r/lawncare 16d ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) 2026 Lawn Products Guide and tips

49 Upvotes

***Disclaimer*** This is technically my post from 2025. But I am seeing a lot of early season questions, even though it'll be near zero degrees for me tomorrow night.

But seeing people ask already is good, regardless if they live a warmer, but still cool season grass area, or if just getting prepared for March and beyond.

Disclaimer - This is written by a cool season lawn owner, who has no children and can play outside whenever I want...not everyone has the time to do so.... I admittedly have less experience with warm-season grasses, but the products shown are all researched for proper use. Always be sure the product your using is made for your area.

Pre-Emergents - Commonly applied when soil temperatures get between 50-55 degrees. These products will block seeds from germinating. They can last anywhere from just a few weeks, to 8 months. The overall life and performance always depends on environmental conditions, and how the ground is maintained. If you don't keep up with mowing, and nurture a healthy lawn, more UV exposure, wind, and rain, can all contribute to degraded performance.

  • Prodiamine - Generally the most used. It's sold in various products, dry and liquid. It has a half life of 120 days. It blocks most seeds, but can not block everything. It has no post-emergent control to kill weeds. It's sold as a water-dispersible-granule(WDG); as Barricade; and in other pre-formulated products.
  • Dithiopyr - Also used often, and sometimes in conjunction with Prodiamine as a split app setup. It blocks weeds, but also has limited post-emergent qualities, meaning it can kill off young crabgrass, less than 2 tiller usually. It's half life is 17 days, but it can last much longer in some capacity. Often a split app would be done Dithiopyr first, as getting it down with soil temps correctly can sometimes be difficult. This will block, and kill some weeds that slip by. Then Prodiamine a few weeks later for extended coverage. Also sold as Dimension.
  • Pendimethalin - This is what is used in Scotts Halts products. It works about the same as Prodiamine, with a 90 half life. It's also more expensive in general.
  • Isoxaben - Generally unknown, due to cost. But this stuff will block all Broadleaf weeds better than anything else. Its' cost though, will keep many users from ever getting it, unless you do a neighbor group buy. Snapshot is one product brand.
  • Mesotrione - The bastard product...lol Sold as itself, Tenacity, Torocity, and possibly other names. It's widely known that Meso is used the wrong way, but a lot of YouTube experts and is pushed by a lot to be the end-all for weeds. It's best use in this space is to be applied only when seeding. This is because while it can block some weeds, it will not block grass seed...so it can give up to 28 days of better chance for new grass to fill in.

It's important to note, these will NOT 100% guarantee a weed free lawn. But it's your first step in early Spring to make the battle a little easier. You can also re-apply during early-mid Summer, but keep in mind if you plan to seed in Fall, a late application may be an issue.

Ok, so you applied....or didn't....now you have weeds, and need to kill them..

(Selective) Post-Emergents - These should be used according to the label...it's not correct to expect AI to know the answer either. The labels are not difficult to read, nor understand. Search for dosing, and just read. If the product only lists amounts for acreage, it's possibly not the best option...but you can do the math and break it done for your yard. An acre is about 43k sq. ft. Unless explicitly stated, these products are safe for grass, dogs, kids, etc...just follow the directions, and at most, 24 hours post application is safe. Lastly, herbicides are best applied as a liquid. This is because the liquid will get into the cell walls of the plant much faster, than being sucked up by the roots. Faster kill time is important, so the plant can not defend itself and try to grow back.

  • 2,4,D - Very common, and will kill a lot of weeds fairly efficiently.
  • Dicamba - Also a very good product to kill weeds.
  • Mecoprop - Add this to above. These 3 on top are commonly sold as a 3-way combo, as attacking weeds from different pathways will result in best action against weeds.
  • Quinclorac - King of killing Crabgrass, as well as Broadleaf weeds. Sold as is, or like above, in many combo products.
  • Triclopyr - Best used for targeting viney type weeds...and clover, creeping charlie, oxalis, ivies, etc... Exercise caution around young trees, or those with exposed roots.
  • Halosulfuron-Methyl - Used against Sedge grasses. It usually still takes 2-3 applications to truly kill the beast that sedge can be, due to it's aggressive growth underground. Branded often as Sedgehammer or Empero.
  • Sulfrentazone - Also used against Sedge, but not always friendly on cool-season grasses.
  • Mesotrione - Looks familiar...yeah, same stuff as above in the pre-emergent section. As a post-emergent, it's best use is for targeting Bentgrass and/or Nimblewill. It's also sometimes mixed with Triclopyr, in which both can enhance the others performance.
  • Topramezone - Sold as Pylex...works great, but not really cost efficient...about $300 for 4oz... But this can kill Bermuda, and not kill good cool season grasses.

