Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food Review

We all talk about crabgrass (and our great disregard for it) but many people don’t know exactly what crabgrass is. Crabgrass is an annual grass (scientific name Digitaria Sanguinalis) that is common in both cultivated and vacant grounds, that often becomes a “pest weed” to be battled. Crabgrass has coarse creeping stems that root freely at the joints.

This means that it vigorously sprawls out from one central root to take over a lawn. It spreads incredibly fast in warm climates and overtakes other preferred grasses in lawns. In addition, before dying out in the Fall, one single weed can disseminate thousands of seeds which will be waiting to germinate next Spring! The good news is, that with prevention, proper lawn care, and extermination, you can get rid of these invaders and once again enjoy a beautiful lawn.

Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food contains a pre-emergent herbicide which forms a layer of chemicals on the soil’s surface. When crabgrass seeds germinate, the herbicide is taken in, preventing them from being able to sprout and ultimately killing them.

Apply Scotts Crabgrass Preventer in the early Spring, around the time forsythias are in bloom. This product also contains a fertilizer which will help to thicken turf, which will then snuff out any crabgrass seeds not previously done away with.

Pros

• Consistently outperforms other brands
• Applied it to a weed-filled lawn, changed it to 5% weeds and 95% grass
• Changed brown, short, brittle grass into green, lush, grass
• This product seemed to turn off the moles in the area
• Turned our lawn into the least weedy and greenest one in the whole neighborhood

Cons

• Moisture can get into the bags and cause clumping, which was very hard to break down
• It didn’t prevent crabgrass in some cases
• After using this product for 4 years, we still have sections of crabgrass

Features

• Protects all season by stopping crabgrass before it develops
• Provides lawns with a quick post winter green-up
• Not affected by snow, freezing conditions, or rain
• Builds a nice, thick, green lawn
• Will not burn lawn if applied at recommended rates
• Improves the lawn’s capacity to absorb nutrients and water
• The fertilizer analysis is 30-0-4

Review

Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food should be applied early in the Spring (February through April). It will stop crabgrass (both annual and summer weeds) plus other broadleaf and grassy weeds like Spurge, Foxtail, and Yellow Woodsorrel. For the best outcome, lawns should get 1/4″ to 1/2″ of water from watering or rainfall within 2 to 3 days after the product is applied.

A 13.58-pound bag will cover 5,000 square feet. This product is pet and kid friendly, and will not burn your lawn. To prevent germination of winter weeds like Poa Annua (Annual Bluegrass), Henbit, and Chickweed, apply this product sometime between Aug. and October. Wait a minimum of two months before doing a second application. Use this product no more than twice a year.

Scotts Crabgrass Preventer has an N-P-K ratio of 26-0-3 (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium). This herbicide’s primary active ingredient is Pendimethalin, a man-made, crystal-like chemical used in many herbicide products. It can be used on Bermuda, Centipede, Bluegrass, Fescue, St, Augustine (Floratam), Rye, Zoysia, and Tall Fescue.

It is not recommended for either Bentgrass or Dichondra lawns, newly sprigged lawns, or on newly seeded lawns. It can be applied on seeded lawns after the 4th mowing. If your lawn is already established, wait 4 growing months to apply Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer. Do not aerate or rake your lawn after applying this herbicide, since it will disrupt the weed preventing chemical barrier, and could cause ineffectiveness of the herbicide.

For controlling crabgrass that still manages to germinate and grow, Scotts recommends applying post-emergent weed killers containing Quinclorac as an active ingredient (IMAGE Crabgrass Killer or Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max).

Scotts has a No Quibble Guarantee, which means that if you aren’t satisfied with this product for any reason, you’re entitled to get a full refund.

Last update on 2024-09-15 / Affiliate links / Somes Images and Data from Amazon Product Advertising API