Kill Lawn Weeds using a lawn safe weed killer, or manually remove them with a weed pulling tool for a non chemical option.
There are two main types of weeds that are commonly found in lawns. Broadleaf weeds, and Grassy weeds.
- Broadleaf weeds are more obvious. Their leaves aren’t grass like, instead they take on different shapes and textures that stand out in your grass. There are lots of broadleaf weeds but some of the most common are dandelion, clover, chickweed, plantain, and wild violet.
- Grassy weeds are a little harder to identify in your lawn since most of them are actual grasses, just not varieties we wish to have in our lawns. These grassy weeds include crabgrass, nutsedge, poa annua, poa trivalis, and many more.
Using Liquid Herbicide to Kill Lawn Weeds
The best way to kill existing lawn weeds is with a liquid, lawn safe, weed killer. This means the weed will be killed without harming your grass.
Liquid weed killers work so much better than granular weed killers. If you’ve ever been frustrated with the lack of results from applying a granular product like ‘Weed & Feed’, you’ll be impressed with the results of switching to a liquid weed killer.
For the most part, killing lawn weeds requires spot treating instead of blanket spraying. Spot treating means going around your lawn and spraying just the weeds. Blanket spraying on the other hand is when you spray your entire lawn. Blanket spraying isn’t the best option but may be necessary for larger, more widespread weed pressure.
Liquid Weed Killers Depend On Grass Type
There are a lot of liquid, lawn safe weed killers on the market. But it’s important to realize that what might be considered lawn safe for one grass type, may not be safe for another grass type. Also, there’s not one product that eliminates all weeds, but most products target a long list of weeds.
Below are some great lawn safe weed killers to have on hand. Just know that cool season lawns and warm season lawns usually require different products.
Cool Season Grass Liquid Weed Killers
There are several great products to choose from and sometimes you’ll want to change products depending on the weed you are trying to kill. But there are 2 products I recommend that will cover most weeds you’ll encounter in your cool season grass:
1. Ortho Weed B Gone Plus Crabgrass Control
This a great all around weed killer. What’s great about this product is it’s ready to use (RTU) and doesn’t require any mixing. This is great it you have less weed pressure in your lawn or if you are new to lawn care.
If you have a lot of weeds consider buying the concentrate here to save some money: Ortho Weed B Gone Concentrate. The concentrate is meant to be mixed with water in a tank sprayer, or hose end sprayer. Personally I’m not a fan of hose end sprayers since the mixing instructions can be confusing. I highly recommend a tank sprayer instead.
For tank sprayers you can either get a small 1-2 gallon tank or a larger 4 gallon tank. The 1-2 gallon tank is usually fine for spot treating: 1 Gallon Tank Sprayer
To treat your lawn, I recommend walking your lawn frequently (every week) and spraying any lawn weeds you see. This will help you stay on top of weeds and will prevent them from spreading. Many broadleaf weeds require a follow up treatment.
Also, it is highly recommend you mix a little Surfactant in with the Ortho Weed B gone, or any other liquid post emergent herbicide. The Surfactant helps the herbicide stick to the leaf of the plants. When broadleaf weeds are established they can get a waxy coating on their leaves that makes the herbicide hard to stick to. If you’ve ever been unsuccessful with liquid post emergent herbicides it’s likely this was the problem. Mixing in a little Surfactant can make a big difference. You can purchase Surfactant here: Surfactant
2. Tenacity (Mesotrione)
Another great lawn safe weed killer is Tenacity. The active ingredient in Tenacity is Mesotrione. The major benefit of Tenacity is if you’re planning on doing any seeding, this is a safe product to use. Many other liquid herbicides recommend pausing applications at least a month before seeding. With Tenacity you can apply leading up to your seeding project. You can even treat weeds at the same time as seeding (exception with fine fescue, and some other grass types, always read label).
The other good thing about Tenacity is it can knock back grassy weeds such as Nimblewill, Creeping Bentgrass, and Poa Annua. Although these grassy weeds aren’t listed on the label as weeds effectively controlled, many people have had success controlling these weeds with repeat applications.
Tenacity does have a couple of drawbacks. For starters it takes awhile to see results. It could take up to 2-3 weeks before weeds die back. Also, because it works by blocking photosynthesis in weeds, you’ll see the weeds turn a bleached white color. This will make weeds stand out as they are dying back. Lastly, you might see some temporary bleaching of your grass. This is usually temporary and grass will eventually green back up.
Mixing Surfactant with the Tenacity will help the herbicide stick to the weed.
Warm Season Grass Liquid Weed Killers
For warm season grass there are 2 liquid herbicides I recommend mainly because they treat a lot of different weeds and can also be used on several types of warm season grass. Unlike cool season grasses, warm season grasses can have different herbicide tolerances between species so always check labels.