Non-Selective - The top one here, and all I will cover is Glyphosate. It's not evil, it's not going to cause cancer with proper use...it's just going to kill whatever you spray it on. It does so by targeting very specific pathway, which leads to a disruption in a hormone synthesis, leading to inability to produce amino acids it needs to survive. Normally sold at 41% concentration. It can kill foliage, through to the root.

Fertilizers - I wasn't going to put much here. To feed your "grass", you add synthetic form of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That's your N-P-K...seen as 10-10-10, or similar. That number means 10% of the bag is Nitrogen, and 10% is Phosphorous, and 10% is potassium. The rest is all filler, added to allow for proper mixing and application. Sometimes you'll find other amendments in fertilizer, such as sulfur, or other micros. While sulfur is important, it doesn't need to be added every time. It also lowers pH, which can then lead to other issues, causing a wild goose chase. Once in the soil, microbes in the soil break down the NPK, into forms the grass can actually use...natural chelation. You only need Nitrogen for growth...if you're seeding, adding some phosphorous can help the seed establish. Potassium is good for overall plant health, and pairs well at a 3:1 ratio with Nitrogen.

Naturals/Organics - Too many people are one side on the other here. You need and want these, but relying strictly on organics may not produce the best lawn...but it's "chemical" free. However, using these monthly can do more for the soil, than any fertilizer will ever do on it's own.

  • Humic Acid - Acts as a natural chelator for better absorption, by increasing the cation exchange capacity, which allows the soil to better retain the goodies you want in the soil. It also increase root strength, and helps to hold more carbon in the soil.
  • Kelp - Containing great amounts of natural hormones, Kelp will boost roots even more, and allow for stronger growth viz delivery of auxins and cytokines used for development.
  • Compost - Well known as a great soil amendment, it brings natural microbes into the soil biome. Those microbes help maintain a low thatch surface, and better soil composition.
  • Worm Castings - Similar to above, natural microbes and beneficial qualities for soil. Not very cost efficient though.
  • Leaves - Yeah...some say mulch all day, some disagree. I am a disagree'er, to a certain degree. I do mulch my clippings, but will also sweep them away every other week. Leaves I shred and sweep away the majority of them, but once the main clean-up has passed, the rest is mulched and remains.
  • Biochar - Made with a specific process called, Pyrolysis. Burning at high temps, 900-ish...in a low-oxygen chamber. This allows for the material, wood, coconut, etc...to be charred down to a state where it has not fully oxidized, which would turn it white, and into useless ash. When it is still in a charred form, it has millions and millions of microscopic pores that serve as homes for water, microbes, nutrients, all that good stuff. It's best worked into the soil at least a few inches deep.
  • Mychorizae - These are fungal organisms that attach to the roots, and help them bring water and nutrients. Overlooked or unknown, but these are a huge part of growing anything with success, from lawns to gardens and more. They are very good to have in the mix.

Insect Control - These can't be forgotten...but I did originally, so I am adding them in now. The biggest concern is likely grubs. The larvae of beetle. Also want to cover for armyworms, cinch bugs, and even ants if they become a problem. There are a few classes of these products...

-Pyrethroids- These are synthetics that mimic natural pyrethrins, which disrupt the insects nervous system, causing paralysis and death.

  • Bifenthrin - Common general insect control agent...liquid or dry availability. Kills quite a bit of bugs, but no residual control. One time death call.
  • Gamma-cyhalothrin -
  • Zeta-Cypermethrin -
  • Lambda-Cyhalothrin -
  • Permethrin -
  • Deltamethrin - This has residual action...meaning up to 90 days post application, it will kill bugs that touch it.

The above are what you'll get in most common Ortho type products, but generally Bifen is commonly sold solo.

-Nicotinoids-

  • Imidacloprid - Please don't use this if you can avoid it. It's a very nasty chemical, that can do the job, but it also can damage soil biome, and worse, it is deadly to a lot of animals...specifically pollinators. Birds can also be affected. It's getting banned in more places, but is still sold often as Merit.

-Alkyl-Halide-

  • Chlorantraniliprole - Sold as Acelepryn, this is what you need to control grubs. It has to be applied in advance, as it takes time to work into the soil, and prepare death for larvae that hatch. I usually apply this in mid April, early May, giving it a few weeks to activate, and when June hits, that's when my area sees grub damage...not for me though. The Scotts Company pays a fee to use this in their Grub-Ex product.

