Best Weed and Feed for Lawns & Spring (April 2024)

Manually pulling out weeds can be laborious and futile due to their quick regrowth. A quicker and more effective strategy to eliminate these bothersome weeds from your lawn is by using weed and feed.

If you’re looking for the best weed and feed for your lawn, we have researched and compiled the top options below. Let us help you restore your grass to its lush and green glory.

Contents

The 5 Best Weed and Feed for Lawns

1. Greenview Fairway Formula Weed and Feed

Key Features

It has three applications (Blocking crabgrass, killing weeds, and feeding your lawn).
It kills over 200 types of weeds.
It’s a 65% slow-release. This enables it to feed your grass for over 12 weeks.
One bag covers 5000 square feet.
The manufacturer offers a money-back guarantee if you don’t get the desired results.

If you want to have a healthy-looking lawn all year long, this is a great choice. It’s a slow-release nitrogen formula that feeds your grass for about 12 weeks. You only apply once or twice. It eliminates over 200 types of weeds, including crabgrass.

Why we like it

It’s a slow-release formula, lasting a long time.
It results in thicker, greener grass.
It is safe for several types of grass, including buffalo grass, Behia grass, tall fescues, Bermuda grass, and Kentucky bluegrass.
It kills weeds and crabgrass within four weeks.

What we don’t like

It destroys Dichondra, St. Augustine grass, and carper grass.

Our Verdict

This is the ultimate yard care product. It allows you to eliminate most types of weeds, blocks crabgrass, and leaves your lawn looking greener and healthier.

2. Scotts Snap Pac Southern Weed and Feed

Key Features

It can only be applied through the Scott’s spreader.
It is sold in a few Southern states.
It covers 4000 square feet.
The manufacturer offers a money-back guarantee if you’re not impressed by the product.

This is a great weed and feed for southern lawns with all-season application. It is applied through Scott’s spreader for a more effective application. It kills weeds, prevents crabgrass growth, and feeds your lawn for healthy roots, and greener, thicker grass.

Why we like it

It kills many types of weeds, prevents crabgrass, and feeds your lawn.
It offers extensive coverage.
Scott’s spreader is easy to use and saves a lot of time.
As a feeder, it enables your lawn to withstand drought and diseases.
The handles of the spreader are foldable to save on storage space.
The spreader sets an appropriate rate of application, making the process more effective and less messy.

What we don’t like

It’s only sold in a few southern states.
It doesn’t work with spreaders from other brands.

Our Verdict

We recommend this for those with more extensive lawns, or those with sensitive plants. The spreader ensures you apply the right amount of weed feed, minimizing any wastage. The fertilizer balances nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. These nutrients enhance growth in all aspects.

3. Spectracide Weed and Feed

Key Features

It’s a liquid spray.
It has a 20% nitrogen concentration.
It eliminates broad-leafed weeds like chickweed, purslane, and clovers.

Spectracide is applied through spraying. This application method enables you to eliminate overgrown weeds. It also has a 20% nitrogen concentration, assisting with grass growth.

Why we like it

The spray is easy to assemble and use.
It offers a 7500 square feet coverage.
It has a higher concentration of nitrogen, which is essential for leaf growth and the lush green color.
It also helps control insects and diseases.

What we don’t like

It doesn’t eliminate crabgrass.
The spraying method is not always effective in the first run. You may have to go over your yard twice to achieve the desired results.

Our Verdict

This product offers comprehensive coverage at a considerably low cost. The spraying method is also easy to use. You just connect it to your garden hose and get to work in a few minutes. Also, if you’re physically limited, this one is more favorable.

4. Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed

Key Features

It eliminates dandelion and clovers two times faster than the previous products.
It features weedgrip technology.
Scotts have a good reputation for manufacturing reliable products. Therefore, you have every reason to trust their turf Builder weed and feed. It’s two times more powerful and eliminates more than 250 types of weeds.

Why we like it

Weedgrip technology eliminates even the germinating weeds that we can’t see.
It eliminates more than 200 types of weeds.
One bag covers 500 square feet.
It’s an all-season application weed feed.

What we don’t like

A slight error in the application may burn your grass.

Our Verdict

Scott’s innovative weedgrip technology enables you to weed out the germinating weeds. It ensures that your lawn is weed-free for a longer time than most products would offer.

5. Preen 2164126 Weed & Feed

Key Features

It works every season.
It works by preventing weeds from growing.
It has nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash.
It comes with an application scoop.
It’s not allowed in California (CA).
It offers 2560 coverage.

