Welcome to Weedicide.co.uk, your go-to resource for eliminating weeds from your property and finding the best weed killer. Below you’ll find the ultimate resource to help you choose the correct and strongest weed killer for your garden related needs.
Comparison chart
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|---|---|---|---|
| Neudorff Organic fast acting weed killer | Roundup Fast Action Ready to Use Pump ‘n’ Go | Gallup 360 Industrial strength | Weedol Rootkill Plus |
| Effectiveness: Great | Effectiveness: Excellent | Effectiveness: Excellent | Effectiveness: Great |
| Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
| Active Ingredient: Perlagonic acid | Active Ingredient: Glyphosate | Active Ingredient: Glyphosate | Active Ingredient: Glyphosate |
| Type: Systemic/natural | Type: Systemic | Type: Systemic/non-selective | Type: Systemic |
| Safe for children and pets: Once product is dry | Safe for children and pets: Once product is dry | Safe for children and pets: Once product is dry | Safe for children and pets: Once product is dry |
Quick Links:
What is a weed?
What are weedkillers??
How to choose the right herbicide?
Top 5 recommendations
How do weedkillers work?
How to use herbicides?
Future outlook
Conclusion
What is a Weed?
A weed is a wild plant that is growing in an unwanted place. Weeds grow naturally and are not deliberately cultivated. However, plants that are considered weeds in particular situations may not be considered weeds in situations where they are in fact wanted. Weeds grow and reproduce quickly, and some species can even adapt and survive in any environment. You’ll encounter weeds on your walk paths, gardens, patios, and lawns. They can eventually invade and overtake vegetation in these areas which are why eliminating weeds is very important.
Some of the most common weeds include:
- Prostrate spurge
- Brambles
- Japanese knotweed
- Quackgrass
- Tumbleweed
- Nimblewill
- Bermuda early spring
- Yellow nutsedge
- St augustine grass
- Slender speedwell
- Creeping speedwell
- Creeping charlie
- Ground ivy
- Ragwort
- English ivy
- Hawkweed
- Crabgrass
- Goosegrass
- Reeds
- Thistles
- Wisteria
- Barnyardgrass
- Agapanthus
- Purslane
- Common chickweed
- Prostrate knotweed
- Wandering jew plant
- White clover
- Wild violets
- Foxtail
- Dandelion
- Orchardgrass
There are five main ways weeds compete with desired, cultivated, and endemic plants. Farmers who grow food and fibre crops find that weeds take precious nutrients and water from the surrounding, desired plants. To prevent diminishing crop yields. controlling weeds is paramount.
Other reasons why weeds are harmful is that they interfere with aesthetic, decorative, and recreational uses such as landscaping and golf courses.
Weeds affect desired plants by:
- Giving food and nutrients to animal pests that harm the desired crop
- Competing with desired plants for precious resources such as nutrients, sunlight, soil, and water.
- Providing hosts for plant bacteria that infect and degrade the soil.
- Causing root damage to areas such as drainages and water streams.
- Causing irritation to the skin of humans and animals usually through thorns or burrs. Also, some weeds are poisonous.
What are Weed Killers?
Tending to your garden can be a very laborious task but extremely important because you don’t want plants to be run over by unwanted, damaging weeds. Uncontrolled growth of wild plants can damage the flora and fauna as well as wreck the garden’s quality of soil.
Weed killers otherwise known as weedicides or herbicides are pesticides that use chemicals to kill the unwanted plants and restrict their growth. Different types of weed eliminating sprays are specifically formulated to target different types of weeds. Choosing which weed killer will tackle the weeding job you are planning to perform is the hard part. No worries! Continue reading, and we will match you to the right weed killer that is designed to do exactly what you need it to do. If you are looking for a pet friendly weed killer, we will guide you. If you are looking for a systemic, commercial, professional, industrial, or residual weed killer, we will also guide you.
How to Choose the Right Weed Killer
Choosing the most appropriate herbicide isn’t as easy as it might seem. You need to be slightly informed about this subject to make a sensible choice. Some varieties of weed killers kill the plants while some can have a destructive effect on the seeds. This can be disastrous. Here, we help you understand how to identify the best weed killer for your garden that will kill weeds permanently. This includes being familiar with the ingredients found in the more popular, commercial weed-killing products:
A few points to consider when selecting a herbicide:
- Type of weeds—not just the variety but growth patterns too, i.e. seasonal or perennial weed?
- Severity of the weed problem—basic spraying or intensive treatment?
- Do you need to protect the plants around these weeds?
- Will you plant again after you have eradicated the weeds?
