rinemb - Posted - 03/29/2026:  05:51:22

I remember when weak killer products actually killed the weeds. Now it seems all they do is torture them for a while. I like to use my weed burner on concrete and brick, and spray around the yard.
What is your weed killer of choice on yards and garden areas?
Please, this topic is not intended to be an “eco” or “political” discussion. But should you be compelled, go for it. ;-). Brad

slammer - Posted - 03/29/2026:  07:24:15

We’ve got stone landscaping around the entire house and it gets sprayed twice a year. I hate using the chemicals but there is no other way.
“Torturing” the weeds is such an accurate statement!!! LMAO.
I tried every home brew and always end up getting some concentrated killer at Menards. They don’t give it away either$$$
Slammer!!!

Owen - Posted - 03/29/2026:  07:51:54

I like to think I use them judiciously [whatever that means].  When we moved here 13ish years ago there was talk of increased restrictions being placed on herbicide usage .... so I latched onto 10l. each of Estaprop and glyphosate ... expect there'll be some left over when we decide we're done with owning our own lot.   The former gets used on broad-leafed in the lawn and the latter on non-lawn areas [mostly the part of the driveway that's crushed rock].

On a somewhat irregular basis we get the yocal business that does "feed and weed" on lawns to do ours .... He's told me what he uses [but I forget] ... it mostly works, but takes longer.

I do occasionally use ^^ in the garden, but I guess my main weed killer/torturer/?? for the garden is this bad boy:

 

martyjoe - Posted - 03/29/2026:  08:02:43

Gone are the days when we used to pour petroleum or diesel on them.

Texasbanjo - Posted - 03/29/2026:  08:08:45

I used Weed & Feed on my front yard. So far, all it's done is make the weeds grow bigger and faster. So, I do not recommend that particular weed spray.

rinemb - Posted - 03/29/2026:  13:32:17

quote:

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Originally posted by martyjoe

Gone are the days when we used to pour petroleum or diesel on them.

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As a student I used to work summers for lawn maintenance dept of the Board of Education.  We used diesel fuel as the kill-all around everything we could not get riding mowers up to or around. It killed, it lingered, and it was cheaper then chemicals.  Circa 1960s.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/29/2026:  14:10:16

In those days, before glyphosate, we used Triox as the kill-all. Nothing would grow for two years, but Triox had arsenic and was taken off the market, at least in that formulation.

Mad Hornet - Posted - 03/29/2026:  16:57:44

I don't use any glyphosate around my garden. But I have had success with Biosafe Weed Killer and I have also had good success with a mix of industrial vinegar, salt, and dish soap. The catch is, you really need about a week of no rain and hot sunny days. Otherwise, it's like you said, just making them sick for awhile. This time of year we won't have more than a couple dry days at a time so it really only works in summer months. So, I do it the old fashioned way which does kinda suck.

slammer - Posted - 03/29/2026:  19:02:42

Funny, the more I think about the subject, my parents never had a problem with weeds. They’d just have their kid (me) pic’ em and get rid of them. No spray required, no tortch, no gloves, no mask……….just a lot of b****in!!!
Slammer!!!

donc - Posted - 03/29/2026:  22:00:53

The garden shops are promoting mostly snake oil. Weed N Feed no longer has the real chemicals that make it work. Some have replaced the chemicals with vinegar and other fake ingredients in order to keep the money rolling in. You can still get licensed operators in the poison business if you don't mind spending the extra money. In the end you are still endangering bees, kids, and pets. The only thing that changes is that you will only see healthy lawns in affluent neighborhoods. Up until a couple of years ago people would cross from Canada into the U.S. to get the real weed and bug killers. You had to be skilled at hiding your merchandise and smiling at the border guards. Eventually the U.S. seemed to no longer sell many of these forbidden products. If anyone knows an available product that will get rid of buttercups I would be glad to hear of it.

Edited by - donc on 03/29/2026 22:04:47