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Weed Control and Herbicides
If you decide to use an herbicide to control weeds, be sure to select the appropriate product for your situation. There are hundreds of different herbicides on the market.
Tips for selecting and using herbicides:
- Be sure to read, understand and follow all of the label directions when mixing and applying herbicides.
- Make sure the label clearly states that the product can be used in the manner you intend to use it.
- Remember, more is not better. Use the application rate on the label.
- Some herbicides are selective, and only kill certain types of plants, while others are non-selective and kill almost any type of plant.
- Some herbicides kill weeds quickly, others can take up to a week or more.
- Some herbicides persist in plants and soils for long periods of time, while others only remain in plants or soil for a short time.
- Some herbicides have active ingredients that are more likely to move through soils towards groundwater. Others are much less likely to move through soils.
The following list of resources is intended to provide an overview of weed control and herbicides. If you have specific questions about herbicides, or about any of the information provided below, feel free to call NPIC.
If you just want some advice about how to control weeds, you may want to talk with staff at your local cooperative extension service. NPIC Specialists cannot give treatment recommendations, but extension agents often can. NPIC Specialists can answer your questions about an herbicide's potential health impacts, environmental effects, and/or chemical properties. Our mission is to provide objective, science-based information about herbicides in order to empower people to make their own informed decisions.
If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (7:30am-3:30pm PST), or email us at npic@ace.orst.edu.
Weed Identification Resources
- Weed Identification - Univeristy of California Statewide IPM Program
- Broadleaf and Grass Weed Seedling Identification Keys - University of Minnesota Extension Service
- Encycloweedia - California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Weed Photos - Weed Science Society of America
- Invasive and Noxious Weeds - USDA
- Plant Fact Sheets and Guides - USDA
- Weed Information - University of California, Davis
Lawn Weed Control
- Guide to Healthy Lawns - Univeristy of California Statewide IPM Program
- Weed Management in Lawns - Univeristy of California Statewide IPM Program
- Control of Annual Grassy Weeds in Lawns - CSU Extension
- Guidelines for Herbicide Use - Weed Control Handbook - Global Invasive species Team
- Choosing a Herbicide - Extension Infonet
- Safety with Lawn Herbicides - Extension Infonet
- Keep Pets Safe Around Pesticides (p.5-Weeds) - Oregon State University Extension
- Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment - EPA
- Moss and Algae Control In Lawns - Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service
- Controlling Moss in Lawns - Oregon State University Extension Service
- Weed Information - University of California, Davis
- Controlling Pests in the Lawn and Garden (Videos and Resources) - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Selecting Herbicides
- Herbicides - Univeristy of California Statewide IPM Program
- Weed Control Methods Handbook - Global Invasive Species Team
- How Herbicides Work - Univ. of Illinois
- Weed Susceptibility to Herbicides - UC Extension
- Choosing a Herbicide - Extension Infonet
- EPA Finds Organic Arsenical Herbicides Ineligible for Reregistration - EPA Press Release
- Herbicide Mode-Of-Action Summary - Purdue University Extension
- Aquatic Plant Management - Washington State Department of Ecology
- Control of Nuisance Algae in Ponds - West Virginia University
- Wild Blackberries: IPM for Home Gardeners and Landscape Professionals - University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
Alternative Methods
- Non-Toxic Weed Control - Bio-Integral Resource Center
- Hand Weeding - Univeristy of California Statewide IPM Program
- Corn Gluten - VA Soil and Water Conservation District
- Weed Control Handbook - Global Invasive Species Team
- Weeds and How to Deal with Them - Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
