Taking a line from Al Michael’s famous exclamation when the US ice hockey team beat the USSR for the gold medal at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in 1980, this is what I have to exclaim about Anderson’s Barricade.
Why? Because I have spent decades trying to make my Bermuda lawn weed free.
If you don’t want to read the rest of this long review as to why people and many pre-emergents fail to kill weeds, stop here. Just know that, if you want a weed-free, pristine, putting green-type lawn, based on my experience, you apply Barricade properly per application rates to a fully pre-weeded lawn, and water it in, and you will have zero new weeds [though this seems like a lot of work and counter-intuitive because getting rid of the weeds is why you bought Barricade, you must fully pre-weed your lawn of existing weeds, because Barricade or any other pre-emergent won’t kill these existing weeds with their seeds attached, and those weeds will continue to keep dropping their still viable seeds which will then still germinate after you apply Barricade - making you falsely believe that the pre-emergent is not working]. Note that I know of no really effective post-emergent weed killer that will save you from pre-weeding your lawn, and even if the post-emergent weed killer kills most of the weeds already sprouted in your lawn, it will not kill the seeds. You can try and apply Barricade after spraying a post-emergent that you think killed most of the existing weeds, but your results will be spotty and unsatisfactory.
So, after pre-weeding and applying Barricade, check your lawn in about 4-7 days. You should not see any “young” weeds that have just sprouted, only “old” weeds that you probably missed in your pre-application weeding that you can tell are “old” because of the size and length of their root(s). Just weed those and re-apply Barricade at maybe half the initial recommended application rate. You may kill part of the grass with Barricade, but you’ll be happy later as the grass will re-grow, but NOT the weeds!
Please also know that I am not the type to be impressed easily by any person or product, and my praise has to be WELL-EARNED. Also, I have waited a few months since my purchase and 2x application of this product to see how it works in killing the weeds, whether it suppresses the grass, and whether the weeds come back.
Hence, my praise of Barricade is well-earned.
For decades, I have spent [more like wasted] my time, body, energy and money weeding and on ineffective weed killers. The post-emergent weed killers [like Weed-B-Gon, Roundup for Lawns, and Trimec] that are supposed to kill the weeds after they have sprouted DON’T WORK because they don’t kill the roots and the seeds. They only kill the leaves of the weeds, leaving the roots, and the seeds from the dying weed leaves to drop onto the ground, to sprout up again even if the “mother” weed is mostly killed or wilted. And, you can therefore never get “ahead of the curve” by constantly chasing after [i.e. weeding] the newest weed just after you have spent exhausting days weeding - it IS an UNENDING task, like painting the Sydney Harbor Bridge [as soon as you end, you start again].
Moreover, these post-emergent weed killers are liquid, so you measure, dilute with water and spray. Many, many issues with that. One, if your dilution is too weak, it doesn’t work to kill weeds at all. If your dilution is too strong, you wind up killing the grass with the weeds [but the weed seeds sprout again]. Second, if, as in most cases, you use a tank sprayer, even if your dilution is correct per the instructions, the speed at which you move the wand across the grass & weeds to apply the solution makes a difference as to how much solution is applied to the weeds & surface [as a human applicator, you can never make the application speed uniform like a machine or robot], and the distance from the tip of your sprayer wand to the grass/weeds also makes a difference as to how much solution is applied to them [again, as a human applicator, you can never make the application distance to the surface uniform like a machine or robot]. At all times in the past, I have found that these post-emergents don’t work and I have no idea whether it is that the product is junk, my dilution is inaccurate, or my application technique is faulty. Or a combination. But the net result is the weeds are happy.
All of the following pre-emergent weed killers below which I have tried, up to now, have been less than effective for killing weeds in established Burmuda grass, more specifically purple and green spurge.
Surflan [thick, orange liquid; expensive; appears to have been discontinued around 2020] that you dilute and spray was something I bought & sprayed for years. I guess the theory was the solution would eventually be watered down from the grass blades/leaves and thatch, into the earth, and coat the weed seeds and kill them, thus preventing them from germinating. Nice theory. Although I believe my dilution was accurate, because of the uniform spraying challenges I mention above, and the unknown and variable way(s) the solution and active ingredient made its way down into the thatch, earth & weed seeds, if at all, the effectiveness and killing of the spurge weed seeds was at best maybe 50%. Knowing that pre-emergents work best when you’ve weeded all the existing weeds, with their seeds attached to them & waiting to drop, before you spray a pre-emergent because pre-emergents will only kill the ungerminated [pre-emerging] seeds & not existing weeds, that is what I did, time and again. And time and time again, spurge [99% of the weeds in my lawn] came back in droves. Extremely frustrating. A total waste of time, money and effort.
