How to Kill Dandelions but Not Grass: Labels by Grass, Timing by Trial

No single bottle is safe on every lawn, so we lined up 12 EPA labels that name dandelion by the grass they allow. The same Ortho concentrate goes on at 4 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft on fescue and 1 fl oz on centipede, and only 2 of the 12 list Floratam St. Augustine as allowed. Timing matters as much: in Kansas State trials, pre-bloom spring sprays that gave 87 percent control or better at 60 days averaged 47 percent by mid-November on a thin stand, and peak-bloom sprays averaged 26 percent. Download the label matrix (CSV).

General information, not pesticide or legal advice, and no product endorsement. The label is the law: the label on your container overrides this page, and a retail package may list fewer weeds than the EPA master label.

Which dandelion killers are safe on your grass?

These products kill dandelions and spare grass because of how grasses process synthetic auxins: most grasses inactivate 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba by conjugation, while broadleaf weeds cannot (Raudenbush and Keeley 2014). That selectivity has limits by grass species, which is why the same bottle carries 3 different rates. All 12 labels below list common dandelion; check the grass column before the price.

Product (EPA Reg. No.)	Actives	Do not use on	Rate per 1,000 sq ft	Heat limit	Wait to seed	Rain and water
Ortho WeedClear / Weed B Gon Lawn Weed Killer concentrate (239-2744)	2,4-D, MCPP-p, dicamba	Bentgrass, carpetgrass, dichondra, lippia, Floratam St. Augustine	4 fl oz cool-season; 2 fl oz bahia, common bermuda, zoysia; 1 fl oz centipede, St. Augustine (pressure sprayer)	Below 90°F; 85°F on hybrid bermuda	3 to 4 weeks	No rain expected for 24 hours
Spectracide Weed Stop For Lawns Concentrate2 (9688-342)	2,4-D, MCPP-p, dicamba, sulfentrazone	Floratam and Bitterblue St. Augustine, carpetgrass, dichondra	4 fl oz cool-season and zoysia; 2 fl oz bahia, bentgrass, bermuda, centipede; 1.5 fl oz St. Augustine	45 to 90°F	3 to 4 weeks	Watering right after may wash it off
Gordon’s Trimec Lawn Weed Killer (2217-539)	2,4-D, MCPP-p, dicamba	Carpetgrass, dichondra; Floratam St. Augustine in Florida	4 fl oz cool-season, bahia, bermuda, zoysia; 2 fl oz centipede, St. Augustine	60 to 90°F	3 to 4 weeks	Do not water for 24 hours
BioAdvanced Weed Killer for Lawns concentrate (92564-4)	2,4-D, MCPP-p, dicamba	Carpetgrass, dichondra, Floratam St. Augustine	4 fl oz cool-season, bermuda, buffalo, zoysia; 2 fl oz bahia, centipede, St. Augustine	Most of the day below 90°F	3 to 4 weeks	Rainfast in 1 hour
Preen Lawn Weed Control granules (961-418)	2,4-D, MCPP-p, dicamba	Carpetgrass, dichondra, St. Augustine	2 lb granules	Not when consistently above 90°F	3 weeks	Do not wash off for 1 to 2 days
Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5 (538-333)	2,4-D, dicamba, fertilizer	Creeping bentgrass, St. Augustine (including Floratam), dichondra, carpetgrass, lippia	2.82 lb granules on wet grass	60 to 90°F	1 month	No rain for 24 hours; no watering or mowing for 24 hours
Scotts Turf Builder Bonus S (538-18)	Atrazine, fertilizer	Bahia, bluegrass, fine and tall fescue, ryegrass, bentgrass, dichondra	3.45 lb granules	60 to 90°F	6 months for seed; 1 month for sod or sprigs	Water in immediately
Roundup For Lawns1, Northern (no glyphosate) (2217-917)	MCPA, quinclorac, dicamba, sulfentrazone	Bentgrass, St. Augustine, bahia, centipede, carpetgrass, dichondra	Ready to use; spot spray	45 to 90°F; 85°F on bermuda	4 weeks	Rainfast in 3 hours
Roundup For Lawns Southern concentrate (no glyphosate) (2217-1010)	2,4-D, dicamba, penoxsulam, sulfentrazone	Bentgrass, carpetgrass, dichondra (Floratam allowed)	5.2 to 8.6 fl oz St. Augustine; 7.2 to 10.6 fl oz Kentucky bluegrass	45 to 90°F; 85°F on St. Augustine and centipede	Not stated in the directions	Rainfast in 4 hours; no irrigation for 3
Ortho Weed B Gon Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer (239-2491)	Triclopyr	Bahia, bermuda, centipede, kikuyu, St. Augustine	5 fl oz (1 fl oz per 200 sq ft); cool-season, buffalo and zoysia only	Below 90°F; wind under 10 mph	1 week	Rain within 6 hours may reduce effect
Sunday Dandelion Doom (67702-27)	Iron HEDTA	Bentgrass; not on drought-stressed grass	Ready to use; wet the weeds; repeat in 3 to 4 weeks, up to 4 times a year	50 to 85°F	1 day	No rain or irrigation within 3 hours
SpeedZone EW (professional) (2217-1053)	2,4-D ester, MCPP-p, dicamba, carfentrazone	St. Augustine, bahia, centipede, seashore paspalum, carpetgrass, dichondra	Up to 1.8 fl oz (5 pt per acre)	90°F unless injury is acceptable; works best above 50°F	1 week	Rainfast in 3 to 4 hours

