Herbicides & Weed Killers

Effective Weed Control With Professional Herbicides

Most homeowners find that buying weed killer for lawns and other areas around the house is a common home ownership routine. While many people are familiar with weed killer products such as Roundup, most people don’t know that you can buy the professional grade weed killer versions of Roundup, Ranger Pro (Roundup Pro), and Roundup Pro Max.  These commercial weed killer versions are stronger and work much better than the stuff you can buy at the big box stores. 

The Right Weed Killer For The Job

In order to treat your lawn and garden correctly, you need to know which kind of weed killer to use. Herbicides and weed killers can be broken down into four main categories: the pre emergent, post emergent, selective, and non selective. Let me briefly explain what each of these kinds of weed killers are.

• Pre Emergent Herbicides: Weed killers you apply to prevent weeds from growing, i.e. before the weeds have emerged. You generally want to apply these in the spring and fall.
• Post Emergent Herbicides: Weed killers you apply after the weed has grown out beyond the grass or surface.
• Selective Herbicides: Weed killers that are made to target a specific kind of weed. This is useful for when you want to kill the weeds in your lawn, but not your lawn.
• Non Selective Herbicides: Weed killers that are made to kill a broad spectrum of weeds all at once.

There are other commercial grade weed control products that you can use in conjunction with the above types of herbicides, called surfactants. A surfactant is a solution that you apply with the weed killer to help it spread out onto the weed better and to make the herbicide water resistant, so it stays on the weed if it rains or gets wet.

You can also use a product called a turf dye indicator or turf marker to mix with your commercial weed killer concentrate sprays.  These indicator dyes will temporarily color the turf to allow you to see where you sprayed, ensuring even coverage.

Common Weed Killers

One of the best and most common herbicides used in the United States today, for general weed killing, is called Glyphosate. Glyphosate is a broad-use herbicide and is the active ingredient in Roundup. In fact, until 2000, this weed killer was patented by the company that makes Roundup. Now, you can buy this active ingredient from Do My Own and save money!

Another common herbicide used by the professionals, to get rid of nutsedge and broadleaf weeds, is called Sedgehammer. You can ask any professional and they will tell you that there is no better product out there for this kind of weed control.

The best weed killer for your lawn will depend on a variety of factors. Be sure to read the product labels to know what it will and will not kill, and where you can use the product. These are top two factors you should consider when picking a lawn weed killer:

• Target Weeds: Identifying and knowing what weeds you need to kill is the first step to picking the best commercial herbicide for your lawn.
• Turf (Grass) Type: If you are using a selective herbicide, knowing your turf type will help you select an herbicide that will not damage plants or turf you do not wish to kill.

If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of weed prevention in your lawn, try our lawn box subscription program. We’ll customize a program for you with pre-emergent weed preventers in the spring, fall or both depending on your turf type, lawn size, and location.  

See also: Fungicide  Pest Control