- What form of herbicide will suit you—liquid or granular?
Common Ingredients Found in Lawn/Garden Weed-killers:
- Corn Gluten Meal – recommended for light application only.
- Boric acid, Borax and Borates – easily available, considered safe for DIY
- 2,4-D – among the most common herbicides. Used commonly in big gardens and pasturelands.
- Clopyralid – among the most commonly retailed herbicides for killing unwanted lawn and turf plants.
- Dichlobenil – used to kill weeds in small garden beds and expansive orchards.
- Diuron – not common for household lawn application. Heavy-duty herbicide that requires professional supervision.
- Glyphosate – among the most commonly used herbicides that is now categorized as an agrochemical.
Top 5 Recommendations
Neudorff Organic Fast Acting WeedKiller
Our top pick for the best weed killer in the United Kingdom is Neudroff’s Organic Fast Acting Weedkiller.
It is common knowledge to knows weeds are harmful to crops because they take away the essential water, nutrients, space, and light from their surrounding plants. What most people don’t know is a lot of the chemicals that go into making traditional herbicides are carcinogenic.
Why does this matter?
In the world renowned study published on behalf of the American Cancer Society, “A Cancer Journal for Clinicians” indicates a clear link between pesticide exposure and various types of cancers including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, and leukaemia. If your goal for buying a herbicide is mere to eliminate weeds from your lawn or garden for aesthetic purposes, this danger may not concern you. However, if you’re somebody who values personal, family, community, and environmental health then choosing a natural herbicide will appeal to you.
Here’s the deal:
Neudorff is a company that believes in natural gardening, and to prove it they’ve included natural ingredients in their products. The Organic Fast Acting Weedkiller utilises the active ingredient called pelargonic acid. Pelargonic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid in plants and animals, commonly used in sustainable gardening by both amateurs and professionals. The herbicide fights to target unwanted weeds, grasses, moss, and algae while preserving beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lacewings. Immediately after application, it kills weeds by breaking down cell walls followed by growth regulators which work their way down to the roots to stop cell division. The unique formula’s biodegradable properties mean it’s environmentally friendly. If you’d like to purchase this product in the United Kingdom, you can buy it online at Amazon.co.uk.
Manual Option: Fiskars Weed Puller
Another natural method to weed removal, is to manually pull them out. Rather than using traditional methods such as a hoe or weeding by hand, Fiskars has invented the Uproot Weed Puller to make the manual process of weed removal a much easier and easy task. By being able to stand upright through the weed removal process, you not only save time, but you also save your back! The Fiskars Weed Puller has deep-reaching stainless steel claws that dig down to grasp the root from multiple angles to eliminate the plant. It’s a sustainable, organic, and selective method of removing unwanted plants for small to medium sized crops. To find out more information about this product and to receive a limited time 35% discount you can visit the vendor site or read our exclusive review of the Fiskars Weed Puller.
Roundup Fast Action Ready to Use Pump ‘n’ Go
Roundup Fast Action Ready to Use is a systemic weedkiller that kills from the inside out. It targets not only the weeds but also digs deep down to kill the roots. Within as little as day you’ll notice the weeds are completely brown and close to dead – including the roots.
The included sprayer has an adjustable nozzle setting which have two options: jet or spray. An extendable lance is provided for longer reach which makes for easy application. It works on a wide variety of plants and is ideal for gravel areas, driveways, paths, and along fences. You can also use it to clean up weedy areas before planting flowers, vegetables, or shrubs. It is safe for children or pets to play on the treated area once dried. It’s recommended to use Roundup Fast Action between the months of February and November.
Weedol Rootkill Plus
Weedol Rootkill Plus is a systemic weed remover that kills down to the roots, so the weeds do not re-surface. It also uses glyphosate but has an added ingredient called Pyraflufen Ethyl which makes it suitable for killing perennial broad-leaved weeds such as stinging nettles, docks, thistles, couch grass, dandelions, and creeping buttercups. It degrades in the soil to allow for replanting and is approved for use on hard surfaces. The included spray bottle makes for easy application. It recommended for use throughout spring and fall specifically between the months of April and November. More more information read our full weedol root kill plus weed killer review.
Gallup 360
Gallup 360 is a year-round industrial strength systemic weed killer for the control of most broad-leaved weeds and grasses. It and Rosate 36 are two of the strongest weed killer available. It can be applied to forestry, aquatic, and crop areas. It arrives packaged in a concentrated form which means you’ll have to dilute it with water yourself. The concentrated formula makes the Gallup 360 one of the most strong weed killers on the market. There is no sprayer supplied with purchase, so you’ll have to buy one separately. We recommend the 5L Pump Action Pressure Sprayer. Read our guide on the best garden sprayer to choose the right one that fits your needs. You can get more information on this weed killer by reading our full Gallup 360 Review.
