Herbicide

Whether it is in your yard, a pond, on an industrial site, an agricultural farm or a commercial landscape, weeds can spring up and ruin the aesthetics, hinder recreation or even be a danger to people. For these reasons, herbicides were formed to address undesirable vegetation and eliminate them where they have been established.

On this page, we will cover the basics of Herbicides, how they work, their benefits and what to expect when applying them. Here you can also shop the top expert-recommended Herbicide products we have available.

What is a Herbicide?

Herbicides are a chemical pesticide that is designed to kill an undesirable plant that may be growing in an area. The way that herbicides kill plants can vary depending on the active ingredient. Most herbicides are classified in two ways: they can either selective or non-selective and they can either be post-emergent or pre-emergent.

Selective herbicides are those that are designed to only kill a specific species of plant while causing no harm to desired vegetation. A non-selective herbicide is one where every plant that comes into contact with the chemical is killed. A good way to tell the difference is that selective herbicides are species-specific weed killers and non-selective herbicides are non-specific weed killers.

Post-emergent herbicides are those that kill plants that have already sprouted out from seed and sprung up out of the ground. Pre-emergent herbicides target seeds before they begin to sprout and prevent the weed from germinating.

There is also a variant of non-selective herbicide known as a soil sterilant (or bare ground herbicide) that kills all plants where applied and prevents them from growing back for six months or more. This variation is useful on parking lots, rights-of-way and industrial sites where no vegetation should be growing.

Herbicides can come either in a liquid concentrate to be diluted in a sprayer or can come in granular form to be spread with a broadcast spreader. Some of the more popular Herbicide active ingredients include glyphosate, 2,4-D, Quinclorac, MSMA and many others.

How Do Herbicides Work?

Depending on the active ingredient of the herbicide and its mode of action, herbicides can harm and kill plants in different ways. Some use hormones to interfere with the weed's growth processes (such as amino acid inhibitors and cell membrane disrupters), others target the weeds' ability to perform photosynthesis.

Herbicides work either via contact where the herbicide chemical only harms the parts of the plant where the product was sprayed. Other herbicides can work systemically where the product is absorbed into the plant by the plant tissue or roots and will translocate, or travel, throughout the entire body of the plant to destroy its growth process.

Benefits of Herbicides

Herbicides make it convenient and cost-effective to remove unwanted plants as opposed to using manual or mechanical methods of plant management like mowing, digging, and hand-pulling which, more often than not, do not completely remove a plant.

Herbicides can also deliver continued protection from reoccurring weeds through pre-emergents so you wouldn't have to keep breaking out post-emergent products to deal with weeds every growing season. The selective varieties of herbicide make it so you don't have to worry about harming your lawn or desired vegetation as it will only kill the weed you want gone.

Drawbacks of Herbicides

Herbicides can take some time to do damage to undesired weeds. While some can take a few days, other stubborn weeds can take a week or longer to die. Some may even require repeat applications, which can open up the plant to developing resistance to the herbicide chemical, making it ineffective.

Some herbicides can be very costly to purchase and apply on a regular basis. Herbicides are also very toxic and can cause harm to desired vegetation if not carefully applied.

Are Herbicides Safe?

Herbicides are safe to use when applied following the label instructions carefully. Always make sure to wear proper safety equipment when handling and mixing herbicides such as gloves, eye protection, and long-sleeved clothing to protect the skin. You should also always wear a protective safety mask.

Don’t apply Herbicides during times of high stress (high temperatures) or in conditions that might prevent plant growth. Windy days can be dangerous for application, as the chemicals can drift to desirable plants and in living areas where pets and children might be. Keep kids and pets away from treated areas for a few days to ensure safety.

What To Expect

Timing is essential when applying herbicides for weed control. It is best to apply post-emergent herbicides when the plants are young and actively growing as opposed to when they are firmly established and mature.

For pre-emergent herbicides, you need to apply before your target weed has appeared in early spring or in the fall. If a weed you are targeting is already growing, it is too late to apply pre-emergent and it will be ineffective. You would need to use a post-emergent herbicide instead.

You should see signs of death from emerged plants that have been treated with herbicides within a few days via yellowing and wilting of leaves and complete death in 1 to 2 weeks. Repeat applications may be necessary for stubborn persistent weeds. Follow the label directions carefully for schedules and advice specific to your weed problem.

Featured Products

Eraser 41% Glyphosate - Eraser is a non-selective post-emergent herbicide that provides excellent control of unwanted grassy and broadleaf weeds. Eraser contains 41% Glyphosate as its active ingredient and is great for spot treatments. It is easy to apply and works quickly to kill invasive plants.

Martin's Top Shot - Martin's TopShot Herbicide Weed Killer is a metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) selective broadleaf weed killer. It controls many different weeds found in cool and warm-season lawns. TopShot can be used on the entire lawn or as a spot treatment, leaving the grass unharmed.

Oryzalin 4 - Oryzalin 4 is a selective pre-emergent herbicide that helps to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds on ornamentals, industrial sites, lawns, and fields. Oryzalin 4 can provide continuous weed control for up to 8 months.