11 Best Crabgrass Killer in 2024: Buying Guide and Reviews

Having a good-looking, healthy green luscious lawn is a dream of every gardener. But the weeds such as crabgrass, dandelions, clovers, and several others hinder the growth of flowers and vegetables planted in the garden. 

Among all those, the crabgrass is worse as it gives the nasty overgrown appearance in your garden. Armed with the best crabgrass killer, you will be able to control it without destroying your lawn and bring your yard back to life. 

In this review guide, we’ll share some of our top crabgrass killers, followed by our buying guide to help you choose the right product. 

11 Top Crabgrass Killer in Market

What is crabgrass, and how to identify it?

Crabgrass is a seasoned weed that grows on the lawn and spreads vigorously. Although it’s an annual weed that grows in the warm season, it’s a prolific seeder. Each crabgrass plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds that germinate the next season and continue the cycle.

It’s difficult to remove these seeds as these are very hard and stick around the lawn to germinate in the following years. The mowing doesn’t help control seed production.

It can produce seeds even when mowed up to 1.5 inches tall, way below the recommended height of mowing lawn grass.

Another challenge in treating crabgrass is difficulty in identifying it accurately. A small size crabgrass has about ¼ inch wide leaf blades. The blades are skinny during sprouting and angle out as it continues the growth.

The side shooting of the blades and the growth of different branches make it easy to identify from other grasses. Regular grass has a very uniform growth pattern, whereas, in the crabgrass, the leaf blades are very distinguishable.

Best Crabgrass killer review

What is the best crabgrass killer for lawns?

Most general-purpose weed killers are non-effective on crabgrass. It’s due to a selective formula in the general weedkiller intended to kill broadleaf weeds while not destroying narrow-leaved turf grass.

Unfortunately, crabgrass has properties similar to narrow-leaved grass. Due to this, the general-purpose weed killer remains ineffective on crabgrass unless it also contains a specific crabgrass killer solution. 

What are the crabgrass killer categories?

There are four types of crabgrass killer categories, depending on how they interact with crabgrass to control growth. 

Selective Crabgrass herbicide: It’s a chemical-based solution that attaches and destroys only crabgrass but doesn’t affect other grass and weeds.

It’s a great way to remove crabgrass without worrying about damaging your yard. If you’re using a general-purpose weed killer, check out the ingredients and make sure it contains either Quinclorac, Dithiopyr, or DSMA as one of the main compositions.

Non-selective herbicide: The non-selective herbicide kills any plant that it comes in contact with. You should use it in an extreme situation where you have an uncontrollable overrun of weeds in the yard and want to start from scratch.

The non-selective herbicides are available in two forms, contact herbicide and systemic herbicide. The contact herbicide only kills part of the plant that it comes in contact with. In contrast, systemic herbicide destroys the whole plant.

Preemergent crabgrass herbicide (Preventive): These are used before crabgrass starts to germinate. It stops the seed from germinating and works best when applied in spring before other plants start growing. 

Post-emergent crabgrass herbicide: The post-emergent herbicide is applied when the crabgrass has already established itself on the lawn. You have to use it when you can identify crabgrass taking its root in your yard. 

How to buy the best crabgrass killer?

There are many different types of products in the market when it comes to buying the crabgrass killer. To help you make the buying decision, consider the following factors.

Safe to use near edible plants

The herbicides are toxic chemicals, and indiscriminate use may damage other edible plants such as vegetables and fruits.

You can reduce the exposure to edible plants by spraying it away from it. Some herbicides are specially formulated that minimize the impact on edible plants.

A less toxic crabgrass herbicide makes it easy to apply without getting it exposed to other plants or animals. Also, use proper protective clothing, so you don’t accidentally inhale when spraying. 

Minimum usage rate for crabgrass prevention

The crabgrass killer has a different usage rating depending on the potency. You may have to apply it multiple times before you see the result.

