The 10 Best Crabgrass Killers for 2024

Best Overall

Preen Crabgrass Control

$21 At Amazon $21 At Home Depot $21 At Walmart

Crabgrass is a formidable foe, but this effective product from Preen gives you two powerful weapons in one. It works as a pre-emergent to keep the crabgrass from sprouting, but if you miss your window of opportunity, never fear—it also works as a post-emergent to kill crabgrass that has already sprouted, as long as you catch it within four weeks of germination.

It effectively suppresses or prevents the growth of more than 40 other tough lawn weeds, including spurge, henbit, foxtail, chickweed, and purslane. And it remains effective for up to four months. We also love that it's safe for the most popular types of turf grass; that's not true of all crabgrass killers.

You can confidently use this on fescue, bluegrass, zoysia, Bermuda, bentgrass, ryegrass, bahiagrass, centipedegrass, buffalograss, and even St. Augustine. As long as you follow the package directions for the appropriate setting on your lawn spreader, you shouldn't need to worry about burns or damage to your grass.

It's best to apply this in the spring, but it can also be used in the fall for a second round of weed battling. Spread it across your dry lawn, and then water right away if rain is not in the forecast for the next day or two. Once the grass is completely dry, it is safe for your pets or kids to walk or play on the lawn.

If you are using this in the fall, do not overseed your lawn with rye or other grass seed for at least 12 weeks after applying the Preen. The 15-pound bag covers up to 5,000 square feet of turf.

_{Type: Pre-emergent, post-emergent | Formula: Granular | Season: All | Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best Budget

Spectracide Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer

$6 At Walmart View On Lowe's

If you don't want to spend much on a crabgrass killer and prefer an easy-to-use product that's perfect for spot-killing weeds—but not for treating an entire lawn—then we recommend this spray from Spectracide. It comes in a 32-ounce spray bottle, so there is no need for mixing, no spreader required, and no need for a garden hose; just pick up the bottle and go.

This is a post-emergent herbicide that kills all growing grass and weeds that it contacts, including crabgrass. Within just a few hours, you'll see the sprayed greenery begin to wither, and it will be dead right down to the roots within a week or two.

Because this is a non-selective weedicide, do not spray it on your lawn or allow the spray to contact plants or grass near the weeds you are targeting. You can use a piece of cardboard or plastic as a shield if required. Apply Spectracide when the air temperature is at least 60 degrees, and drench the entire weed.

You can use the product to kill crabgrass and other weeds growing in pavement cracks, along walls, in garden beds where the spray won't contact nearby plants, and anywhere else needed. Spectracide dries and becomes rainproof within just 15 minutes of application. You can plant new greenery in the treated area just 24 hours after applying the spray. Do not allow children or pets onto the treated areas until they are completely dry.

_{Type: Post-emergent | Formula: Spray | Season: All | Coverage: Not specified}

Best Post-Emergent

BioAdvanced All-in-One Weed Killer Concentrate

$13 At Amazon $13 At Home Depot $24 At Walmart

This highly effective post-emergent herbicide knocks out not just crabgrass, but also more than 200 other weeds likely to plague your lawn. It's a concentrate, so you'll need to mix it at a ratio of 3.2 ounces of concentrate per gallon of water before spraying it onto the grass with a tank sprayer, hose-attached sprayer, or spray bottle.

You can safely use it on many turf types, including Bermudagrass, buffalograss, fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass, zoysia, and bentgrass, but do not use it on St. Augustine. It starts killing weeds immediately, taking them out right down to the roots.

One especially great feature of this weed killer is the non-staining red color, which lets you easily see where you've sprayed and where you haven't for the most even lawn coverage. Don't worry; the red fades away within a few days of sun exposure. Ideally, you should apply this crabgrass killer once in the spring and once in the fall, choosing days when the temperature is between 50 and 90 degrees.

It's rainproof within an hour of application, but it's best used when there is no rain forecast for the next 24 hours. After that, go ahead and water or let rain do the watering for you. Once the grass is completely dry, it's safe for your kids and your pets to walk on it. One bottle makes enough spray to treat up to 5,000 square feet of lawn.