1. Image Southern Weed Killer
For warm season lawns my favorite all around lawn safe, liquid weed killer is Image Southern Weed Killer. The label says for use on St. Augustine and Centipede grass but it can also be used on other warm season grasses such as Zoysia and Bermuda. This product is a concentrate and should be mixed with water in a tank sprayer. It will kill a lot of common weeds such as Dandelion, Clover, Chickweed, Dollarweed and many others.
2. Celsius WG
The one downside to the Image Southern Lawn Weed Killer listed above is it’s not the best choice for killing some of the tougher weeds such as Crabgrass, Doveweed, Dallisgrass, and others. If you have these weeds then I’d suggest using Celsius WG. You might have some sticker shock when you see the price of this product but keep in mind it is a concentrate that gets mixed with water so you get a lot of mileage out of it. Chances are this product will last you several seasons.
There is a cheaper option for Celsius WG which comes in a packet in granular form. This can be used to treat a smaller area.
To treat your lawn with either of these products, I recommend walking your lawn frequently (every week) and spraying any lawn weeds you see. This will help you stay on top of weeds and will prevent them from spreading. Many broadleaf weeds require a follow up treatment. Both products benefit from adding a little Surfactant.
Prevention with Pre-Emergent Herbicides
Prevention, using pre-emergent herbicides, is the best way to limit weed problems in your lawn. I strongly recommend using pre-emergent herbicides at 3 specific times during the year. Check out my custom lawn care program to see what pre-emergent to apply and when.
Pre-emergent herbicides prevent crabgrass, as well as other grassy, and broadleaf weeds from growing. Weed prevention is an important part of a solid lawn care program.
Chemical Free Ways to Kill Weeds in Lawn
There’s always the manual way, which is very effective if you don’t have that many weeds. There is a great weed grabbing tool that many people use to pull weeds completely out of their lawn, including the weeds root system.
It is especially effective for removing dandelions since dandelions have a long tap root that can be hard to rip out.
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Where do i find the product “Tenacity” ?
Tenacity Link
I appreciate you helping me to understand there are plenty of safe products that can be used to remove weeds. I haven’t paid enough attention to my lawn this summer, and now it is overgrown with weeds and other undesirable plants. It would probably be a good idea for me to get some kind of weed spraying equipment so that I can get my lawn looking good again.
I just rototilled my lawn and started over. A major task, just for the neighbors weeds to blow over. My lawn is full of clover, and what I believe to be wild violet as well as several others. I haven’t used any chemicals as of yet due to living on a wild life habit. I’ll have to use some preventer if I want a lawn, hand pulling for hours and hours to get an inch is defeating.
feel free to check out my post about getting rid of clover… Also if you think it’s really bad instead of using a rototiller, rent a sod cutter. A sod cutter cuts through the root system so you can easily rake up the clover. It’s way less labor then a rototiller or hand pickingl
How do you know which spray to get. I live in Central California, which spray should I use? I’m new to this.
Hi Teri, we have to first determine if you have cool season grass or warm season grass. Are you able to do that? Cool season grass is Turf Type Tall Fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue and rye grass. Common Warm season grass types are Zoysia, Bermudagrass, St. Augustine, Centipede. For cool season grasses I like using Ortho Weed B Gone plus Crabgrass killer, for warm season gasses I recommend Image Southern Lawn Weed Killer.
I have a lawn about 3/4 acres and it is loaded with creeping charley. How do I get rid of the creeping charley?
using Ortho Weed B Gone (active ingredients 2, 4-D) is a great choice for creeping charley!
Years ago I had close to a weed free lawn. It took a lot of work getting there. To maintain it I employed a spot treatment method while mowing. I had a small hand sprayer bottle that I kept the Weed-B-Gone mixture in. I mounted a holder for it to the lawn mower handle and whenever I spotted a weed while mowing, I sprayed it. My current lawn hasn’t reached that point yet and I use a zero-turn so it’s harder to spot the weeds and stop to spray them. I’m still at the blanket spraying point.
That’s a great strategy. I always have ortho weed b gone in a tank sprayer ready to go. Being consistent with spot treating is so key!
What is the best way to get rid of dollar weed?
Ortho Weed B Gone (active ingredient 2,4D) will knock out Dollar Weed. Just be careful if you have St. Augustine grass since it can be sensitive to 2,4D. Also, Dollar Weed is pretty easy to pull by hand if you don’t have too much of it.
Thank you
You’re very welcome!
I seeded a new lawn in spring. It is looking good but I am seeing more and more crabgrass. Should I blanket spray my lawn to make sure I kill all the crabgrass? Can I do it in late July/early August if air temps stay below 90 for a week. Is Tenacity the best bet?
