What Does Pre-Emergent Really Cost?
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Happy Sunday, Funday everyone!
According to the Syngenta website, San Angelo’s soil temperature reached 111°F Saturday afternoon. Our five-day average is 96.9°F, compared with a 10-year average of 97.5°F.
Here at the BES-TEX office, we’ve measured 16.03 inches of rain this year, leaving us 0.41 inches below our year-to-date average. Rain is still possible beginning Tuesday. If the forecast holds and we get that 68-degree morning, it will be a great morning for a good cup of coffee.
The soil is still hot, but fall is coming.
Now is the time to measure the property, select the proper pre-emergent, prepare the equipment, and make sure there is a dependable way to water the treatment into the soil.
Pre-emergent works while labeled weed seeds are germinating. Once the weeds are standing above the grass, prevention has become cleanup.
The Cheapest Product Is Not Always the Cheapest Program
Customers often ask, “What is the cheapest pre-emergent?”
That is a fair question. However, price is only one part of the answer.
A cheap application becomes expensive when the wrong product is selected, the equipment is not calibrated, the application is uneven, or the product is never watered into the soil.
When pre-emergent fails, the customer has paid for the product, spent time applying it, and may still need to purchase a post-emergent treatment later.
That is the real cost and frustration of doing the job incorrectly.
Before You Apply Anything
Give the product a fair chance to work.
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Mow the lawn if necessary.
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Remove leaves, excessive clippings, and other debris.
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Complete aerification or soil-disturbing work before applying pre-emergent, when permitted by the label.
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Measure the actual square footage.
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Identify the turfgrass and target weed.
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Check the seeding and overseeding restrictions.
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Calibrate the spreader or sprayer.
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Have a dependable watering plan.
A chance of rain can help, but a chance of rain is not an irrigation plan.
Three Ways to Apply Pre-Emergent
The pre-emergent products in our inventory fit into three categories:
Granular products are ready to spread with a lawn spreader.
WDG products are dry, water-dispersible granules that are weighed, mixed with water, and sprayed.
Liquid concentrates are measured in fluid ounces, mixed with water, and sprayed.
With both WDG and liquid products, the water is only the carrier. Adding more water does not increase the herbicide rate. The rate is determined by the amount of product applied over a measured area.
The following costs use our current prices. Cost per acre assumes 43,560 square feet and prices only the amount of product used. Purchasing the product may require complete bags or containers.
Category One: Granular Products
Granular products are usually the simplest choice for a homeowner. They do not require a liquid sprayer, but the spreader must still be calibrated.
Andersons 11-3-11
Active ingredient: 0.86% pendimethalin
Comparison rate: 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet
Active ingredient delivered: 0.69 ounce of pendimethalin per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: $5.50 per 1,000 square feet, or $239.58 per acre
We commonly figure one 50-pound bag as covering 10,000 square feet. This product also supplies an 11-3-11 fertilizer.
Pendulum 2G
Active ingredient: 2% pendimethalin
Comparison rate: 2.15 pounds per 1,000 square feet, or approximately 93.7 pounds per acre
Active ingredient delivered: 0.69 ounce of pendimethalin per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: $7.74 per 1,000 square feet, or $337.15 per acre
Pendulum 2G is a straight herbicide without fertilizer.
Nelson 6-3-12
Active ingredient: 0.37% prodiamine
Comparison rate: 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet
Active ingredient delivered: 0.48 ounce of prodiamine per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: $7.50 per 1,000 square feet, or $326.70 per acre
This product also supplies a 6-3-12 fertilizer.
Lebanon Balan 2.5G
Active ingredient: 2.5% benefin
Warm-season fall comparison rate: 2.75 pounds per 1,000 square feet
Active ingredient delivered: 1.10 ounces of benefin per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: approximately $3.61 per 1,000 square feet, or $157.22 per acre
Always verify the exact bag label because product carriers, registrations, and rates can change.
Andersons Goosegrass/Crabgrass Control
Active ingredients: 5.25% bensulide and 1.31% oxadiazon
Comparison rate: 2.62 pounds per 1,000 square feet
Active ingredients delivered: approximately 2.20 ounces of bensulide plus 0.55 ounce of oxadiazon per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: approximately $18.52 per 1,000 square feet, or $807 per acre
This is a specialized product aimed primarily at goosegrass and crabgrass. It is not the centerpiece of our fall winter-weed program.
