of Minnesota notes that a soil test can tell you whether the lawn is short of key nutrients or already has plenty, and our soil test kit guide compares home kits. Picks 2 and 3 need a light watering 24 hours after you spread them; our lawn sprinkler guide covers sprinklers for the job. Once a product's seeding wait is over, our guide to grass seed for shade covers seed for the low-light patches.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to apply weed and feed?

When the weeds are up and actively growing and the temperature sits inside the label's window: daytime temperatures consistently between 60 and 90 degrees F for Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5, 50 to 90 for BioAdvanced's southern formula, and below 85 for Scotts' liquid. For crabgrass prevention that means spring, before the top 1 to 2 inches of soil reach 55 degrees F (University of Minnesota); for dandelions and other perennial broadleaf weeds, Iowa State University Extension calls fall the best time.

How long after weed and feed can I mow?

It depends on the product. Scotts says to wait at least 24 hours after Weed & Feed5 and Triple Action1 and 1 to 2 days after its liquid; BioAdvanced's southern label allows mowing 1 day after. Iowa State University Extension suggests waiting 3 or 4 days so the weeds can take up the herbicide, and not mowing for 2 to 3 days before.

How long should kids and pets stay off the lawn after weed and feed?

For the granular picks, the labels and Scotts' pages say to keep people and pets off the treated lawn until the dusts have settled; for Scotts' liquid, until the spray is fully dry. For pets on a Surge lawn, The Andersons says to wait until it has been watered in, after the first 24 hours, and the lawn has completely dried. Follow the label on the bag or bottle you use.

Should you water in weed and feed?

Not at first. The weed killer has to stay on the weed leaves, so the directions say to keep the lawn dry for 24 hours after a granular application and 48 hours after Scotts' liquid. The two picks with a crabgrass preventer, Scotts Triple Action1 and BioAdvanced's southern formula, are then watered in to start the preventer.

Can you use weed and feed on St. Augustine grass?

Only a product whose label lists it. Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5, Triple Action1 and Scotts' liquid rule St. Augustinegrass out, and The Andersons Surge rules out the Floratam variety. BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Southern Weed & Feed lists all varieties of St. Augustinegrass, Floratam included.

How long after weed and feed can I plant grass seed?

By the labels and maker pages: 3 to 4 weeks for Scotts' liquid, at least a month for Weed & Feed5, at least 30 days for Surge, at least 4 months for Triple Action1, and 12 months for BioAdvanced's southern formula.

Is liquid or granular weed and feed better?

Neither across the board; it depends on your lawn and your tools. A hose-end liquid such as Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Plus 2 needs no spreader and covers as much as 4,000 sq ft on a cool-season lawn or 6,000 sq ft on a warm-season one per bottle, and in Bob Vila's test it was among the few products to kill weeds that were already growing; Scotts lists St. Augustinegrass among the grasses it is not for, so that lawn needs a granular. The granular picks here need a spreader and treat 4,000 to 16,000 sq ft per bag, depending on the bag and your grass.

Disclosure: Our commissions do not change what we recommend or what you pay. Availability was checked on Amazon on October 25, 2026 and can change.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.