Hi Carl… at this point yes I would recommend applying tenacity but wait until air temperature is below 85 degrees. 90 is too hot and can be damaging. Don’t forget though, crabgrass is going to die off on its own by early fall. Any seeds that it has dropped this past spring and summer will germinate next spring. So the key to your success will be to apply a pre-emergent that contains either Prodiamine or Dimension next spring. But overall if I were you I’d kill off as much crabgrass as you could now (weather permitting) to help stop the amount of seeds being dropped from now until fall. Also, continue to fertilize and take care of your lawn as much as possible. When the weather begins to cool the cool season grass will thrive (assuming we are talking cool season grass) and weeds will die back. This is a great time to establish a thick lawn and thick healthy lawns are great for preventing weeds!
Hi Mark. I live in Denver. Long story short.. I have some well-developed patches of crabgrass in an otherwise healthy lawn. Ortho and Roundup post-emergents haven’t worked on them. I was all ready to go out and buy the Tenacity “kit” to spray those patches, but saw your comment above about air temperatures. Are you saying wait until our daytime highs are under 85 before applying? Then use the Dimension enhanced fertilizer twice in the spring based on soil temps? Seems logical, just want to make sure I’m following directions! Thanks.
Hi Don! You’re exactly right. Use the Tenacity but avoid applying when temps are above 85. This could mean applying earlier in the morning. Just avoid the heat of the day. Also, you might want to check out buying some Surfactant (you can buy online). It’s relatively cheap. You add in a about a table spoon in with the tenacity water mixture. It helps the herbicide stick to the leaves. This time of years weeds can get a waxy coating and repel the herbicide. That could be why the ortho wasn’t working. Lastly with the Tenacity, be patient. You might not notice some whitening until a week later. Buy two weeks you should see it really starting to turn white. And yes, in the spring is when you want to be ready with your pre-emergent.
Ok hello good morning just wondering how to take care of those other grasses that spread faster than the grass u planted without harming the grass u planted ??? Please get back with me ASAP.
It really depends on where you are and what grasses you are referring to. Where are you located? If you have a cool season lawn then it could be bentgrass in which case you could spray it with Tenacity herbicide.
Hey Mark, I haven’t been very consistent with my preemergent in the past but made a good effort this year to reduce my crabgrass and Dallas grass. I live in North Carolina and have a backyard with zoysia and a front yard with centipede. Is Celsius WG your preferred post emergent herbicide on these two grasses or is there another product I could use to spot treat throughout the summer?
Weed B Gon is definitely the way to go with spot treating, or end of hose concentrate for wider use.
Avoid granular herbicide.
Defiinetrly recommend the use of a Surfactant.
Yes, definitely agree!
I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area and we’ve just had a beating with rain (which we needed), the weeds are appearing early despite the cold temps. I have a lot of old crabgrass and oxalis to deal with. I got some Andersons with barricade to put down even tho the lawn temp is above 55. Now I think I need to attack the weeds with Tenacity too. Which should I use first? I appreciate the lawn info. We’ve had to neglect our lawns out here because of the drought but I’d like get a small lawn back without starting over completely.
thanks
Hi Wendy! I’m going to assume you have cool season grass, so if that’s not the case then let me know. I was looking at data from previous years and it does look like you normally just get warmer from here on out. I would say go ahead and apply the Andersons with Barricade now. A week later you can go ahead and spray weeds with Tenacity. Just know that tenacity works way better when the cells of the weeds are more active which is usually in warmer weather but not hot weather. This time of year I’d try to cherry pick a warmer and sunnier stretch of weather before applying the Tenacity. Also, expect to have to do a follow up spray 2-3 weeks later. I also recommend you apply a second round of the Barricade, or some other pre emergent about 5 weeks after your first application. This will give you a nice long period of coverage.
Yes, I have cool season grass. Thanks so much for the guidance, your site is a great help!
Can you recommend a weed killer that won’t kill your grass that can be used in Canada. I have tried Weed B Gone but it doesn’t do anything. The products that are used in the U S A are by far more superior to what we have. I was able to buy some tenacity and it works very well. The only problem is that it turns the grass a white colour which my wife doesn’t like. You can purchase Tenacity from the Seed Ranch on line.
Hi David, what weeds are you trying to target? The ortho weed b gone is a blend of some of the most popular weed killing active ingredients which targets most weeds, so I wonder if its a specific weed that you’re struggling with. You could try using Speedzone if you can get it in Canada. That’s a good way to switch things up with some other active ingredients. If you can’t get that, see what your options are locally. Just make sure you read the label to make sure it is ” lawn safe”. This way you know it targets weeds and not your lawn. Good luck!
I have bermuda grass that has taken over bahia, i now have a problem with tropical signal grass, any suggestions?
Hi Jason… Man that’s a tough one. I can’t say I know of any way to get Bermuda grass or Tropical Signal grass out of Bahia selectively. You would have to use a non selective herbicide containing glyphosate for example but that will also damage your Bahia. It can be done but you’d be left with some repair work if there are large sections that you’re targeting.