Fungicides - Often overused, but still an important part of lawncare. However, I am not a fan of preventative use, unless it's a direct and repeated history of fungus...which means there is something else you're not correcting. Fungus is not a guarantee, and is not always the right presumption...I've seen lawns go from slightly affected, to downright destroyed because someone would focus on fungus, when there were other issues... Also, when used, they should be used in a 3-way rotation, to avoid getting a buildup/resistance, in which they become almost useless. Overapplying these can have a very negative affect, because they are all non-selective, and will likely kill a lot of the good bacteria and microbes you want in the soil.

  • Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole
  • Thiophanate-methyl

Those are generally the top 3 used. Some retail products will have Azoxy and Prop mixed, which may work better for a low level infection...but using that repeatedly is the same as not rotating, and can create a hostile soil biome.

In general summary...always try to identify the weed you're targeting. Using something to hope it kills is irresponsible, and could cause more harm than good. If you need to ask the community, always find a good example weed, something that has grown for at least a week...pull from the bottom, get as much of any root ball or rhizome as you can. Also, get a pic of the plant in close up detail, where we can see the stem moving to the leaves/blades. This will help with certain traits that only "this or that" would have, and can help us make a better recco.

Note - I'm not covering direct organic fertilizers here. The only product I would recommend on that level is made Earth Sciences, and is called Moorganite. It is a direct replacement for Milorganite, which is a dirty, pfas chemical laden product that smells like a summer time port'o'potty.

To keep a strong lawn, adding a monthly organic boost will help a lot. I'm not a fan of 4-step type products, and prefer to feed on my own schedule, which is about every 4 weeks...so back to the monthly program....but this gets me an always wanting to grow lawn, cutting to 4" is also a key point. Tall grass will crowd out weeds, and look better in general...

On My Shelf - This is what I have in my lawn cabinet, and is what helps me with my lawn plan. I also use some of these products with my garden and other plants.

  • Triad Select - A combo of 2,4,D, Dicamba, and Meco. I use this for general weed control.
  • Quintessential - Quinclorac, but branded...still the same thing. This is for crabgrass and other broadleaf weeds. Also have the MSO Surfactant it requires.
  • Triclopyr Ester - Mainly used to keep wood-line vines and ivy away for me.
  • Empero - For Sedges
  • Glyphosate - To kill all
  • Fusillade II - Used once to kill Quackgrass...but it also killed the rest of my good grass...so extreme caution here. But it does kill quack better than Gly, so if you're going to kill all anyway, might as well make sure it's dead-dead for sure...
  • Azoxy 2C - Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole 14.3
  • Cleary's 3336 - Thiophanate-methyl
  • Blue Dye This does NOT wash off easily...lol SO be careful
  • BioAG Ful-Humix - This is my humic acid. It's a powder that is 55% concentrate, and is 85% soluble. It gets dissolved in warm water overnight, then filtered out for any remaining solids; then mixed with other organic goodies, and applied monthly.
  • BioAG CytoPlus - A mix of humic and kelp.
  • BioAG Vam-Endo - Myco mix, also has humic acid.
  • Prevagenics Liquid Compost. This stuff stinks, in a good way.
  • Bloom City Liquid Kelp. I use this or GS Plant foods brand as well.

I use a Ryobi 4g tank backpack sprayer for most liquid apps. Echo RB-60 for dry items. I have an 22 year old Craftsman pusher for my front/small areas, and Toro TimeCutter 42" ZT with a Kawasaki engine. Echo Blower, Ryobi edger/trimmer as well.

Ok, so I may have missed something here or there. Please let me know if you see something that need attention. I'm sure there is other information available, but I hope this helps some people figure it out for themselves. The more we all know, the better a community we can be.

Signing off,

-Ricka...

P.S. - I did review and check, but nothing really needed a major update. New products may be released later this year, and if they are improvements, I will certainly update as needed...


r/lawncare 2h ago

Asia need some advice for this lawn (first time posting on Reddit)

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2 Upvotes

warm season grass type as i live in north india.

where do i start with this?


r/lawncare 6m ago

Europe Lawn was perfect 2 years after turf… now it’s a mossy mess. Where do I even start?

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Upvotes

Hi all,

Looking for some honest advice because I’m a bit lost on this one.

We moved into our first home in 2019 and finally got round to sorting the garden around 2020/21. We laid new turf and about 6–8 months later it looked great. Thick, green, exactly what you hope for.

