Scotts Weed & Feed vs Triple Action: Which Scotts Bag Do You Need?

The difference is crabgrass prevention. Both bags feed the lawn and kill broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover with a 2,4-D and mecoprop herbicide blend. Triple Action adds a third ingredient, the pre-emergent pendimethalin, which stops crabgrass and other annual grassy weeds from germinating. Weed & Feed does not contain a pre-emergent, so it cannot prevent crabgrass. If crabgrass is a recurring problem, Triple Action is the bag; if you only need to clean up broadleaf weeds and feed, Weed & Feed does the job for less money.

No, standard Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed does not prevent crabgrass. It is a post-emergent broadleaf product, meaning it kills weeds that are already growing (dandelions, clover, chickweed) but contains no pre-emergent to stop crabgrass seeds from sprouting. For crabgrass prevention you need a product with a pre-emergent such as Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action (pendimethalin) or Scotts Halts. Apply that in early spring before crabgrass germinates, because once crabgrass is up, a pre-emergent will not touch it.

Apply Triple Action in early spring, as soon as soil temperatures hold around 55 deg F for several days and before crabgrass germinates; this is the only window where the pre-emergent works. Weed & Feed is timed differently: you apply it when broadleaf weeds are actively growing, which can be spring or fall, with daytime temps roughly 60 to 85 deg F. So Triple Action is a calendar-and-soil-temperature decision, while Weed & Feed is a "the weeds are out now" decision.

Yes, but you rarely need both, and never within a few weeks of each other. A common program is Triple Action in early spring for crabgrass prevention plus the first feeding, then if broadleaf weeds flare up later in the season you can spot-treat or use Weed & Feed once those weeds are actively growing. Keep applications at least 6 to 8 weeks apart so you do not stack nitrogen or overlap herbicides, and remember both contain broadleaf killers, so doubling up close together stresses the lawn without extra benefit.

For crabgrass, Triple Action is the better of these two because it contains a pendimethalin pre-emergent that prevents crabgrass for up to about 4 months. Weed & Feed has no crabgrass control at all. Keep in mind that even Triple Action prevents crabgrass rather than killing it; if crabgrass has already emerged, neither bag will remove it and you will need a dedicated post-emergent crabgrass killer instead. The win with Triple Action is getting it down early, before the crabgrass seeds wake up.