Anybody who cares about his or her lawn knows how annoying weeds can be. You may spend an hour every day, for months, even years, trying to make it perfect and beautiful, and all of a sudden, a stray seed may land and grow out into an invasion. What makes it worse is that these things are notoriously difficult to get rid of.
The solution is, of course, a good quality weed killer. However, this poses its problems. There are so many brands, so many different chemicals, that it makes getting one overwhelming. Also, this isn’t just a question of how much to spend, but which type is appropriate for your lawn. The last thing you need is to destroy and poison your backyard because you used too much or got the wrong brand. Quite honestly, some weed killers are heavy-duty chemicals that can even cause permanent damage to your lawn.
Luckily, we are here to help you. Not only have we made a detailed list of the things you need to keep in mind when getting a good bottle of weed killer, but we have even created a list of the best five weed killer you can get. Just read on and learn all that you need to learn to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful.
What exactly is a weed killer?
Before you start using one of these things, you should probably have some necessary information down. Weed killers (or herbicides) are chemical substances that remove and control undesirable plant life. They can be selective (kill individual plants and species, while keeping the rest healthy) or non-selective (a “nuclear” option that removes all plant life on a particular area).
Throughout history, ancient peoples usually used salt. This has the obvious problem of messing too much with the chemical profile of the soil. Furthermore, salt is closer to the non-selective option. Today, most weed killers are synthetic copies of certain plant hormones. These interfere with the reproduction and growth of the plants you want to remove. Some herbicides destroy the unwanted plants by being absorbed through the foliage, while roots take others.
If you wish to learn more and to find out which are the best weed killers on the market right now, then just go on to the next section of this article.
The products
These are the best weed killers on the market, in our humble opinion. They all differ in certain aspects, but we genuinely believe you won’t go wrong with whichever one you choose. Now, on to number one.
1. Southern Ag 2,4 – D Amine Weed Killer
A backyard overcome with weeds is not a pretty sight. You want your home to be a place of beauty and peace, not to have it overwhelmed by ugly and parasitic plants. That’s where this product comes into play—the best weed killer on the market. In our opinion, it has several uses and is very versatile.
First of all, you can use it almost anywhere – on lawns, parks, fences, golf courses, even near small grains and corn. Another critical aspect of its versatility is the fact that this is both a post-emergent and pre-emergent weed killer. Southern Ag knows what they’re doing.
It will also save your grass since it is made in such a way that hemp cannot absorb it. It’s absorbed, correctly, by broadleaf plants (chickweed, dandelion, cat’s ear, lamb’s tongue), which are the most common type of weeds. Its rate of usage is also stable, giving you a 1000 square foot coverage for just 2 to 3 tablespoons of weed killer mixed in 4 gallons of water.
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Note: best applied by a full and coarse low-pressure spray. Also, it may be a bit pricey for some people, but you will get your money’s worth.
- Versatile
- Both pre-emergent and post-emergent
- Takes out broadleaf plants
- Doesn’t damage your grass
- Price
Click Here To Read Customers Reviews on Amazon
2. Ortho Weed B Gon Weed Killer
Ortho is a tried and true company that has proven its worth over and over again. And they have done it once again with this herbicide. This is a nigh-universal and fast-acting weed killer that can be used almost anywhere. Now, Ortho makes some broad claims about this product, but the practice has shown that it delivers.
First of all, it can kill 250 strains of weeds to the root. That means there are very few weeds that can tarnish your lawn, and survive. Also, after just one hour, the herbicide stays where it is, and will become rain resistant. And best of all, it’s useful all year long.
However, it’s not perfect, as it’s not that useful for stopping actual weeds from sprouting from their seeds, and so is supposed to be used as a post-emergent herbicide.
- Rain resistant
- Used for 250 types of weeds
- Fast-acting
- Doesn’t prevent seed germination
Click Here To Read Customers Reviews on Amazon
3. PBI/Gordon 652400 Speed Zone Lawn Weed Killer
Do you live in one of the colder areas of the world? Then you may have noticed that standard weed killers are not as effective as they should be. PBI/Gordon has the solution – the 652400 Speed Zone Lawn weed killer is made specifically for cold weather, losing none of its effectiveness wherever you are.
A 20-ounce bottle can cover an average of sixteen thousand square feet, and the results are visible in just a few hours. And the best part is that you can reseed your lawn in less than two weeks. It’s excellent at controlling ground ivy, clover, and other severe and annoying weed strains. However, because of its intensity, it can damage St. Augustine grass, but you will probably be safe since it doesn’t damage Bermuda grass at all (the most common type of lawn grass).
- Widespread
- Works in cool weather
- Deals well with tough weeds
- Can damage St. Augustine grass
Click Here To Read Customers Reviews on Amazon
4. Roundup for Lawns RTU Refill (Northern)
The unique Roundup formula is a godsend for the most annoying types of weeds (yes, even crabgrass). It goes right down to the root of the problematic plants, making sure that once they are dead, they stay dead.