A highly potent crabgrass killer may need less frequent use but may damage other grasses. On the other hand, the low potency herbicide may need repeated application. 

Shouldn’t kill other grasses

Usually, the crabgrass killer shouldn’t damage other grass types on the lawn. But if you’re using general herbicide, it may also possibly damage other grass types and plants.

If you have a large quantity of crabgrass on your lawn, then buying herbicide specially designed for crabgrass may be the best option. 

Know the usage restriction

Depending on the brand, you may get herbicide in granular and liquid form. There may be different usage restrictions where you can apply. The spray gives a better homogenous distribution.

For granular herbicides, the smaller the granular, the better results you can get. The fine size granules are far superior to the more prominent large-sized pellets. 

Should you use the preemergent or post-emergent herbicide for crabgrass?

Preemergent crabgrass herbicide is most effective in controlling as it stops the seeds from germinating. This reduces the chance of it producing further seeds.

Using a preemergent crabgrass herbicide, you can control up to 80% of the crabgrass population.

The post-emergent herbicide is a reactive solution, as you’re trying to control the growth of crabgrass. Most often, at this stage, the crabgrass blends with other grasses that make it difficult to distinguish and target.

You also run the risk of destroying nearby grasses. But using post-emergent herbicide helps control future seed germination and break the cycle of crabgrass growth. 

What is the best time to spray the crabgrass killer?

The best time to spray the crabgrass killer is in the spring and using a pre-emergent herbicide solution. It prevents the seed from germinating that may become a problem in the summer.

Apply it when the temperature is a bit warm above 55°F as it helps the chemical to act faster. After spraying the crabgrass killer, water it for around ½ inches to allow the herbicide to filter through the soil and reach to the crabgrass seed to destroy it.

You may have to apply it a couple of times in four to six-week gaps to get the most result. If the crabgrass has already grown, then use a post-emergent herbicide.

You have to check the label as some post-emergent herbicide is useful when the crabgrass is still young. In the case of massive crabgrass growth, you can hire a professional to use a dithiopyr-based solution that is very potent.

You also have the option to use over-the-counter post-emergent crabgrass herbicide. These contain quinclorac, and you can apply it when you identify crabgrass growing the yard.

However, the quinclorac isn’t as effective as dithiopyr; you may have to apply heavily or use it multiple times to get good results. 

What is the best crabgrass killer that is safe for dogs or pets?

I found the Tenacity herbicide control to be the safest for dogs or pets. It’s one of the only herbicides listed for cold/warm-season grass that it won’t harm.

You can also use herbicides that contain 2, 4-D, or Trimec as active ingredients that are relatively safe to use. Its main application is toward broadleaf grass, but some brands have a crabgrass killer solution added that makes it safe to apply.

The 2, 4-D is a plant-based hormone that affects the growth of broadleaf plants and destroys it internally.

However, no herbicide is 100% safe for pets. You should take the necessary precautions and keep your dogs or pets away from the treated lawn for at least 24 hours. 

What is the best pre emergent crabgrass killer?

The preemergent crabgrass killer can be divided into two types.

Specially formulated preemergent herbicide: It contains Isoaxben, Trifluralin, and Prodiamine as the main ingredient.

It works very well, and you can buy a solution that has either of those as the main ingredient. You can use Prodiamine for clay and sandy soils to get the best result.

General preemergent with post-emergent control additive: In this, the main ingredient is dithiopyr that provides post-emergent control of grass up to the three-leaf stage and is very porous into the soil.

It’s great for clay and loam-based soil. You shouldn’t overwater as it causes it to permeate deep in the ground. It doesn’t work very effectively on sandy soil or snow-prone areas.

However, it’s excellent for post-emergence as you can apply it a little later into the post-emergence stage.

If you missed applying the preemergence crabgrass herbicide at the right time, you could use a post-emergence herbicide containing Pendimethelin as the main ingredient.

It attacks the roots and stems of crabgrass and helps you maintain your yard free from crabgrass. 

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