_{Type: Post-emergent | Formula: Concentrate | Season: All | Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best Pre-Emergent

Scotts Halts Crabgrass and Grassy Weed Preventer

$25 At Amazon $25 At Home Depot $37 At Walmart

For those with busy schedules, this one-and-done product is designed to keep crabgrass out of your life all season long. Just use your spreader to apply it to your lawn in the early spring, and it will prevent crabgrass seeds from sprouting—as well as prevent the germination of foxtail, spurge, barnyard grass, fall panicum, goosegrass, and oxalis.

You can also apply it again in the fall to ward off moss, Poa annua, henbit, corn speedwell, and chickweed. Remember that this is a pre-emergent, though; it will not kill crabgrass or other weeds that are already sprouted and growing, it is only effective when applied early in the season before the weed seeds germinate.

For best results, apply the product to a dry lawn. Once spread, however, it is not affected by rain, snow, or other weather conditions. If it does not rain within a couple of days of application, then go ahead and turn on your sprinklers to soak the granules into the lawn.

Do not walk on the grass or allow your children or pets on it until it is completely dry. We love that you can use this crabgrass controller on any common type of lawn grass except for dichondra and bentgrass. It should be kept away from nearby shrubs or other greenery, though. A 10-pound bag covers up to 5,000 square feet (a little larger than a regulation-size basketball court).

_{Type: Pre-emergent | Formula: Granular | Season: Spring through fall | Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best Concentrate

Ortho Weed B-Gon Lawn Weed Killer Concentrate + Crabgrass Control

$11 At Home Depot

A crabgrass concentrate like this one from Ortho is a convenient way to tailor the product to your needs. Just mix the concentrate with water at a ratio of 2.5 ounces of weedicide to every 1 gallon of water—or for smaller amounts, 1.25 tablespoons of Ortho Weed B-Gon per quart of water—pour the fluid into a hose sprayer, lawn sprayer, or sprayer bottle, and then squirt the solution onto your lawn to kill crabgrass, as well as 200 other types of lawn weeds.

You'll see results quickly, and the weeds die right down to the roots. For best results, apply in the spring when temperatures are between 60 and 90 degrees and the crabgrass is no more than 4 inches tall. If a second dose is needed, wait at least 21 days before respraying.

When mixed according to package directions, you can safely use this on many popular types of turf grass, including bluegrass, fescues, ryegrass, Bermuda, and zoysiagrass. It should not be used on St. Augustine, bentgrass, bahiagrass, or centipedegrass, nor should it be sprayed onto ornamental plants you don't want to be harmed.

Ideally, you should water your lawn 24 hours before application and then again 24 hours after spraying if rain doesn't come sooner. Once your grass is completely dry, it's safe for people and pets. The 32-ounce bottle of concentrate can make over 12 gallons of solution.

_{Type: Post-emergent | Formula: Concentrate | Season: Spring through fall | Coverage: 400 square feet}

Best Spray

BioAdvanced Ready-to-Spray All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer

View On Amazon $14 At Home Depot

Just hook the 32-ounce spray bottle to your garden hose, turn the hose on, position yourself on your lawn, and turn the tab to the open position. Voila, your sprayer is primed and ready! Now all you need to do is walk evenly across your grass, moving your hand steadily back and forth to provide even coverage across the turf.

Use this spray on bluegrass, fescue, bentgrass, Bermudagrass, zoysia, ryegrass, or buffalograss only, however. It quickly kills crabgrass right down to the roots, as well as over 200 other common lawn weeds such as foxtail, dandelion, dollarweed, and black medic.

You can spray any time of year, but for best results, spray crabgrass in the early spring when it's still fairly small. Temperatures should be below 90 degrees. Ideally, your lawn should have been watered or rained on a day before spraying.

The weedicide is rainproof within an hour of application, and you can resume your normal watering schedule then. Once the grass is completely dry, it's safe for pets and people. If necessary, you can respray the lawn two weeks after the first application to kill the toughest weeds but do not use it more than twice per year.

_{Type: Post-emergent | Formula: Spray | Season: All | Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best for Spot Treatment

Natria Grass and Weed Control With Root Kill

$32 At Amazon $50 At Walmart $32 At Ace Hardware

This non-selective herbicide is ready-to-use and comes in a 1.3-gallon jug with an attached battery-powered sprayer, so you can target crabgrass and other weeds closely without wearing out your hand. This effective spray quickly kills crabgrass right down to the roots and kills most other weeds, grasses, vines, moss, and algae.