I have a neighbor that planted coyote willow and it has migrated to my lawn and I now see seedlings popping up all over the lawn. I have attempted to pull out these small 3-5 inch sprouts and it is not making a dent. Any suggestions on how I may be able to rid my lawn of all of these traveling roots? I live in Boise, ID. Thank you!
Hi Ginger. I believe Triclopyr would do the trick on Coyote Willow. You can spray this directly on the seedlings and it won’t harm your cool season lawn. Follow the label instructions carefully for mixing and application instruction.
Hi Mark – I would like to renovate my lawn and want to ask about the order of things. 1. Aerate 2. Apply tenacity 3. Apply Fertilizer 4. Overseed 5. Top dress
Am I on the right track? Do I need to put anything on top of the top dress?
Thanks
John
Hi John… I would aerate, top dress, fertilize, then apply seed. As for the Tenacity it depends if you’re using it to kill existing weeds or if you’re looking to use it as a pre emergent. If you’re trying to kill existing weeds I’d apply it about a week to ten days before your renovation. If using as a pre emergent, I’ make it my last step and spray it at the very end over the seed.
Should I put anything on top of the seed co cover it up?
Hi Mark,
Please advise on best way to get rid of ground ivy. I’ve been using Ortho Weed-b-gone for crabgrass and it’s working very well. It does nothing for the ivy. Last year I tried spot treating the ivy with Ortho for Chickweek, Clover, and Oxalis (CCO) with questionable results. I want to apply to the entire lawn. How soon after crabgrass control can I apply CCO?
Thanks.
Hi Keith, assuming you have cool season grass, Try a product called Hi-Yield Triclopyr Ester, and do not use a surfactant with this one. Cut the lawn short before spraying so the spray makes good contact with the ground ivy. You can apply this at the same time as a crabgrass pre emergent, but if you’re using a liquid weed killer for crabgrass I’d wait a couple of weeks. You don’t want too much herbicide on your lawn at once since it can burn your grass, especially if blanket spraying.
In the fall of 2023I had grass seed,Pre-emergent,lime and fertilizer put down in 2024 the grass came back green but with clover dandelions crabgrass of which I thought would have been eliminated with what I had put down in the fall I live on about an acre of land front yard backyard grass I do not know what to put down to kill these weeds and if I would put something down then the grass will be dead in all the spots where the weeds are, is this correct? I don’t want to have brown spots all over my lawn. can you help me as to what is my next step? Everything I put down was in granular form. I have the grass cut once a week. I am a widow of four years and trying to do everything that my husband dead health which it has not been easy but I’m learning by reading your articles. My name is Antoinnette Pinnix
Pinnix@bellsouth.net
Thank you
Hi there Antoinette. A couple of things that stand out. First, to prevent crabgrass from germinating you have to put down your pre emergent in the spring when soil temps hit 50 degrees. A fall pre emergent application prevents fall germinating weeds, crabgrass is a spring germinating weed. Also, for weeds such as clover and dandelions, those are perennials so a pre emergent won’t block them from growing if they are already in your lawn. For those weeds I recommend using a liquid, lawn safe weed killer such as Ortho Weed B Gone. Granular weed killers are much less effective in my opinion so using a liquid weed killer should be much more effective. Lastly, if you’re worried about large dead areas in your lawn when you kill your weeds, it really depends. Usually you can kill weeds and near by grass will fill in the area. But, if you have large patches of weeds such as clover or crabgrass, you may need to top dress the area with good soil after the weeds are dead, and reseed the area. I’m not sure where you are located, but if you have cool season grass I recommend waiting until late summer when things cool down for reseeding
I have thought about my problem with weeds Would putting pre-emergent over my lawn help? I live in North Carolina 40 miles from the Virginia line of Danville Virginia. It was a granular pre-emergent .
Can I please have your thoughts? Thank you your help Toni Pinnix
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Hi Mark,
I live in southern Ontario and I have a cool season grass lawn. My question now is what fertilizer do I apply, if any at the beginning of July ? My second question is on killing weeds in the lawn. I have tried Weed be gone with limited success. Given that most lawn chemicals are banned in Southern Ontario, what are my choices?
Hi Ken, you should check out my lawn schedule here, I would follow this over in Ontario and you should be able to the products shipped to you: https://plantforsuccess.com/lawn-care-program/ , You’re probably close to wanting to put down the Stress Blend 7-0-20. As for weed control, do you know what types of weeds you have, because Weed Be Gone usually does the trick with most cool season weeds. You may be looking at something that needs some special treatment. Feel free to email me a pic and I can help you ID the weeds: mark@plantforsuccess.com
Seems very informative
Thanks Richard!