Weed Control: Types of Herbicides

Posted on March 17th, 2016

Spring showers might bring may flowers, but they can also create ideal growing conditions for a variety of pesky weeds. If you’re ready to retire your weedwhacker this season once and for all, you’ll definitely need to brush up on the different types of herbicides available to you. That way you’ll know what to choose to help you conquer weed problems and prevent them from reoccurring.

Herbicides are generally categorized within two distinct groupings. They can either be systemic or contact-based.

• Systemic herbicides attack the weed at it’s roots and leaves, and continue to penetrate the internal system of the plant from the inside out.
• Contact herbicides are the exact opposite of systemic. These attack from the outside in, breaking down the weed’s ability to photosynthesize.
  

Within these two overarching categories are two more sub-divisions: selective or nonselective.

• Selective herbicides are manufactured to kill specific types of plants. For example, a selective herbicide applied to one’s lawn might be specifically designed to target broadleaf plants. This means that the herbicide will be able to fend off weeds, while allowing the lawn to stay in tact.
• Nonselective herbicides have no discretion when it comes to eliminating plants, killing anything that they come in contact with. This can be dangerous for your landscape, but if used properly, nonselective herbicides can help you knock out a widespread weed problem.

Finally, all herbicides can either be considered pre-emergent or post-emergent.

• Pre-emergent herbicides work to target weeds before they grow, preventing the germination process. They are designed in such a way that they have little-to-no effect on established plants, but will attack any that attempt to grow post-application.
• Post-emergent herbicides are used to control and kill a weed problem that has already begun to take over your yard. Since contact herbicides require a grown plant to be present, all contact herbicides are also post-emergent as well.

No matter what your landscape requires, the lawn care experts at Turf Unlimited can help determine the best course of action and most effective herbicides to use to help keep your yard beautiful and protected all season long.
To learn more about our weed control services, click here or call 888-649-9919 today.