How Often Can You Weed and Feed Your Lawn? Scotts Limits by Bag
Sarah MitchellLawn Diagnostics Specialist | 12 YearsAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
You can weed and feed your lawn at most twice a year, and one well-timed pass is enough for most lawns. The gap between the two passes depends on the bag: Scotts Weed & Feed₃ allows a second pass after 30 days, Triple Action and Bonus S need at least 2 months, and Southern Triple Action needs 8 weeks.
Plan on one pass, and hold the second back. Every Scotts bag below that prints a yearly cap sets it at two. Make the second pass only when broadleaf weeds survived the first one and are still actively growing. If only a few weeds are left, spot-treat them instead and keep the second pass in reserve.
Unsure how much product your lawn needs? Use our fertilizer rate calculator to get the amount for your grass type and ZIP.
How often can you weed and feed? Gaps and caps by Scotts bag
Which bag is in your garage? The answer to “how often” is printed on it, and it changes from bag to bag. These rules come from each product page at Scotts and, for Weed & Feed₃, from a retailer’s copy of the label. The printed label on your bag is the legal instruction, so check it if it differs.
| Bag | Most per year | Shortest gap between passes | Grass when you spread | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turf Builder Weed & Feed₃ (28-0-3) | 2 | 30 days | Wet or dewy; no water for 24 hours | Label copy (Grange Co-op) |
| Turf Builder Weed & Feed₅ (26-0-2) | 2 | No gap printed on the product page | Dewy or lightly watered; no water for 24 hours | Scotts |
| Turf Builder Triple Action (25-0-2) | 2 | 2 months | Wet from dew or light watering; water after 24 hours | Scotts |
| WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed₅ | 2 | No gap printed on the product page | Dewy or lightly watered; no water for 24 hours | Scotts |
| MAX Weed & Feed | 2 | No gap printed on the product page | Wet with dew or after watering; no water or mowing for 24 hours | Scotts |
| Bonus S Southern Weed & Feed (29-0-10) | Not stated on the product page | 2 months | Dry; water in right away | Scotts |
| Southern Triple Action (29-0-10) | 2 | 8 weeks | Dry; water in after you spread | Scotts |
| MAX Southern Weed & Feed | 2 | No gap printed on the product page | Dry; grass and weeds actively growing; water in right away | Scotts |
Loading Weed and Feed Check...
Where the product page gives no gap, the yearly cap is the only frequency rule on it. That does not make a second pass two weeks later a good idea. The Weed & Feed₅ and WinterGuard Fall product pages say complete control can take a month or more, so a quick repeat treats weeds that were already dying. For Bonus S, the product page gives the 2-month gap but no yearly cap, so read the cap on the printed bag.
The “Southern” bags with atrazine work the opposite way from the standard bags. They go on dry grass and get watered in. The standard bags go on damp grass and stay dry for 24 hours. Our Scotts Weed and Feed application guide has the spreader settings for each bag.
Do you need the second pass? Check these first
Are the weeds that survived still green and putting out new leaves? Give the first pass about a month before you judge it. Broadleaf weeds twist and yellow before they die, and that is slow. If the leaves are curled and fading, the first pass is still working, so leave it alone.
If weeds are still healthy after the gap on your bag, ask three more questions:
- How many weeds are left? A few clumps of dandelion or clover call for a spot spray. A spot spray puts weed killer only on the weeds and keeps the second full pass in reserve.
- Are the survivors on the bag’s weed list? Crabgrass and other grassy weeds survive most weed and feed bags, and so does nutsedge. Another pass of the same bag will not change that.
- Is the weather still inside the label window? Most standard bags want weeds actively growing and daytime highs between 60 and 90°F. Triple Action is a spring bag for days between 60 and 80°F. If a heat wave or a cold snap is coming, wait.
If the weeds are on the list, there are many of them, and the weather fits, the second pass is reasonable. If any answer is no, spot-treat or wait for the next season.
Did you feed the lawn or put down a crabgrass preventer recently? The Weed & Feed₃ label asks for a 30-day wait after Turf Builder Lawn Food or Halts with Lawn Food.
When should you apply weed and feed?