How do Weed Killers Work?
Four basic principles describe the functioning of all herbicides – selectivity, emergence, persistence and contact or translocation. Once you are aware of these four characteristics, you can quickly decide the type of herbicide you need for your garden.
Selectivity
There are two types of herbicides, selective and non-selective. Selective herbicides selectively kill unwanted weeds without damaging the nearby plants. They are best for treating plants grown in lawns, crops or ornamental gardens. They are widely used for killing dandelions without harming the lawn.
Non-selective herbicides, on the other hand, kill every plant that comes in contact with them. They kill all the plants in the vicinity of the application area and work best where no plants growth is needed. They are widely used for killing plants near fence rows, draining and irrigation ditches, sidewalk crack, etc.
Pre/Post – Emergence
There are again two types of herbicides based on this criterion. Pre-emergence herbicides attack the seeds when they are in germinating phase and seedlings before they grow. Applying this kind of herbicide, two to three weeks before germination of seeds, prevents their growth. Pre-emergence herbicides work best against annual weeds or plants that grow for only one season. Watering pre-emergence herbicides into the soil give best results. Post-emergence herbicides, as the name suggests, are used when the weeds have already grown and are visible. Spray these herbicides on the leaves to get the best results.
Persistence
Persistence describes the time duration for which the herbicides stay active after their application. Non-selective herbicides are persistent that kill every growth in the area and further prevent any new growth. By retaining their chemical structure, these herbicides stay in the soil for a long time and provide long-term weed control.
Non-persistent herbicides are the one that kills the weed quickly; however, they do not provide any long-lasting effect. They get easily broken down by microorganisms in the presence of sunlight and become inactive after a short period.
Contact/Trans-located
Contact herbicides kill the plants when they come in contact with them, while the others have a more complex way of functioning. Translocated herbicides get absorbed by the plants and work through their structure, attacking the whole plant, including their roots. Contact herbicides only kill that part of the plant to which they are applied and are perfect for clearing the ground before planting or sowing and for annual, biennial growth. Translocated herbicides take significantly more time to work, but they get rid of the whole plant. They are ideal for perennial weeds.
How to Use Herbicides
Your choice of weed killers can also depend on how these weed killers are used. They come in different forms and have different methods of application. This includes:
- Liquid Herbicides: They are used in small amounts and can be applied using a hand sprayer. Some even prefer to mix them with water before application.
- Granular Herbicides: These types of herbicides are in stable form and can be applied using centrifugal or drop spreaders.
- Soap Salts: These herbicides are a mixture of potassium and ammonium salts of fatty acids. These are contact herbicides that are also used as non-selective herbicides to get rid of algae and moss in concrete pavers, mulched landscape beds and patio surfaces.
- Organic Herbicides: These herbicides are made from organic acids and oils like garlic oil, clove oil, acetic acid, citric acid and lauryl sulphate. These are also contact herbicides.
When planting or sowing a flower bed after weed killer treatment it is best practice to use a rotavator to aerate the area.
Future Outlook
Synthetic herbicides are continually being used worldwide to control major field crops which have a direct effect on food supply. As weed killers are becoming more popular, they also present challenges such as the unwanted plants becoming resistant to chemical treatment. The majority of herbicides work by targeting and disabling certain enzymes which inhibit the plant’s ability to produce amino acids. Unable to generate essential amino acids, affected plants usually die. However, certain weeds can create gene mutations that allow them to be resistant to herbicides such as glyphosate. In this case, these weeds are referred to as superweeds. Superweeds continue to plague millions of acres of farmland, gardens, wilderness, and other areas where their seeds have managed to travel. Superweeds are evolving at a rapid pace, spreading their resistant genes across GMO and organic agriculture threatening to jeopardise the world’s food supply. As a defence mechanism, farmers are fighting back with more aggressive tactics and new formulations of weed killers. This has ultimately lead plant scientists to question the future of herbicides. Methods such as manual removal of weeds, crop rotation, and maintaining herbicide diversity are recommended to achieve the best results.
Concluding Thoughts
Using the best weed killer is important to control the growth of unwanted plants in your premises. Using a product that matches your requirement yields the best results and ultimately liberates you from the worry of wild plants spoiling your garden. Choosing weed killing solutions might seem time-consuming, but you will get better at reading the labels and decoding different types of ingredients with time.