More Active Ingredient Does Not Automatically Mean Better Control
The numbers above do not mean that a product delivering more ounces is automatically better.
Pendimethalin, prodiamine, benefin, bensulide, and oxadiazon are different herbicides. They have different labeled rates, weed spectrums, use sites, and restrictions.
The best active-ingredient comparison is between products containing the same herbicide.
A Fair Pendimethalin Comparison
The Andersons 11-3-11 and Pendulum 2G both contain pendimethalin, so we can compare them at rates that deliver approximately the same amount of active ingredient.
Andersons 11-3-11
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5 pounds of product per 1,000 square feet
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0.69 ounce of pendimethalin per 1,000 square feet
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$5.50 per 1,000 square feet
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$239.58 per acre
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Includes an 11-3-11 fertilizer
Pendulum 2G
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2.15 pounds of product per 1,000 square feet
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0.69 ounce of pendimethalin per 1,000 square feet
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$7.74 per 1,000 square feet
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$337.15 per acre
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Straight herbicide without fertilizer
The Pendulum 2G comparison rate equals approximately 93.7 pounds per acre. That falls within its labeled fall turf range of 75 to 100 pounds per acre for listed winter weeds, including annual bluegrass, chickweed, henbit, cudweed, corn speedwell, and lawn burweed.
At these rates, both products deliver essentially the same amount of pendimethalin.
The Andersons product costs less per treated area and includes fertilizer. Pendulum 2G allows the applicator to manage weed control and fertility separately.
That is a fairer comparison than looking only at the price of a bag.
“What Number Do I Set My Spreader On?”
I hear this question all the time.
My smart answer is, “How hard do you press the brake pedal to stop your truck?”
Are you pulling a trailer? Are you going uphill or downhill? Are the brakes good? Is the road wet or dry?
A spreader works the same way. The application changes with walking speed, width between passes, hills, grass height, granule size, moisture, tire condition, and adjustment of the spreader gate.
ECHO RB-60
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60-pound hopper
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Spread pattern up to 8 feet wide
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A good size for homeowners and smaller properties
ECHO RB-85
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85-pound hopper
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Larger 13-inch tires
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Heavier professional frame
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Better suited for larger properties and commercial use
Either spreader can do a good job, but neither has one magical setting that works for every product, lawn, and operator.
A Better Way to Calibrate
Using the Andersons 11-3-11 as our example:
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Measure a 1,000-square-foot test area.
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Weigh exactly 5 pounds of product.
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Divide it into two 2.5-pound portions.
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Apply the first portion in one direction.
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Apply the second portion in a crossing direction.
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Maintain a steady walking speed and consistent spacing.
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Adjust the spreader if the product runs out early or too much remains.
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Record the setting that works for that product, spreader, and operator.
The dial gives you a starting point. The amount actually applied over a measured area tells you whether the spreader is calibrated.
Category Two: WDG Products Mixed With Water
A WDG is a dry, water-dispersible granule. It must be weighed, added to water, agitated, and sprayed evenly.
Quali-Pro Prodiamine 65 WDG
Active ingredient: 65% prodiamine
Comparison rate: 0.4 ounce of product per 1,000 square feet
Active ingredient delivered: 0.26 ounce of prodiamine per 1,000 square feet
Product cost: $0.65 per 1,000 square feet, or $28.31 per acre
That low material cost is attractive, especially to commercial applicators treating large properties. However, it requires an accurately calibrated sprayer, a scale capable of measuring small quantities, proper agitation, consistent nozzle output, and careful attention to turf-specific annual limits.
A 60-gallon sprayer does not automatically determine how much herbicide goes into the tank.
First determine how many square feet the calibrated tank covers. Then multiply that area by the labeled rate.
Category Three: Liquid Concentrates Mixed With Water
Liquid concentrates are measured in fluid ounces and mixed with the amount of water needed by the calibrated sprayer.
Pendulum AquaCap
Active ingredient: 38.7% pendimethalin
Published turf range: 3.1 to 6.3 pints per acre
Product cost: approximately $0.78 to $1.59 per 1,000 square feet, or $34.10 to $69.30 per acre
Pendulum AquaCap is labeled for residential and commercial turf, subject to its rate table and restrictions.