Warm-season lawns get the narrowest choice. On centipede and St. Augustine the three-way concentrates drop to 1 to 2 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft, and the Gordon‘s label warns that tolerance of those two grasses can range from sensitive to tolerant. For Floratam, only Roundup For Lawns Southern (spray at 85°F or cooler, not as the grass goes dormant, not if temperatures will drop below 40°F within 10 days) and Bonus S (atrazine granules, watered in at once, no seeding for 6 months) name it as allowed.

Cool-season lawns have the widest menu. Triclopyr (Ortho 239-2491) is cool-season, buffalo and zoysia only, but it lets you seed after 1 week instead of 3 to 4. Iron HEDTA (Sunday 67702-27) allows seeding the next day; University of Maryland Extension notes iron products were tested mostly on tall fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass and still need testing on bermuda and zoysia. Our lawn weed killer comparison covers the same labels for other weeds.

1. 1Do you want to keep clover in the lawn?

   YesDig the dandelions 4 to 5 in deep. Broadleaf herbicides, iron HEDTA included, list clover as a target or warn off lawns with desirable clover.

   NoGo to the next question

2. 2Is the lawn Floratam St. Augustine?

   YesUse a label that allows Floratam: Roundup For Lawns Southern (2217-1010) at 85 F or cooler, or Bonus S atrazine granules (538-18), which bar seeding for 6 months.

   NoGo to the next question

3. 3Is it another St. Augustine or centipede?

   YesA three-way concentrate at the reduced rate: 1 to 2 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft (Ortho, Gordon's, BioAdvanced), below 85 to 90 F.

   NoGo to the next question

4. 4Will you seed bare spots within 4 weeks?

   YesIron HEDTA (seed in 1 day; expect regrowth) or, on cool-season grass, triclopyr (seed in 1 week).

   NoCool-season, bermuda or zoysia lawn: a 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba concentrate at the label rate in fall, at most 2 broadcasts a year, 30 days apart.

Source: EPA labels 239-2744, 2217-539, 92564-4, 2217-1010, 538-18, 239-2491, 67702-27; Ask Extension 867602

When should you spray dandelions?

Spray cool-season lawns in fall: early September to early November in Colorado (CSU Extension), mid-October to early November in Kansas (K-State), on days of 50°F or warmer. As days shorten, dandelions move sugars down to the taproot and a fall spray rides along. A second reason is the seedling flush: K-State says new dandelions sprout in late September, and those small plants die easily.

Timing	What the trial or extension service found	Source
Fall, early September to early November (Colorado); mid-October to early November (Kansas)	K-State: fall treatment often gives over 90% control the following spring, against 50% or less from one spring or summer spray. Days of 50°F or warmer	K-State 2021; CSU
Late September seedling flush	New dandelions sprout in late September; small plants are easily controlled with 2,4-D mixes	K-State Extension, 2023
Spring, pre-bloom (green, under 10% of plants flowering)	2010 dense stand: 80 to 94% at 30 days. 2011 thin stand: 87% or more at 60 days for every 2,4-D product; 47% mean by mid-November	Raudenbush and Keeley 2014
Spring, peak bloom (70% of plants flowering)	2011: 16 to 72% at 60 days; most products under 40%; 26% mean by mid-November. Best: carfentrazone + 2,4-D ester	Raudenbush and Keeley 2014
Spring, post-bloom (flowers withered)	2010: 98 to 100% at 30 days. 2011: 35 to 97% at 60 days; 42% mean by mid-November. Seed has already blown	Raudenbush and Keeley 2014

1. Pre-bloom98
2. Peak bloom72
3. Post-bloom97

Source: Raudenbush and Keeley, HortScience 49(9), 2014, 2011 thin-stand site 7 commercial herbicides at their lowest dandelion label rate. On the dense 2010 site every product gave 89% or more in November.

