15 Best Pre-Emergent Herbicide

The best pre-emergent herbicide can help you get your dream lawns, which are free of unwanted weeds.

As you might know, prevention is better than cure. Therefore, you should stop the weeds when they haven’t started germinating. This is where pre-emergent products have an advantage over other types of herbicide.

They are designed to kill hundreds of grass weeds and broadleaf weeds while still maintaining houseplants, trees, flower beds, and other ornamental shrubs.

They might save you many backbreaking hours of bending over to pull weeds.

Let’s discover more with me below.

What is Pre-Emergent Herbicide?

Pre-emergent herbicide is a popular way to prevent weeds from your lawn. It creates a powerful barrier on the top layer of the ground so that weeds have no chance to grow.

It might contain one or more of the following active ingredients:

• Prodiamine blocks the root from developing by stopping cell division. It’s suitable for crops such as soybeans and ornamentals.
• Dithiopyr is a mitotic inhibitor of normal cell division. Therefore, it ceases weed root extensions in lawns, vines, and ornamentals.
• Isoxaben is perfect in suppressing the growth of a wide range of weeds and has a long-lasting effect.
• Trifluralin kills weed seeds and; therefore, it controls annual grasses and broadleaf weeds.

What Are The Best Pre-Emergent Herbicides?

The best pre-emergent herbicides can keep your lawns in their best conditions without the interference of weeds. When looking for the best pre-emergent herbicide, look closely at Quali-Pro Prodiamine, Southern Ag, or Preen.

They’re known for their quality, effectiveness, and simple application. Let’s scan through some of their top pre-emergent herbicide as follows.

• Best Overall: Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “A well-known granular herbicide for spring and fall application, useful for some grass and broadleaf weeds.”
• Best Budget: Hi-Yield 33030 Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Comes in a bulk size of 12 pounds with a reasonable price, great for home lawns.”
• Best for St Augustine: Southern Ag 12401 Surflan A.S Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Surface-applied herbicide, able to last up for 4 months, is made to be used on warm-season turfs, especially St Augustine grass.”
• Best for Crabgrass: Scotts 32367F Turf Builder Halts Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Ideal option for crabgrass, also provides macronutrients to feed your lawns, works great despite harsh weather.”
• Best for Flower Beds: Preen 2464092 Extended Control Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Able to inhibit a long list of broadleaf and grass weeds while doing no harm to ornamentals and flower beds, easy to apply.”
• Best for Lawns: Syngenta Tenacity ASINPPOSPRME75447 Turf Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Systemic herbicide for optimal outcome, able to block 46 types of weeds, long shelf life. “
• Best for Bermudagrass: Scotts 49900 Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “A granular pre-emergent herbicide, weatherproof, effective for Bermudagrass.”
• Best for Soybeans: The Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Professional-grade product with 0.48% of podiamine as an active ingredient, suitable for soybeans crops.”
• Best for Poa Annua: Bonide BND60476 Weed Beater Complete Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Able to act as pre and post-emergent herbicide, useful for tough-to-kill weeds, especially poa annua.”
• Best for Fescue: Dow Agrosciences Dimension 2EW Dithiopyr Pre-Emergent Herbicide
  “Provides a wide coverage and season-long protection, appears effective for various grass and broadleaf weeds, especially keeps your ground free from fescue and crabgrass.”

Comparison Chart of Best Pre-Emergent Herbicides in 2023

The following chart features 15 best pre-emergent herbicides. Let’s put them together so that you can compare their highlight features and make a good purchase.

15 Best Pre-Emergent Herbicide Reviews 2023

It’s time to examine the 15 best pre-emergent herbicide products in detail. In this section, you should spend more time discovering the advantages and disadvantages of each product so that you can gain enough information to decide wisely.

1. Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best Overall)

Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG comes with a 5-pound capacity and is stored in an airtight plastic can. This way, you can keep it dry and safe for quite a long time.

It’s a great choice for various sites, such as landscape, trees, turf, golf courses, and more. With Prodiamine as an active ingredient, this pre-emergent can prevent many types of grass and broadleaf weeds, for example, goosegrass, annual bluegrass, henbit, foxtail, knotweed, and chickweed.

Because this product is a granular herbicide, you need to water all the area thoroughly to make sure it’s dissolved into the soil. It’s suitable to apply in both spring and fall.