Most homeowners who ask how often really want to know when. Most standard bags need two conditions: weeds actively growing, and daytime temperatures consistently between 60 and 90°F (Triple Action: spring, 60 to 80°F). The Weed & Feed₃ label says weeds are most active April through September in the northern US and March through September in the southern US. Inside those months, the weather on the day decides.
| Your lawn | Spring pass | Fall pass |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass | When dandelions and clover are up and growing and highs reach 60°F | WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed₅, September to November, while weeds still grow and days stay between 60 and 90°F |
| Bermuda, zoysia | After the lawn greens up. Weed & Feed₅ lists bermuda and zoysia; Triple Action lists bermuda but not zoysia | WinterGuard Fall lists both grasses for September to November |
| Bahia, centipede | Mid-April or later, after the third mowing (Weed & Feed₅ and MAX labels) | On Weed & Feed₅ and MAX: centipede before September 1, bahia before November 1 |
| St. Augustine (including Floratam) | Bonus S, Southern Triple Action or MAX Southern only, once the grass and weeds are actively growing and highs stay at or below 85°F (UF/IFAS) | A second pass of the same bag after the gap: 2 months for Bonus S, 8 weeks for Southern Triple Action |
Do not use the standard bags (Weed & Feed₃, Weed & Feed₅, Triple Action, WinterGuard Fall, MAX) on St. Augustine. Do not use the Southern atrazine bags on bermuda, bahia, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass or fescue. Not sure which grass you have? Our grass identification guide walks through the checks.
Can you weed and feed in November?
Is it November where you are? It depends on your temperatures. Scotts labels WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed₅ for September through November, while weeds still grow and days stay between 60 and 90°F. WinterGuard is not for St. Augustine. If your highs sit in the 40s and 50s, put the bag away and plan the spring pass.
Southern lawns have more room. Bonus S and Southern Triple Action can go down any time weeds are actively growing, so a St. Augustine or centipede lawn that is still growing in November can take a pass if the gap since the last one fits. Heat is the limit there: UF/IFAS says atrazine should not go down when air temperatures exceed 85°F or the turf is under moisture stress, and it says Floratam does not tolerate atrazine applied above 85°F. Weed & Feed₅ and MAX close earlier: centipede before September 1 and bahia before November 1. Our Scotts fall weed and feed guide covers how late you can go where you live.
Does a fall pass count toward the yearly cap? Yes. Plan on two weed and feed passes a year in total, even if you switch bags. Weed & Feed₅ and WinterGuard Fall carry the same two weed killers, 2,4-D and dicamba, so a spring pass of one and a fall pass of the other already make two.
What happens if you weed and feed too often?
A pass closer together than the label allows, or a third pass in one year, breaks the label. The label is the legal instruction, so that is the first problem. The practical problems follow from what is in the bag:
- More nitrogen than the grass can use. Each pass is also a full fertilizer feeding. Too much in a short time can burn the grass and wash off into storm drains.
- Herbicide on stressed grass. Weed killer on grass that is in drought or heat stress raises the risk of injury.
- Seeding delays. Weed & Feed₃, Weed & Feed₅, WinterGuard and MAX ask you to wait at least a month after a pass before you seed or sod. Triple Action asks for at least 4 months before you seed, sod or aerate. Each extra pass pushes your seeding date back.
Did you already make an extra pass? Water the lawn normally and do not add more fertilizer this season. Then watch for yellow or brown streaks, which usually line up with spreader overlaps.
How do you make one pass enough?
Most second passes happen because the first pass was mistimed or uneven. These steps follow the standard Scotts bags. For the Southern bags, use a dry lawn and water in after, as the table above shows.
- Confirm your grass and your weeds. Check the grass list on the bag and the weed list. A bag that is wrong for the grass can injure it, and a bag that is wrong for the weed will not kill it.
- Mow a day or two before. Scotts asks for a quick trim ahead of time so granules reach the weeds.
- Dampen the lawn. Spread on a morning with heavy dew, or give the lawn a light sprinkle first. The granules need to stick to wet weed leaves.
- Set the spreader to the number on your bag. Settings differ between bags, and the bag sizes differ too. Weed & Feed₃ is sold in bags from 5,000 to 15,000 square feet. Measure your lawn so you buy and spread only what you need.
- Walk at a steady pace and overlap the wheel tracks slightly. Do not go back over a strip you already covered.
- Keep water and the mower off. Do not water for 24 hours, and do not spread if rain is in the forecast for the next 24 hours. Weed & Feed₅, WinterGuard, Triple Action and MAX say not to mow for at least 24 hours. The Weed & Feed₃ label says to wait 2 to 3 days.