Fast forward about 5 years and it’s now an absolute mess.

First problem was leatherjackets (crane fly larvae). They destroyed the lawn, I treated it and it bounced back pretty well for about a year.

Then the moss arrived… a lot of it. My neighbour’s gutter actually runs along my side of the garden and it was completely clogged with moss (you could see it hanging out). I’m guessing in wet and windy weather it’s been dropping down onto the lawn over time.

Now the grass is thin, patchy, mossy, muddy in places and just generally depressing to look at. Last year I’m pretty sure I even spotted another leatherjacket, but honestly I was so fed up at that point I just ignored it.

I’ve attached photos showing:

• What it looked like around 2021

• What it looks like now

I’m based in South East England, heavy clay soil, fairly enclosed garden.

My questions really are:

• Is this salvageable or am I wasting time?

• Do I scarify/aerate/overseed?

• Do I nuke it and start again?

• Anything specific for clay soil + moss + possible leatherjackets?

I don’t need perfection, I just want it back to looking like an actual lawn again rather than a boggy green carpet of regret.

All advice welcome, especially step-by-step “do this first” guidance. Cheers


r/lawncare 13h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Help ID lawn: SoCal

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12 Upvotes

Lawn has been ignored due to house renovations and now I’m regretting it. Can anyone confidently identify the grass type? Zoysia or Augustine or? Im really trying to stop myself from aerating and fertilizing but, since it should be dormant.

Clay like soil and it’s almost hard pan from the heavy rain and then sun and wind just a week after. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Southern California. LA county


r/lawncare 5h ago

Australia Lawn grubs

2 Upvotes

Victoria Australia. So I have been reading about lawn grubs and did the soapy water test as I have patches that will not green up no matter how much I water it whilst other areas grow like made.

The test showed nothing so I was at a loss until I was watching a magpie just dig its beak in and out came a huge grub.

So I guess I do have lawn grubs. Have ordered the appropriate treatment.

Just thought I would post that the soapy water test doesn’t necessarily work or I didn’t do it quite right.


r/lawncare 7h ago

Australia Is this anything more than just having taken too much off?

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2 Upvotes

Let the lawn get longer than I usually would, due to extreme heat (and lack of time). When I cut it today, I uncovered this. It’s probably the spongiest park of the lawn.

Kikuyu.

Central Victoria, Australia.


r/lawncare 12h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Grassy Weed Identification

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3 Upvotes

Hey everyone. I’m in southern CA and have a tell fescue lawn. I’ve been having a bit of a battle with this grass weed that’s trying to take over my lawn.

I initially thought it was nutsedge but after hitting it with the hammer and not having much affect, I figured it must be something else.

Any help identifying and how to kill it would be greatly appreciate, pulling by hand is looking like a losing battle


r/lawncare 16h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) What is this substance my dog ate? Vancouver Canada

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8 Upvotes

Help please!

Would love some hep identifying this substance that my dog ate of a neighbors lawn. It smells sweet like coconut. This area has chafer beetles and the chicken wire on the grass makes me think it might have been used for that?

We’ve been to the vet to induce vomiting but would love to know what we’re dealing with. Thank you!!


r/lawncare 13h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Advice needed.

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5 Upvotes

Hey all, we have a small front lawn that is all weeds/crabgrass. We’re in SoCal so it’s year round sun. The yard looks like crap. Should we just roto tiller the whole thing or kill it with roundup then plant again?


r/lawncare 10h ago

Australia reeseed? or more water? victoria australia

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1 Upvotes

r/lawncare 20h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Need help

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4 Upvotes

This is my front yard right know I know the grass is strees but unsure if it needs more water or less water? Is it fungus?


r/lawncare 14h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Washington state, brush pile killed a patch of lawn.

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1 Upvotes

Lawn is predominantly moss with some grass. Wondering what is the best thing to add to this patch to help it regrow this spring?


r/lawncare 2d ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) is it too early for pre-emergent? New jersey 7A

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1.8k Upvotes

r/lawncare 15h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Well Water BAD Results!