Key features:

• 5-pound capacity
• Packed in a plastic can
• A granular herbicide
• Spring and fall application

Product Specifications

Brand	Quali-Pro Prodiamine
Net Content	5 pounds
Use Sites	Nurse, landscape, turf, trees, golf courses
Effective Against	Annual bluegrass (poa annua), Henbit, Knotweed, Chickweed, Spurge, Foxtail, Goosegrass
Coverage	160,000 sq. ft.

Let’s see how to apply Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG Pre-Emergent Herbicide:

2. Hi-Yield 33030 Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best Budget)

Hi-Yield 33030 is made to be used for ornamental landscape areas, ornamental turf, and home lawns. This granule herbicide works wonders in stopping weeds from developing in your growing zone.

It also features an affordable price, making you more likely to become a loyal customer as long as the quality comes along. It comes in bulk size of 12 pounds and is perfect for large areas.

The best part? You can use it four weeks later than other products and still get the expected result.

Key features:

• Made in the USA
• Features 12 pounds of net weight
• Able to use 4 weeks later than pre-emergent window time
• Use with spreaders and broadcasters

Product Specifications

Brand	Hi-Yield
Net Content	12 pounds
Use Sites	Ornamental landscape areas, ornamental turf, and home lawns
Effective Against	Crabgrass and many other annual types of grass and broadleaf weeds
Coverage area	3500 sq. ft. for warm-season grasses   5000 sq. ft. for cool-season grasses

Watch this video for more information about the product:

3. Southern Ag 12401 Surflan A.S Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for St Augustine)

Southern Ag 12401 is made to be used on warm-season turfs, mostly St Augustine grass. It’s ideal for landscape ornamentals, ornamental bulbs, non-bearing fruit and nut trees, and non-bearing vineyards.

This product keeps your ground free from annual grasses, many types of weeds, and broadleaf weeds.

It features a bright orange opaque liquid and can last up to 4 months with just 1.5 oz per 1000 sq. ft. Therefore, it’s quite economical compared to other herbicides in the market.

After spreading this herbicide, you don’t have to water the whole area immediately and can wait up to 21 days.

Key features:

• Liquid herbicide
• For warm-season turfs
• Lasts up for 4 months
• 40.4% Oryzalin

Product Specifications

Brand	Southern Ag
Net Content	8 ounces
Use Sites	Landscape ornamentals, ornamental bulbs, non-bearing fruit and nut trees, and non-bearing vineyards
Effective Against	Crabgrass, barley, bluegrass, foxtail, goosegrass, sandbur, chickweed, and more
Coverage area	1.5 oz per 1000 sq. ft.

4. Scotts 32367F Turf Builder Halts Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Crabgrass)

Scotts 32367F is an ideal option when it comes to preventing crabgrass and other weeds so that you can enjoy your green lawn with no sign of any of them in the next season. This 13.35-pound bag can cover 5,000 square feet of area.

It is recommended for optimal results in early spring when temperatures are about 80 degrees F.

Besides inhibiting large and smooth crabgrass, foxtail, poa annua, chickweed, spurge, it also provides macronutrients to feed the lawn.

Rain, snow, and freezing weather will not affect how this product works. However, after applying the pre-emergent herbicide, it would be best to water the grass within 2-3 days.

Key features:

• 13.15-pound bag
• Fertilizer analysis of 30-0-4
• Coverage area of 5000 sq. ft.
• Should be applied in early spring

Product Specifications

Brand	Scotts
Net Content	13.35 pounds
Use Sites	Home lawns
Effective Against	crabgrass, foxtail, poa annua, chickweed, spurge
Coverage area	5000 sq. ft.

Click to see how to prevent crabgrass with Scott:

5. Preen 2464092 Extended Control Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Flower Beds)

Preen 2464092 is stored in a lovely jug with a convenient flip-top cap. Once it’s activated, it will create a barrier to prevent weeds.

It can last up to 6 months for every application, so you can save more time and energy while taking good care of your ornamental landscape around the year. It can be used on shrubs and trees, mainly for flower beds and gardens.

It would be better if you first remove all existing weeds, then sprinkle them around your intended area and water them immediately.

There is a long list of the broadleaf and grass weeds that this product can kill; therefore, you can rest assured that it can protect your ground very well.