- Wait about a month before you judge the result. Then use the checks above to decide on the second pass.
New lawn? Wait until the new grass has been mowed at least four times. The Weed & Feed₃, Weed & Feed₅, Triple Action and MAX labels all say so. Our guide to overseeding after weed and feed covers the timing in the other direction.
Weed and feed in the Scotts 4-step program
In the Scotts 4-step program, Step 2 is the weed and feed pass. So the program uses one weed and feed pass a year. Step 1 is a crabgrass preventer with fertilizer, Step 3 is a summer feeding, and Step 4 is a fall feeding. If you follow the program, a second broadleaf pass is only for a lawn where weeds came back in large numbers.
Quick picks, matched to the job:
- Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed 3: the standard bag for most northern and transition-zone lawns. Not for St. Augustine, carpetgrass, bentgrass, dichondra or lippia. Up to two passes a year, at least 30 days apart.
- Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action: for a spring pass when crabgrass is also a problem, because it adds a crabgrass preventer. Two passes a year at most, at least 2 months apart.
- Ortho WeedClear Lawn Weed Killer Ready-to-Spray: a hose-end spray for the weeds left after a pass on bermuda, zoysia, fescue, bluegrass or ryegrass. Ortho lists this northern WeedClear formula as not for St. Augustine, bahia, centipede, bentgrass or carpetgrass.
Related Scotts guides
Top Picks
Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed 3Check price on Amazon
Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast SpreaderCheck price on Amazon
MySoil Soil Test KitCheck price on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Free Lawn Care Tools
At most twice a year. Every Scotts weed and feed bag that prints a yearly cap sets it at two. The gap between them depends on the bag: Weed & Feed3 allows a second pass after 30 days, Triple Action and Bonus S need at least 2 months, and Southern Triple Action needs at least 8 weeks. Most lawns need only one well-timed pass.
Use the gap on your bag. Scotts Weed & Feed3: at least 30 days. Triple Action and Bonus S Southern: at least 2 months. Southern Triple Action: at least 8 weeks. Weed & Feed5 and MAX Weed & Feed print only the twice-a-year cap. The Weed & Feed5 and WinterGuard Fall pages say complete control can take a month or more, so judge the first pass after about a month.
On some bags, yes. Weed & Feed3 allows a second pass 30 days after the first, so two spring passes are possible, but that uses both applications for the year. Triple Action needs 2 months between passes. For a few surviving weeds, a spot spray is a better choice than a second full pass.
A pass closer than the label gap, or a third pass in a year, breaks the label. Each pass is also a full fertilizer feeding, so extra passes can burn the grass and wash nitrogen into storm drains. Herbicide on drought- or heat-stressed grass raises the risk of injury. Each pass also delays seeding: at least a month on Weed & Feed3, Weed & Feed5, WinterGuard and MAX, and 4 months on Triple Action.
Apply when broadleaf weeds are actively growing and daytime temperatures are consistently between 60 and 90°F (Triple Action: spring, 60 to 80°F). The Weed & Feed3 label says weeds are most active April through September in the northern US and March through September in the southern US. For bahia and centipede, Scotts says wait until mid-April and the third mowing.
Yes, if weeds are still actively growing and daytime highs stay between 60 and 90°F. Scotts labels WinterGuard Fall Weed & Feed5 for September through November; it is not for St. Augustine. On St. Augustine, centipede, zoysia and carpetgrass, Bonus S and Southern Triple Action can go down any time weeds are actively growing. On the 2,4-D bags (Weed & Feed5, MAX), centipede has a September 1 fall cutoff and bahia a November 1 cutoff.
Wait until the new grass has been mowed at least four times. The Weed & Feed3, Weed & Feed5, Triple Action and MAX labels all say this. Going the other way, Weed & Feed3, Weed & Feed5, WinterGuard and MAX ask you to wait at least a month after a pass before you seed or sod. Triple Action asks for at least 4 months before you seed, sod or aerate.
For the standard bags, keep water off for at least 24 hours. Do not mow for at least 24 hours on Weed & Feed5, WinterGuard, Triple Action and MAX. The Weed & Feed3 label says wait 2 to 3 days before you mow. The Southern atrazine bags (Bonus S, Southern Triple Action, MAX Southern) are the opposite: spread on dry grass and water in after.
Photos: Eric Schmidt / iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