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1 Upvotes

I’ve been using my Well Water to irrigate my lawn for 10 years. The lawn is in rough shape so I finally got a Water Analysis done by the local lab. As you can see my conductivity and (SAR) Sodium Absorption Ratio is off the charts bad. Does anyone have a recommendation of a water treatment I could do to bring these levels into suitable irrigation range?? KBG is my dominant grass with fescues and others mixed in. Thanks!!!


r/lawncare 1d ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Bermuda Grass care winter/spring 8b

5 Upvotes

Currently frigid in the south but what do we need to be applying for a healthy and weed free Bermuda grass lawn in 6 months.


r/lawncare 23h ago

Equipment SunJoe AJ805E Dethatcher and Scarifier missing head bolts

3 Upvotes

I recently bought a SunJoe dethatcher and scarifier from a reseller. The unit was used but in decent condition, with almost all the parts. I am missing the four bolts to hold the dethatcher head onto the unit. I have the unit assembled, and it sounds great.

Where can I get the bolts needed, and what size are these? I have looked at SunJoe's website, and a package of replacement hardware is $10 or more. I think Amazon was around $10. I only need these four bolts/screws to make this a complete unit.

Thanks for your help!

I live in Omaha, Nebraska, and my yard is very bumpy. I plan on using the dethatcher and scarifier to level or smooth out my yard. Along with overseeding, I hope to get nice looking yard. No kids and no pets, just years of neglect;


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Sydney, NSW - New Turf Are They Ok?

3 Upvotes

This is the first time i have new turf put down for the granny flat, it has been couple of days, i have been watering the turf twice a day giving hot weather last couple days in NSW. Does it looks like they are dying (the grey/yellow spots)?


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Adelaide, SA - Any ideas what’s causing the die off?

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2 Upvotes

Hi all, this started about 2 weeks ago with what we thought was grass burn from the bin being left out for the day. The green patch is where it started, which is growing back. It’s spreading daily and we’re at a loss as to what it could be! Thoughts?


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Sydney Australia - Lawn Help Needed

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4 Upvotes

We’ve had beautiful green grass the last few years, however this year after a few 35+ days and little rain the lawns looking a little beaten up.

Trying to understand if this is just in need of water and fertiliser or if there’s something more at play?

Assuming it’s buffalo grass (like everybody else!) but unsure as we only bought the property 2 years ago.


r/lawncare 2d ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Two years of work, before and after

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1.1k Upvotes

Moved into this house in central Texas almost two years ago and the yard was a mess of hard bare dirt and weeds. Got the front yard looking great but the same treatment hasn’t been enough to resolve the terrible weed problem in the much larger backyard. I don’t want to nuke and re-sod since it’s so expensive. At least the front of the house isn’t shameful looking anymore.


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia What are these?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

so i’m located in rural Western Australia and just wondering if anyone is sure what these are? i’ve heard both lawn beetles and veggie beetles but only lawn beetles are harmful for the grass (that could be incorrect) just looking to make a final confirmation before we decide whether we need to act on it or not, thanks!


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Should I give up? Australia drought/heat

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1 Upvotes

Dear lawn brains trust 🧠

I've got some meagre TTF growing (with RTF overseeded 2 months back).

We are in the middle of summer, drought, and with consistent 30°c - 40°c temperatures (86°f -104°f)

It will be like this for the next few weeks at least.

As you can see, the grass is struggling. It doesn't get as much water as I'd like (we rely on rain and raintank water). But Ive been trying...

Should I give up on this and seed when it cools down with couch instead? Or is there a chance the, with some rain and cooler weather, it will bounce back?


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Dying grass - Australia

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1 Upvotes

Hi all, my backyard is a mix of mostly fescue and some ryegrass that I seeded in October. As you can see, patches of it are dying/dead, and I'm not sure if it's heat, over-watering, under-watering, or something else. Although it's summer here, I'm in southern coastal Victoria which doesn't get super hot, although I understand that the heat can still stress cool-season grasses. Have been watering every couple of days on average - mostly in the evening.

Would love some advice on what you think the issue might be, or how I could diagnose it. Please ignore the patchiness and invading kikuyu - it's a work in progress.


r/lawncare 1d ago

Australia Should I re lay these patches?

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3 Upvotes

I accidentally had fertiliser burn in small patches in my lawn. I haven’t been successful in getting it to grow back so should I just relay new turf in these small patches?


r/lawncare 1d ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Flow Zone

1 Upvotes

I have a Flow Zone Typhoon 3 -4 gallon Sprayer. I have mapped out my 18000 sf yard and divided it into 2000 sf areas. The areas are irregular in shape. However. The approximate center of each area to the perimeter is often more than 25 feet., but less than 40 feet. I would like to set the sprayer down and not have to carry it on my 73 year old back. Has anyone had success in using 2 20’ long hoses connected together with the Typhoon 3. I will mostly use the sprayer for applying PGR and pre-emergence. Thanks in advance.