Key features:

• Packed in a nice and convenient jug
• Used up to 6 months
• Able to cover 805 sq. ft
• Used on shrubs, trees, flower beds

Product Specifications

Brand	Preen
Net Content	4.93 pounds
Use Sites	Ornamental landscapes, trees, and shrubs
Effective Against	Bluegrass, crabgrass, fescue, foxtail, chickweed, dandelion, henbit, horseweed, barley
Coverage area	805 sq. ft

Watch a quick introduction about Preen Extended Control Pre-Emergent Herbicide:

6. Syngenta Tenacity ASINPPOSPRME75447 Turf Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Lawns)

If you have a headache from the raging weeds, you will probably need help from Syngenta Tenacity.

It offers pre-and post-emergent control, which is able to stop 46 types of grass and broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, ground ivy, nimblewill, yellow foxtail, bentgrass, crabgrass, and yellow nutsedge.

It’s a systemic herbicide. This herbicide is absorbed and moved throughout a whole plant to be more specific, then kill it. That’s why Syngenta Tenacity can deal with many stubborn weeds.

Mesotrione 40%, the main active ingredient of Syngenta Tenacity, works to hinder unwanted weeds’ growth.

Key features:

• Pre- and post-emergent weed control
• Systemic herbicide
• Mesotrione 40%
• Able to block 46 types of weeds

Product Specifications

Brand	Syngenta
Net Content	8 ounces
Use Sites	Kentucky bluegrass, buffalograss, fine fescue, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, St. Augustine grass, centipedegrass
Effective Against	Dandelion, ground ivy, nimblewill, yellow foxtail, bentgrass, crabgrass, and yellow nutsedge
Coverage area	1000 sq ft

Let’s discover more about Tenacity herbicide here:

7. Scotts 49900 Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Bermudagrass)

Scotts 49900 is a granular pre-emergent herbicide that appears effective for many types of grassy weeds; among them is the Bermudagrass. All you need to do is sprinkle it evenly on the lawn then water.

It’s weather-proof, so you can use it anytime without worrying too much about rain, snow, or freezing weather. It should be noted that you could apply it in both spring and fall at the recommended time from 6 to 10 am.

This product comes with a capacity that is enough to cover 5000 square feet and is able to prevent moss if the application happens in fall.

Key features:

• Granular weed preventer
• Weather-proof
• Used on many types of lawns
• Applies in spring and fall

Product Specifications

Brand	Scotts
Net Content	10.06 pounds
Use Sites	Many types of lawn
Effective Against	Bermudagrass, crabgrass, poa annua, henbit, and chickweed
Coverage area	5000 sq. ft

8. The Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Soybeans)

The Andersons Barricade is a high-quality product trusted by well-known turf care professionals, thanks to its performance.

Featuring The Andersons patented dispersible granular (DG) technology, this granular herbicide can melt into the water entirely and soak deep into the ground to kill weed seeds. To get the best result, you should follow the instruction carefully.

It’s versatile and is effective with more than 30 grass and broadleaf weeds. Moreover, due to having podiamine as an active ingredient, it appears helpful for soybeans fields.

Key features:

• Unique patented DG technology
• Recommended to use in early spring and fall
• 0.48% of podiamine as an active ingredient
• Used for 30 grass and broadleaf weeds

Product Specifications

Brand	The Andersons
Net Content	18 pounds
Use Sites	Grassturfs
Effective Against	Crabgrass, goosegrass, foxtail, lambsquarter, henbit, and more
Coverage area	5800 sq. ft

Do you know how to use Andersons 0.48% Barricade Herbicide?

9. The Andersons 19-0-6 Turf Fertilizer Pre-Emergent Herbicide

The Andersons Turf Product is a combination of fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide in one product. It can feed your lawn and prevent undesired weeds from it.

This product can be activated quickly and able to throw a protective blanket over 5,400 to 11,100 square feet of lawn.

Owing to fertilizer analysis of 19-0-6, it provides a large amount of nitrogen and potassium, promoting deep roots and overall health for your ornamental landscapes and lawns.

When it comes to maintaining the color of grass turfs, this product performs perfectly and delivers the expected outcome.

Key features:

• Contains 0.21% Barricade herbicide
• N-P-K of 19-0-6 with NutriSphere-N
• 50-pound bag
• Both fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide
• Controls broadleaf weeds, crabgrass, annual foxtail, goosegrass, and poa annual

Product Specifications

Brand	The Andersons
Net Content	50 pounds
Use Sites	Established turf grass and lawns
Effective Against	crabgrass, goosegrass, annual foxtail, poa annua, chickweed, knotweed, henbit, prostrate spurge, common purslane, and more
Coverage area	5,400 to 11,100 sq. ft

10. Bonide BND60476 Weed Beater Complete Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Poa Annua)

If you are looking for a pre and post-emergent herbicide for your home lawns and garden, Bonide BND60476 might be on top of your shopping list.

