Protecting Your Plants: The Ultimate Herbicide Buying Guide

Weeds are incredibly prolific and produce an average of 20,000 seeds per plant.

We all want a beautiful, lush green garden that's weed and pest-free. However, weed is such a monster. You cut its head but then another head sprouts in a flash.

There are several weed control methods you can employ to get rid of weeds in your lawn or garden. For one, you can decide to remove the weeds by hand. But apart from being a tedious task, this method is usually ineffective.

The most effective method is to buy a good herbicide or weed killer. This will ensure that you've got an effective and lasting solution to the weed menace in your garden.

There's a wide variety of herbicides on the market these days, so it might be quite difficult to choose a product that'll work best for you.

In the following guide, you're going to learn about the types of herbicides available, what to consider when choosing a weed killer, and how to use weed killers.

Types of Herbicides

There are four essential traits that describe the function of all weed killers: selectivity, persistence, systemic, and emergence. Learning about each characteristic can help you understand product labels and carefully select the best weed killer for your yard.

Selectivity

Herbicides are either selective or non-selective. Selective weed killers eliminate weeds without harming nearby plants while non-selective herbicides kill every plant in the area of application.

You can get rid of the dandelions on your lawn with a selective weed killer, and kill the weeds in your sidewalk cracks with a non-selective herbicide.

Persistence

Persistence refers to how long a weed killer remains active after application. Herbicides that kill weeds and prevent them from growing back are persistent, while those that kill weeds but don't prevent their re-growth are non-persistent.

Systemic

System weed killers enter the internal system of a plant to kill it, while contact weed killers eliminate plants on contact.

Emergence

Herbicides are either pre-emergence or post-emergence. The former target germinating seedlings while the latter attack weeds that are already growing.

Apply pre-emergent herbicides 2-3 weeks before weeds germinate and use post-emergent weed killers on the leaves of weeds.

How to Buy the Right Weed Killer

Here are some vital factors to consider when buying the best herbicide for your garden.

Degree of Problem

The first step is to find out how serious your weed issue is. There are various to apply weed killers in your yard.

If the problem isn't that severe or it's the beginning of weeds, you can just use a weed killer spray. However, if there are lots of weeds then you need an intensive method to get rid of them from the root.

Type and Growth of Weed

It's always important to know what type of weeds are in your yard. There are different weed killers for different uses.

For weeds that are difficult to control, you can use the best pre-emergent weed killers. But if weeds are interfering with the bed you're nurturing in your garden, go for the best post-emergent weed killers.

You also need to determine whether the weeds in your garden are perennial or seasonal to deal with them accordingly.

Determine the Quantity

If you're treating a large area, you should probably choose a concentrated product and steer clear of ready-to-use products. This will save you a significant sum of money.

If your garden is quite small, you can buy a ready-to-use solution to save you time. Make sure you know the actual amount of herbicide you need for your area. You should check the product label for this information.

The Plants Nearby

It's critically important to consider the plants next to the weeds you're trying to eliminate as most chemicals can harm the plants inadvertently. So before you apply any weed killer to your garden, know its effect on other plants.

Future Planning on Your Garden

Once you apply herbicides to your garden, it might take quite a while to grow plants there. More importantly, it may also take some to get good yields from the plants. So make sure to pick your weed killer carefully.

Purpose of Weed Killer

Some herbicides don't stop germination and those that prevent germination don't kill growing weeds. You need to know this fact when shopping for the best herbicide. Be sure to carefully read the product label and see if the herbicide suits your need.

Personal Considerations

Since you'll be applying or spraying the herbicide, it's advisable to know what side effects the product can cause. It could be allergies or infection, so pick something that best suits you.

How to Use Herbicides

Your choice of herbicide will also depend on how you use it. Herbicides are available in different formulations with different application methods, including:

Organic herbicides: These weed killers are made out of organic oils and acids such as clove oil, garlic oil, citric acid, lauryl sulphate and acetic acid. They're also contact weed killers.

Granular herbicides: These weed killers are in solid form and are applied using drop or centrifugal spreaders.

Liquid herbicides: These are applied in little amounts with a hand sprayer. Some people even dilute them in water before application.

Soap salts: These weed killers are made from a mixture of ammonium and potassium fatty acid salts. They're non-selective, contact weed killers that help to eliminate moss and algae in concrete pavements, patio surfaces, and mulched landscape beds.

When sowing or planting a flower garden after killing weeds, it's recommended that you aerate the area with a rotavator.

Final Thoughts

Taking all the factors above into account, it's very important to pick the best weed and grass killer. There's a wide variety of weed killers out there with various methods of application.

It's always prudent to have some basic information about each product so you don't damage the rest of your garden. Also, consider the concentration and purpose of the weed killer.

At Barndoor Ag, we have a wide selection of quality agricultural equipment that'll work on even the hardest tasks and last a long time. If you need spray equipment, you can order online through us today!

If you've got any questions about our products or services, contact us. We'll respond to you as soon as we can.