Agrisel Pendi Hydrocap
Active ingredient: 38.7% pendimethalin
Comparison range: 3.1 to 6.3 pints per acre
Product cost: approximately $1.43 to $2.90 per 1,000 square feet, or $62.16 to $126.31 per acre
Pendi Hydrocap is lawn-labeled, but follow the container label for the turfgrass and target weed.
Dimension 2EW
Active ingredient: dithiopyr
Example comparison rate: 32 fluid ounces per acre
Product cost: approximately $1.95 per 1,000 square feet, or $85 per acre
Dimension 2EW is lawn-labeled. Its actual rate depends on turfgrass, target weed, timing, location, and annual limits.
Barricade 4FL
Active ingredient: 40.7% prodiamine
Current price: $62.00 for a four-ounce container, or $15.50 per fluid ounce
Turf comparison range: 12 to 21 fluid ounces per acre
Product cost: approximately $4.27 to $7.47 per 1,000 square feet, or $186 to $325.50 per acre
One four-ounce container treats approximately 8,300 to 14,500 square feet across that rate range.
Barricade 4FL is labeled for established turf and lawns, excluding putting greens. The selected rate and annual maximum depend on the turf species.
Esplanade 200 SC
Active ingredient: 19.05% indaziflam
Labeled unimproved warm-season turf range: 3.5 to 5 fluid ounces per acre
Product cost: approximately $1.33 to $1.90 per 1,000 square feet, or $57.97 to $82.81 per acre
Esplanade 200 SC is not labeled for residential or commercial lawns. Its cost is included only to demonstrate the math for its labeled nonresidential uses.
Rezilon
Active ingredient: 19.05% indaziflam
Example range: 3 to 5 fluid ounces per acre
Product cost: approximately $1.14 to $1.90 per 1,000 square feet, or $49.69 to $82.81 per acre
Rezilon is intended for specified established pastures and hayfields. It is not labeled for residential or commercial lawns.
Prowl H2O
Active ingredient: 38.7% pendimethalin
Current price: $160 for a 2.5-gallon container, or $0.50 per fluid ounce
Prowl H2O is an agricultural product with rates that vary by crop and application site. We are not calculating a residential lawn cost because it is not labeled as a residential lawn product.
Prowl H2O cannot be substituted for Pendulum AquaCap or Pendi Hydrocap simply because all three contain pendimethalin.
The same active ingredient does not make product labels interchangeable.
Granular or Sprayable, Which Is Better?
For many homeowners, a granular product is simpler. They can measure the lawn, weigh the material, calibrate the spreader, and see where they have walked.
For a commercial applicator covering many acres, a WDG or liquid concentrate can greatly reduce material cost. It also provides more flexibility, but only when the sprayer is properly calibrated and operated consistently.
The best product is not automatically the cheapest bag, the strongest percentage, or the lowest cost per acre.
The best product:
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Is labeled for the property and turfgrass
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Lists the weed being targeted
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Can be applied accurately with the available equipment
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Fits the irrigation plan
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Does not conflict with seeding or overseeding
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Provides the desired results at a justifiable cost
A low chemical cost does not help when the sprayer puts twice the intended rate in one area and half the rate in another.
Water Finishes the Application
Whether the product is granular, WDG, or liquid, the pre-emergent must reach the soil and receive the moisture required by its label.
The Andersons 11-3-11 label calls for 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water after application.
The Pendulum 2G label states that performance is improved with 1/2 inch of rainfall or equivalent irrigation. It also warns that control may become erratic if the treatment is not activated within 30 days.
Rain beginning Tuesday would be helpful, but the forecast is not a guarantee. Know how the property will be watered if the expected rain does not arrive, and do not apply enough water to cause runoff.
Final Thought
Pre-emergent is not complicated, but it is unforgiving.
Clean the lawn. Identify the weed. Read the label. Measure the property. Calibrate the equipment. Apply the correct amount. Water it in properly.
Miss one of those steps, and the cheapest treatment can quickly become the most expensive and frustrating one.
You can pay for prevention now, or you can pay for product, labor, frustration, and cleanup later.
The difference is usually not the name on the bag. It is how well the application was planned and completed.
Have a good Sunday,
Monte
BES-TEX Supply