This product can be applied for a broad range of weeds and can hinder clover development, dandelion, crabgrass, chickweed, nutsedge, spurge, goosegrass henbit, and ground ivy. It’s also good at terminating poa annua seeds before germinating. You can consult product’s label for more details.

It’s a systemic herbicide that proves to be extremely useful in terms of tough-to-kill weeds. It’s recommended to use 2.87 to 8.06 pounds on each 1000 sq. ft of wet ground and water within 48 hours.

Key features:

• 10-pound bag
• Systemic herbicide
• Pre and post-emergent herbicide
• 87 to 8.06 pounds on every 1000 sq. ft

Product Specifications

Brand	Bonide
Net Content	10 pounds
Use Sites	Well-established seeded, sodded, and sprigged turfgrasses
Effective Against	Dandelion, clover, crabgrass, chickweed, nutsedge, spurge, goosegrass henbit, poa annua, ground ivy and more
Coverage area	5,200 sq. ft

Find out more about Bonide Weed Beater Complete here:

11. Southern Ag Amine 2,4-D Pre-Emergent Herbicide

If you are concerned about broadleaf weeds, Southern Ag Amine 2,4-D will worth your consideration.

With comprehensive usage instruction, you can easily learn how to manage it successfully for the sake of your lawns and ornamental turfs. This product makes sure that you can still halt the presence of broadleaf weeds without doing any harm to other plants.

It comes with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as an active ingredient; therefore, it’s perfect for non-crop sites such as roadsides, industrial sites, parks, pastures, golf courses, ornamental turf, and graveyards.

Key features:

• 1-quart can
• 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as an active ingredient
• Do no harm to plants
• Designed to use on non-crop sites

Product Specifications

Brand	Southern Ag
Net Content	1 quart
Use Sites	Roadsides, industrial sites, parks, pastures, golf courses, ornamental turf, and graveyards
Effective Against	Broadleaf weeds & woody plants
Coverage area	Not specific

12. Monterey Weed Impede LG5135 White Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Monterey Weed Impede LG5135 is designed to control weeds from seeds, not for killing existing weeds on your lawn.

This product is surface-applied, so you shouldn’t do anything when it’s about to rain. As such, you can keep the entire amount of this herbicide in the treatment area. It would be better if the weather is calm and there is no strong wind blowing.

Once it’s applied, it can stay useful for about six months. It’s also available in 16 and 22-ounce can so that you can easily choose from.

Key features:

• Surface-applied herbicide product
• Lasts up to 6 months
• Orange color
• Available in 16 and 22-ounce of capacity

Product Specifications

Brand	Monterey
Net Content	1 quart
Use Sites	Ornamentals, trees, roses, bulbs, ground covers, shrubs, rock gardens, driveways, and unplanted areas
Effective Against	Carpet weed, Purslane, Chickweed, Groundsel, Henbit, Prostrate Spurge, Pigweed, Barnyardgrass, Lovegrass, Annual Bluegrass, Wild Oat, Large Crabgrass, Smooth Crabgrass, Foxtails, Italian Ryegrass, Goosegrass, Witchgrass
Coverage area	10- 20,000 sq. ft

13. RM43 43-Percent Glyphosate Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Unlike other pre-emergent herbicides on my list, RM43 is made to kill everything green in the chosen area. It can keep your ground free from weeds, broadleaf weeds for up to 12 months. As such, it seems to be economical to use.

It can also be applied as a spot treatment. That means you can use it to halt weeds, brush, vines, and undesired growth in a specific area. You should be careful when using around trees and shrubs.

Featuring a 1-gallon capacity, this herbicide can cover up to 17,297 square feet, so this product is perfect for a large area.

Key features:

• Made to kill everything green
• Used for non-crop areas
• Efficient spot treatment
• A combination of herbicides and surfactant
• Lasts up to 12 months

Product Specifications

Brand	RM43
Net Content	128 ounces
Use Sites	Non-crop areas: Fence rows, gravel paths, sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, and around farm buildings and barns
Effective Against	Bahiagrass, bentgrass, bermudagrass, cattail, fescue, panicum, alfalfa, clover, dandelion, kochia, alder, blackberry, dogwood, hawthorn, and more
Coverage area	17,297 sq. ft

Discover more about RM43 43-Percent:

14. Dow Agrosciences Dimension 2EW Dithiopyr Pre-Emergent Herbicide

(Best for Fescue)

Dow Agrosciences Dimension 2EW is made with 24% Dithiopyr; therefore, it can kill various grass and broadleaf weeds. Notably, it would be great as a pre-emergent on fescue grass.
This active ingredient is proved to work wonders with commercial and home lawns such as sports turf, landscape ornamentals, golf course, roughs and tee boxes, and commercial sod farms.