Unlike other products, preen is more of a preventive measure than a weed killer. It’s applied in four easy steps. You remove the weeds manually, mulch the area, apply the Preen, and then water the mulched section. This method prevents weeds from growing in feature, while it feeds the other plants with the necessary nutrients.

Why we like it

It can be applied throughout the year.
The nutrient combination is ideal for a variety of plants, including vegetables, 200 types of flowers, trees, and shrubs.
One application is always effective.
It prevents weeds and feeds your lawn for up to three months.

What we don’t like

There are cases where it promotes the growth of some types of weeds.

Our Verdict

We recommend this to those with ornamental flowers. When combined with the mulch, it prevents the growth of a wide variety of weeds. With one application, you can forget about weeding for the next three months.

How to Choose the Best Weed & Feed

As mentioned earlier, weed and feed products are a combination of chemicals that eliminate weeds while feeding your plants with the necessary nutrients. Below are some of the factors that you need to consider when choosing a product.

Type of the weeds – There are thousands of types of weeds based on the region you’re in and the types of soils. The most common are dandelions, clovers, and crabgrass. First, identify the types of weeds in your yard. Then, check if the product kills these specific types of weeds.
Types of the plants on your lawn – You need to check if the brand you intend to purchase is safe to use around your plants. For instance, some weed and feeds destroy grass such as Carpet grass and St. Augustine grass. If you have vegetables and flowers, ensure that these products aren’t harmful to them.
Methods of Application – Weed and feed comes in liquid and granule form. Liquid chemicals are spread through spraying, while granules are applied manually. The manual application may lead to uneven distribution. To avoid this, you could use a spreader, which ensures you apply the right amount. It also helps prevent wastage. Spraying is faster and easier. Liquid products are also cheaper than their granules counterparts.
Nutrients – For these products to work as feeders, they need to have certain minerals that are essential for plant growth. The main ones are Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash. Nitrogen is responsible for leaf growth and the lush green color. Potash enables your plants to have strong roots, withstand drought, and diseases. Phosphorous enhances the growth of roots as well as the production of fruits, seeds, and flowers.

NPK usually symbolizes these nutrients on the bags. Therefore, if a bag states that it has a 10-10-10 NPK ratio, it means it has 10% Nitrogen, 10% Phosphorous, and 10% Potash. You can choose specific types of nutrients combinations based on the results you want to achieve. For a green, thick lawn, choose one with a higher nitrogen concentration.

Season – Some products are suitable for application throughout the year. However, applying weed and feed during spring has proven to yield the best results. This season is usually by the beginning of April in the US. Also, you shouldn’t apply weed and feed more than twice a year.

Other Considerations

Weed and feed is made of pure chemicals that can be highly toxic. In some cases, they end up doing more harm than good on your lawn. If not applied as directed, they end up burning your plants. They are also harmful to children and pets. They are great short-term solutions for a beautiful, healthy-looking lawn. For a long-term solution, you could opt for organic methods of removing weeds. You can also embark on yard care activities such as mowing, sweeping, watering, and aerating. These activities minimize the occurrences of weeds.

Soil Testing

To avoid over-accumulation of certain nutrients, we would also advise that you test your soils to see the nutrients they are lacking. Also, weed and feed could offset the soil’s pH. It’s essential to be aware of your soil’s pH to minimize any potential damage.

Weed and Feed FAQ’s

What is Weed and Feed, and How does It Work?

The “weed” means that these products are designed to kill regular weeds. They don’t kill grass or other plants unless you applied too much of it. The “Feed” means that these products also have nutrients, mainly NPK, that your plants can benefit from.

When Should I Apply Weed and Feed?

Spring is the preferred time to apply this product, but this may vary in some regions. If you’re from a different area, use it as soon as the weeds are visible. Ensure that the grass is a bit damp before applying. Also, make sure that no rain is expected in the next two to three days after applying it.

Final Thoughts

After considering all the factors, we believe the Greenview Fairway Formula is the best weed and feed on the market. It kills more than 200 types of weeds, including crabgrass. It also has a higher nitrogen concentration, boosting the aesthetics of your lawn. It’s also safe to use around many types of grass, flowers, and vegetables.

We also vouch for it for it feeds your grass for 12 weeks through the slow-release mechanism. Each bag covers 500 square feet, and the company can refund if the product doesn’t meet your expectations. However, you need to ensure the granules evenly to avoid burning the plants. You should also avoid using it around Dichondria, St. Augustine grass, and Carpet grass.