Also, another excellent factor is that it’s rainproof in less than three hours after usage. If you live in areas that have a lot of rainfall, all year long, you will appreciate this product since your efforts (and money) won’t be wasted because of some rain.
Another point is that it’s specialized for northern grass types (bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass), keeping them safe and healthy, while killing all the other weeds around it. However, it will take some time to start working, since it’s not as fast-acting as other high-grade weed killers usually are. However, if you’re a patient person, this should not be an issue.
- Very safe for northern grass
- Rainproof
- Great against crabgrass
- Slow-acting
Click Here To Read Customers Reviews on Amazon
5. Triple Threat Selective Weed Killer Herbicide for Lawns and Turf
The triple threat selective weed killer is best used to target the weeds that are causing you trouble directly. It kills almost all broadleaf weeds, like burdock, plantain, wild aster, French weed, mallow, and many others. It’s quite fast-acting and will last you for a long time. Two tablespoons of this stuff, in one gallon of water, can cover a whole 400 square feet of lawn.
Unfortunately, this herbicide is very susceptible to rainfall. If you don’t wait to water your plants for at least twenty-four hours after treating your lawn, you will nullify its effects. You should also plan and pay attention to weather reports in case of rain.
- Affordable
- Destroys many types of common weeds
- Watering and rainfall will weaken the effects
Click Here To Read Customers Reviews on Amazon
Things to keep in mind
Now, there are a couple of factors you need to keep in mind when using herbicides on your lawn. Since everyone’s garden is different, choosing the wrong type, and not applying it correctly, can either kill too much of your grass or will leave the weeds alive, allowing them to come back after a week. There are numerous ways you can classify weed killers, but in this article, we will focus on two classifications: pre/post-emergence herbicides and the contact/systemic/residual herbicides.
Post-emergence herbicides destroy the weeds that have already sprouted, while pre-emergence stop them from ever growing (and are more of a preventive measure).
First, you have contact herbicides. These are good for annual weeds (i.e., grasses that are present only for one season). Contact herbicides directly destroy the plant they touch. This is good for yearly pots since they disappear soon, but, these herbicides do not reach the roots of the plants, making them not as useful for other types of weeds since they can then just grow back after some time.
Systemic herbicides are opposite to contact weed killers – these are directly sprayed on the plant and are then absorbed by the foliage, damaging the plant from the inside, and even reaching the roots. The type of damage they do is based on inhibiting the growth of the weeds by messing with their protein and chlorophyll balance. They are similar and overlap, with pre-emergent weed killers who stop the actual plants from sprouting. They differ, however, in that pre-emergent herbicides are useless when the weeds have grown. However, you will need to wait a week or two actually to see any results. Systemic herbicides have the added plus in that they do not affect the soil, only the plants. This means that the land will primarily be untouched and can be used later with no issues.
Residual herbicides (or soil-acting herbicides) are a bit more extreme since they destroy the plants by poisoning the earth on which they are located. These weed killers kill the plants and stop the seeds in the ground from growing. However, they should not be used near edible plants, since the weed killer can stay in the field for up to a year. In general, you should for some time until you decide to plant something new in the soil where these chemical have been used. These are potent weed killers, most of them are illegal, and should be used only in extreme cases.
With that out of the way, you need to know what actual weeds you have on your lawn. Usually, the products have a list of the plants they are made for on their label (or on the website of the manufacturer). There are a ton of resources online, with pictures, videos, and article that can help you identify the actual weed species that is growing on your lawn. They all have different treatment procedures.
For example, dandelions are perennial plants that show up both in the spring and in the fall. A good idea to deal with them is to spot spray the mature plants with herbicide. This will send the weed killer directly to the roots of the plants, eliminating them relatively quickly. Crabgrass, on the other hand, should be dealt with by using pre-emergence herbicide so that the seeds won’t sprout.
Next, you need to see if the weeds have started sprouting. If not, then it’s a good idea to think about pre-emergent herbicides, especially if your lawn has a history of stubborn annual weeds, like crabgrass. However, sometimes, it’s a good idea just to pull out the actual plants. Chickweed, for example, is quite severe, and if you have not used specific pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn, they can be very annoying. Another good idea is to establish a solid bed of grass on your garden immediately after killing some of the tougher weeds (like ground ivy). This will overwhelm and suffocate what little seeds are left of this specific weed. Another quick tip is fertilizing your lawn before you use the herbicide. While this may seem counterintuitive, since the plants will grow faster, they will also absorb the weed killer more quickly as well.
Final Thoughts
We hope this article has been helpful in your search for having the healthiest and most beautiful lawn possible. Be smart, follow the instruction of the product itself, and declare war on all those annoying weeds and get rid of them forever.
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