This product is available in both 0.5-gallon and 2.5-gallon jugs. The former can cover 87,000–228,000 square feet, while the latter can handle 438,000–1,142,000 square feet.

Key features:

• 24% Dithiopyr
• Works with 40 different grass and broadleaf weeds
• Used on commercial and residential lawns
• Available in both 0.5-gallon and 2.5-gallon jugs

Product Specifications

Brand	Dow AgroSciences
Net Content	0.5 gallon
Use Sites	Sports turf, landscape ornamentals, golf course, roughs and tee boxes, and commercial sod farms
Effective Against	Crabgrass, goosegrass, foxtail, spurge, and poa annua
Coverage area	87,000–228,000 sq. ft

Let’s see how it works here:

15. Roundup 4385106 Landscape Pre-Emergent Herbicide

Roundup 4385106 makes sure your lawn is weed-free and doesn’t affect the growth of plants and flowers that you work hard day and night to cultivate.

It comes in a granular form and is designed to sprinkle around the ornamental landscape, flower beds, and shrubs to prevent weeds. I would be helpful if you water the soil before and after applying.

This herbicide acts as a barrier to protect your area for up to 6 months, so you don’t need to reapply it regularly. That means you can save extra money and time.

It features 5.37 and 13-pound, stored in a convenient shaker bag with a comfortable in-bag handle.

Key features:

• Packed in a shaker bag
• Built-in applicator and in-bag handle
• Able to prevent weeds in 6 months
• Available in 5.37 and 13-pound of weight

Product Specifications

Brand	Roundup
Net Content	5.37 pounds
Use Sites	Annual flower beds, around established trees and shrubs, near perennials, in-ground cover, and between ornamental grasses and bulbs
Effective Against	Barnyardgrass, bluegrass, crabgrass, crowfoot grass, foxtail, goosegrass, johnsongrass, woolly cup grass, burweed, carpetweed, chickweed, clover, evening primrose, fiddleneck, filaree, henbit, knotweed, Kochia, lambsquarters, pigweed, and more
Coverage area	1,000 sq. ft

How To Choose The Best Pre-Emergent Herbicides

Some of these factors below are essential when choosing pre-emergent herbicide products. Let’s look at them one by one!

Coverage

First, you need to think carefully about how wide the treatment area you want to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. Once you estimate the coverage ground, you will know how much pre-emergent herbicide you need to order.

It would be better if you don’t over-buy and have to keep it in stock. Usually, each application can last at least three months to a year, so you occasionally reapply 2 or 3 times in a row. Otherwise, you have to preserve it well for later use.

You should follow the instruction on the product label to achieve the optimal result and ensure the expected quantity and quality.

Liquid and Granular Form

There are two available forms of pre-emergent herbicide. They are liquid and granules.

Granular products are simpler to use and often comes with more affordable price. They might include some measurement scoops to help you with your application.

If you prefer a more precise distribution, you might opt for the liquid form, which is one of the advantages of granular ones. Not to mention, they can offer you excellent coverage.

For this type of pre-emergent herbicide, you will need the right sprayer applicator to use.

Targeted Grass Weeds and Broadleaf Weeds

Each product can control and suppress a list of grass weeds and broadleaf weeds. You can refer to these targeted weeds by reading the label which is included in the package before buying.

It’s essential that you can choose the product which truly serves your purposes.

FAQs

If you have some questions about the best pre-emergent herbicides, you need to look at the following part.

My Top Pick

Finding the right pre-emergent herbicides for the commercial and residential lawns, ornamental landscape, and crop sites are quite challenging.

Therefore, I have spent my time reviewing the 15 best pre-emergent herbicide products in the market and dig deep into each product.

Based on my writing, you can obtain some valuable information to purchase the best option.

And the go-to product for me is Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG Pre-Emergent Herbicide for its high quality and effectiveness.

How about you? Write me in the comment section! I would love to talk more about this topic.