Show the numbers

	Best product, 60 days	Weakest product, 60 days	All products, mean, mid-November
Pre-bloom	98	58	47
Peak bloom	72	16	26
Post-bloom	97	35	42

If you must spray in spring, go before the flowers. The 2011 plots in Raudenbush and Keeley were the harder test (thin crested wheatgrass, large dandelions, irrigation every 10 to 14 days), and peak-bloom sprays gave 16 to 72 percent control at 60 days. The authors’ explanation: during bloom, flowers and seeds pull sugars upward, so less herbicide reaches the root. The one product type that held up at peak bloom paired a 2,4-D ester with carfentrazone, as in SpeedZone.

Spring sprays mostly buy a season. SDSU Extension reads the same trial this way: control fell below 50 percent by November at all 3 spring timings, even where it topped 90 percent in spring, so spring work mainly cuts seed production and should be followed by a fall spray. For the spring window, SDSU wants highs of 60 to 85°F for several days and lows above 40°F.

Warm-season lawns follow the grass. Gordon‘s label says to avoid spraying during spring green-up of warm-season grasses and in extreme heat, and Roundup For Lawns Southern bars St. Augustine applications as the grass goes dormant in fall. Month-by-month timing for fertilizer and preemergents is in our lawn care schedule.

How much concentrate do you need?

Multiply your lawn area in thousands of square feet by your label’s rate, then mix it into 0.5 to 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq ft (Gordon‘s; Ortho). The calculator does the first step for 6 label rates; the table shows the same arithmetic for 4 lawn sizes.

Lawn area to treat (sq ft)Product type2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba concentrate, broadcastYour grass and label rate per 1,000 sq ftBluegrass, fescue, ryegrass: 4 fl oz (Ortho, Gordon's, BioAdvanced, Spectracide)Bermuda or zoysia: 4 fl oz (Gordon's, BioAdvanced)Bahia, common bermuda, zoysia: 2 fl oz (Ortho)Centipede or St. Augustine: 2 fl oz (Gordon's, BioAdvanced)St. Augustine, not Floratam or Bitterblue: 1.5 fl oz (Spectracide)Centipede or St. Augustine: 1 fl oz (Ortho, pressure sprayer)

Concentrate (fl oz)

20.0

Concentrate (tablespoons)

40

Share of a 32 fl oz bottle

0.63

Label rates as read November 2026. Mix in 0.5 to 1 gallon of water per 1,000 sq ft. Most labels allow 2 broadcasts a year, 30 days apart. Your container's label wins.

Lawn area	Cool-season, 4 fl oz (Ortho, Gordon’s, BioAdvanced, Spectracide)	Bahia, common bermuda, zoysia, 2 fl oz (Ortho)	St. Augustine, 1.5 fl oz (Spectracide)	Centipede or St. Augustine, 1 fl oz (Ortho pressure sprayer)	Water, at 1 gal per 1,000 sq ft
1,000 sq ft	4 fl oz	2 fl oz	1.5 fl oz	1 fl oz	1 gal
2,500 sq ft	10 fl oz	5 fl oz	3.75 fl oz	2.5 fl oz	2.5 gal
5,000 sq ft	20 fl oz	10 fl oz	7.5 fl oz	5 fl oz	5 gal
10,000 sq ft	40 fl oz	20 fl oz	15 fl oz	10 fl oz	10 gal

Two caps apply on the common concentrates. Gordon‘s and Ortho allow 2 broadcast applications a year at least 30 days apart, with a seasonal maximum of 8 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft. Spot sprays have their own limit on Gordon’s: 2 a year, on no more than 1,000 sq ft per acre. Doubling the dose is not a shortcut; Ortho warns that exceeding directed rates may damage turf.