Amaze [brown granules], I found out later, was for basically for landscape [flower & ornamental] gardens, not lawns [implying that it was only effective when spread on bare or mulched earth]. This limitation was not stated in the instructions/directions. Hence again, a total waste of time and money. Snapshot [small white granules] was somewhat effective in reducing spurge, but it was also mainly for landscape gardens & flowerbeds and so: 1) it could not get past the thatch build-up of dead grass on most/my lawn to attack the weed seeds lurking below - again, application for this product looks like it’s best on bare earth; and 2) you could apply too little and get no weed prevention, or apply too much and kill the grass [I experienced both].
Portrait (mfg Green Light) was available at Home Depot in 2008 for $20.88 for 10 lbs. Totally ineffective; it seemed to have a lot of ammonia or some kind of fertilizer in it, as I noticed that after I sprinkled it on various parts of the front lawn, there were large, long-lasting green patches on the lawn. The best thing I could say about Portrait was that it was white granules so easy to see after you sprinkle it. I am not sure if Portrait is still being sold, but for weed/spurge elimination or even moderate control, your hard-earned money is better put in a slot machine.
Have also tried Ronstar G. It is OK, but very expensive, hard to get a hold of if you are not a professional landscaper, and a bit hard to apply/spread & see because the granules are so small & grayish-white-ish. It will also kill your Bermuda if you apply too much and whether it will get down past the thatch & kill the weed seeds did not seem to be a guarantee, as the spurge did come back.
A Note on Spurge. It is one of the most insidious, difficult weeds to get rid of in a lawn. I have read some reviewers of weed killers, including for this Barricade, also write as much. Reasons. As soon as Spurge sprouts, from about when it is only 4-5 days old, it starts growing many, many tiny seeds on its branches. It grows low to the ground, either in a green or purple color [leaves], and often “hides” intertwined underneath the grass; all of these factors making them difficult to see/find and weed out. As such, before you know it, if you are not on top of weeding them every few days, a few missed spurge will drop millions of seeds in your lawn and, helped by wind-blown seeds, you are dealing with a major infestation in only 2-3 weeks. Moreover, Spurge has one, very long central root. This makes it extremely resistant to drought or not being watered for a long time, as the root seeks water deep in the ground. Thus, from experience, if you had a wilted, almost dead Spurge and it rained or you watered it, it will come back to life in no time and the seeds will also germinate likewise. Also, having one, very long central root makes Spurge impossible to kill with a post-emergent that will only wilt/kill some of its leaves, but not the seeds or root [a quality thus similar to nutsedge]. This long root quality also makes Spurge hard to weed, as one must make sure that you dig/pull out the long root; just taking off its leaves/branches, even inadvertently, will cause it to re-grow its leaves very quickly and drop more seeds before you know it. So again, all of these factors cause Spurge to quickly infest a lawn in an overwhelming fashion. Even if you use the “nuclear” option of Roundup non-selective herbicide to kill all the weeds AND the grass, guess what? The Spurge, from its seeds, grows back faster on the denuded ground than any grass. Sickening.
So finally, I decided to try Barricade, after seeing it offered and reading about it on Amazon. Had never heard about/seen it before or on the market for homeowner lawn enthusiasts, but figured nothing to lose at this point [except more money].
The reason(s) why Mr. Anderson and this Barricade product is SO GENIUS is as follows. It relies on what Anderson calls “DG [dispersable granular] technology”. The small brown granules are spread into your particular type of grass as heavily as per the instructions. THEN, by watering, its particles with the active ingredient are dispersed/dissolved into the soil and thatch, where the spurge seeds lurk. Hence, the active ingredient has not been “pre-diluted” before application, it is not dependent on a “properly” diluted solution being “properly” sprayed onto the grass & thatch which will then be further diluted down when “watered in” or rained upon at least 0.5 inches per instructions, like for Surflan. All the other pre-emergents’ active ingredient strength is hit or miss per square inch because of this “double dilution”, and its application is not uniform, especially for non-landscape professional homeowners. No wonder the weeds, esp spurge, keep coming back - there is no 100% strong, active ingredient solution going on & under the thatch & into the ground with all these other pre-emergents. Conversely, Barricade is first applied in granular form with a spreader, and only “diluted” once when its granules are watered and dissolved into the grass, thatch & ground, surely making for a strong pre-emergent weed-killing active ingredient solution “barrier” soaking into the weed seeds, grass & ground uniformly. THAT, is how to DO IT!!