Just spray on any unwanted greenery along fences, growing out of cracks on your patio or walkways, in garden beds, or in mulched beds, but take care to protect nearby desirable plants from the spray. The spray won't stain your concrete, brick, or asphalt, and it's resistant to rain within three hours.

You can use it any time of year, but it's most effective when sprayed on young weeds less than 5 inches tall and on days when the soil is moist but not soaked, and the temperatures are warm. If the crabgrass or other weed is thoroughly soaked, you'll see results within minutes. You can respray new weeds as needed until they are gone. And if you want to plant new greenery in a treated area, you can do so once five days have passed since spraying the Natria.

_{Type: Post-emergent | Formula: Spray | Season: All | Coverage: Not specified}

Best for Flower Beds

Miracle-Gro Garden Weed Preventer

View On Amazon

Keep your flower beds and other garden beds free of crabgrass and other ugly weeds for up to three months per application with this shake-on granular pre-emergent weedicide from Miracle-Gro. It can safely be used around most flowers, shrubs, trees, roses, and even vegetables, but it is not for use on lawns.

You can sprinkle it at any time around established plants, but you'll have the best success if you apply it early in the spring before crabgrass begins to grow. Follow the package directions carefully if you plan on using the product in beds where you'll be planting flower or vegetable seeds, as using the pre-emergent too close to sowing your seeds could prevent them from sprouting.

Because the Miracle Gro Garden Weed Preventer can be a little dusty while applying it, it's a good idea to wear protective eye covers and dust mask. Direct the granules to the ground only, not onto the leaves of plants you want to keep. Once you've finished sprinkling the product, water lightly to activate it, and keep yourself, your pets, and your kids out of the area until completely dry. The 5-pound jug can treat up to 800 square feet of garden beds.

_{Type: Pre-emergent | Formula: Granular | Season: All | Coverage: 800 square feet}

Best for Lawns

BioAdvanced 5-in-1 Weed and Feed

$24 At Amazon $28 At Home Depot $26 At Walmart

Combine two steps in one by killing crabgrass and other weeds while fertilizing your lawn with this effective product from BioAdvanced. With just one application, it prevents crabgrass and numerous other weeds from sprouting for up to six months, kills off weeds that have already sprouted, and encourages green, healthy grass growth with an NPK ratio of 22-0-4, which means 22 percent nitrogen, no phosphorus, and 4 percent potassium.

Use your lawn spreader to apply it to a damp lawn when temperatures are between 60 and 90 degrees, and water it in well after application. You can safely use this pre-emergent/post-emergent turf hero on lawns that are all or mostly fescue, Bermuda grass, buffalograss, Kentucky bluegrass, rye grass, seashore paspalum or zoysia. It is not safe for St. Augustine, bentgrass, centipedegrass, or bahia lawns, however.

It's best to apply it in early spring before crabgrass really gets going, and once again in the fall to help ward off next year's weeds. It can be safely used up to three times per year, though, so you can keep your lawn looking its best all season long. The 9.6-pound bag covers up to 4,000 square feet of lawn.

_{Type: Pre-emergent, post-emergent, fertilizer | Formula: Granular | Season: All | Coverage: 4,000 square feet}

Best for Bermudagrass Lawns

BioAdvanced Season Long Lawn Weed Killer + Preventer for Southern Lawns

$22 At Home Depot $25 At Lowe's View On Zoro.com

Many crabgrass killers and other weed killers cause yellowing of Bermudagrass and cannot be used on St. Augustine lawns at all. But that's not the case with this granular product from BioAdvanced, which is formulated for use on popular warm-season grasses grown in the south, including Bermuda, St. Augustine—even the Floratam commonly grown in Florida—centipedegrass, and zoysia.

It effectively prevents crabgrass from sprouting when applied early in the spring, along with goosegrass, dandelions, and many other lawn weeds. It also kills many broadleaf weeds that are already sprouted, including henbit, clover, and chickweed. And it keeps on working for up to six months, reducing your work and improving the look of your lawn.

Apply it evenly across the lawn with a spreader, and after 24 hours, water it in well. Once it's completely dry, it's safe for kids and pets. You can use it again in the fall if needed or desired, but do not apply it more than twice per year to avoid burning your lawn. The 10-pound bag treats up to 4,000 square feet of lawn.

_{Type: Pre-emergent, post-emergent | Formula: Granular | Season: Spring, fall | Coverage: 4,000 square feet}