How to spray dandelions without hurting the lawn

1. Confirm the grass. If you cannot name it, the Ortho label tells you to ask your county Extension agent before spraying; our lawn grass identification guide helps.
2. Mow on the label’s schedule. Gordon‘s and BioAdvanced say mow 1 to 3 days before; Ortho says no mowing for 2 days before or after.
3. Water a dry lawn 24 hours ahead (Gordon‘s); drought-stressed grass is more easily injured.
4. Check the forecast: inside the heat limit in the matrix, wind under 10 mph (SDSU), and dry for the label’s rain-free time, from 1 hour to 24 hours.
5. Use a coarse spray and wet each rosette without runoff. Keep dicamba products off the root zone of trees and shrubs (UMD).
6. For weed-and-feed granules, spread on grass wet with dew so they stick, then no watering or mowing for 24 hours (Scotts 538-333).
7. Judge at 30 days. In cool spring weather, products without a fast-acting partner such as carfentrazone took longer to finish the job in the Kansas trial, and Gordon’s says hard-to-kill weeds may need a spot spray at 30 days.
8. Seed bare spots only after the label’s wait, then follow our overseeding steps.

What works without a herbicide, and how well?

Digging is the only method that is both selective and measured to work, and it is slow. A dandelion taproot commonly runs 6 to 18 inches deep, and pieces as short as 1 inch regrow even after the plant is cut at the soil line (Oregon State EM 9510). Nebraska Extension says to cut the root 4 to 5 inches below the crown, in moist soil.

Method	Measured result	Safe for grass?	Source
Selective herbicide (Trimec Classic, 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba)	Over 96% control in a 2-year Kansas comparison	Benchmark	Raudenbush 2012
Hand-weeding	58 to 71% control in the same trial; an older study found no control from hand-weeding alone	Yes	Raudenbush 2012; Mann 1981, cited in Raudenbush and Keeley 2014
Dandelion digger	Cut the taproot 4 to 5 in below the crown; roots run 6 to 18 in or deeper and 1 in pieces regrow	Yes	Nebraska Extension; OSU EM 9510
Iron HEDTA (Fiesta, 3 rates, fall)	Dandelion cover under 1% at 7 days; by spring, no different from untreated plots (near 100% regrowth)	Yes, mostly cool-season tested	OMAFRA, Guelph 2009
Iron HEDTA, highest label rate, repeated	Dandelion and clover control equal to two three-way herbicides in a 2-year ryegrass trial	Yes	Carroll and others 2022
Corn gluten meal, 10 to 40 lb per 1,000 sq ft	No better than urea or Milorganite at the same nitrogen; under 25% control in the Kansas comparison	Yes; does not touch established plants	St. John and DeMuro 2013; Raudenbush 2012
Horticultural vinegar, 20% acetic acid	Under 25% control; household 5% vinegar is not strong enough	No: burns any grass it wets	Raudenbush 2012; OSU
Fertilizer only	Under 25% control	Yes	Raudenbush 2012

Iron HEDTA is the fast, short-lived option. In a Guelph Turfgrass Institute trial, dandelion leaves blackened within 24 hours of a fall spray, yet by the next April the iron plots had no fewer dandelions than untreated turf, while the three-way plots did. Repeats are the fix: Carroll and others (2022) matched three-way herbicides only at the highest labeled Fiesta rate, and the Sunday label says repeat in 3 to 4 weeks, up to 4 times a year.

Corn gluten meal does not kill dandelions you can see. Iowa State labels it a preemergence product at 20 lb per 1,000 sq ft with no effect on established weeds, and a 3-year K-State trial found it no better than urea or Milorganite supplying the same nitrogen (St. John and DeMuro 2013). Vinegar, boiling water and salt all kill the grass they touch; our vinegar weed killer page has the acetic acid numbers.

Stopping seed is the cheap part. One plant makes up to 15,000 seeds (UMD) or up to 20,000 viable seeds (OSU), and seeds form without pollination. Mow or pick flowers before the puffballs open.

Does thicker grass keep dandelions out?

Yes, and the Kansas trial shows how much. In 2010, on dense, well-irrigated tall fescue, every product at every spring timing still gave 89 percent control or better in November. In 2011, on a thin stand watered every 10 to 14 days, the same products averaged 26 to 47 percent (Raudenbush and Keeley 2014). The authors credit turf competition and smaller dandelions.

Nitrogen helps more than mowing height alone. In the K-State trial, Kentucky bluegrass fed 3.6 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft a year had fewer dandelions, whatever the nitrogen source (St. John and DeMuro 2013). In a 2-year Canadian study, mowing height by itself did not reduce dandelion density, and mowing at 3 to 5 cm (about 1.2 to 2 in) let more survive treatment (Abu-Dieyeh and Watson 2005). SDSU recommends about 3 inches, removing no more than one-third of the blade; see our mowing frequency guide and lawn fertilizer guide.