As advised by Barricade’s product literature, it is probably a good idea to re-apply spring and fall. This is because 1) weed seeds can come flying from anywhere onto your lawn; and 2) especially with the rain and your lawn watering “erosion” of the soil, “new” weed seeds which were previously too deep in the soil to hit the germination temperature will “move up closer” to the ground surface, and warmed by the sun, germinate. Hence, it is good to do a “pre-emptive” application attack on them before it gets out of control. But I would first check the lawn weed conditions, esp in the fall, for amount of weeds and condition of grass [is it distressed or dying], and apply if/as needed.
I would like to actually give this product 10 stars, as it really DOES eliminate spurge with a maximum of only 2 applications where none have before!! Sadly, that is not possible. But after DECADES of busting my buns weeding and wasting my time and money trying to get a weed-free lawn, FINALLY I have found a truly miraculous product that ACTUALLY does as it claims and will save my aging body from hundreds of hours of impossible & tiresome future weeding with no end in sight! Just in the nick of time. Finally, I just selfishly hope that Mr Anderson’s Barricade won’t get too popular such that it will become hard to get and super expensive. Thank you for reading this long review [hope Amazon won’t impose a word limit] and thank you Mr. Anderson & Barricade!
The Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent Weed Control - Covers up to 12,880 sq ft (40 lb)
4.4 | 4,561 ratings
Price: 79.88
Last update: 02-24-2025
About this item
Designed to prevent weeds; will not aid in eliminating existing weeds
Contains 0.48% of the active ingredient prodiamine for professional-grade weed control for early spring and fall applications
Prevents grassy and broadleaf weeds, including crabgrass, poa annua, goosegrass, henbit, and more
DG Pro formulation allows for more particles per square inch and superior performance
Made in the USA
Contains 0.48% of the active ingredient prodiamine for professional-grade weed control for early spring and fall applications
Prevents grassy and broadleaf weeds, including crabgrass, poa annua, goosegrass, henbit, and more
DG Pro formulation allows for more particles per square inch and superior performance
Made in the USA
Product Description
When To Apply Barricade - Spring and Fall
Barricade is a pre-emergent weed control, which means that is designed to prevent weeds. Application timing is critical to the product's performance.
To prevent summer annual weeds in both northern and southern turf types, apply Barricade in early spring prior to soil temperatures reaching 55 degrees Fahrenheit at a four inch depth. Applying at this time will prevent weed seeds from germinating.
In southern zones, Barricade can be reapplied in the fall to prevent annual winter weeds like poa annua, also known as bluegrass.
Remember, Barricade must receive irrigation or light rainfall of at least .05 inches for the herbicide prevention to activate.
For Best Results
- Mow first
- Set spreader and apply product
- Blow or sweep off paved areas
- Water in thoroughly
Top reviews from the United States
IslanderDo You Believe In Miracles?!
LouThe Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent Weed Control is Fantastic
Lou
The Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Granular Pre-Emergent Weed Control is Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024
Applying it is a breeze, and a single 40 lb bag covers a large area, making it both cost-effective and convenient. Once applied and followed by sprinkling or rain, the product goes to work, tackling invasive grasses, weeds, and other unwanted seedlings starting to take root in my lawn.
The transformation has been remarkable—my turf grass is filling in beautifully, and my yard is starting to resemble a pristine golf course again. I highly recommend The Andersons Barricade for anyone looking to maintain a healthy, weed-free lawn.
Images in this review
Michael ThomasGood Reputation
Scott O.Keeps poa annua from germinating in my zoysia in Alabama
marshallbest weed control product on the market
marshall
best weed control product on the market
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
Ideally, the product should be applied before the weeds start to grow. This will ensure that the product forms a barrier in the soil, preventing weed seeds from sprouting. The best time to apply the product is in early spring, before the soil temperature reaches 55°F (12°C).
It's also important to note that the product remains effective even if it's applied late in the season. This means that if you missed the ideal application time in the spring, you can still apply the product later in the season and expect good results.
One thing to keep in mind is that watering is crucial after applying the product. If you don't water the soil after applying the weed control product, it won't be as effective. The soil needs to be moist for the product to work properly.
In summary, I highly recommend this pre-emergence weed control product for anyone looking for an effective way to prevent weeds from growing in their garden. Just remember to apply it at the right time, water the soil after application, and you'll be good to go!"
Images in this review
Amazon Customer