Weed Killer for Lawns Buying Guide
Which lawn week killer will kill my weeds?
Concentrated Lawn Weed Killer for Dilution:
- Ideal if you have a large lawn
- If 'ready to use' is too bulky for delivery or storage
- Cost effective if your entire lawn needs weed control treatment
- Simple to mix
- Can be used in watering cans or knapsack sprayers
- Does not keep once diluted – only mix what you need
Ready to use Weed Killer:
- In small handy 'squirty' bottles for spot spraying individual lawn weeds
- No mixing or messing
- Keep for a long time
For complete weed control a concentrate will do as good a job as ‘ready to use’ and vice versa. Use them according to the kind of treatment required.
Weedol (Verdone) and Resolva
You can select your weed killer by ‘weeds listed on the pack’ to the left of the screen in the weed killer section. Useful if you know what weeds you have but as any one weed killer will not kill all your lawn weeds you need to use a range of active ingredients to give yourself the best chance of good weed control.
We have selected two brands of weed killer; Westlands Resolva and Evergreen Weedol formerly known as Scotts Verdone. Between them they offer the broadest range of active ingredients so that if one doesn't kill a certain weed the other may. Use one brand of chemicals for 'full lawn or blanket spraying' and the other for 'spot treatment'. If you only need to ‘spot treat’ then have two different ones on hand or when one runs out buy the other one to replace it.
If you know your weeds
Please use the ‘weeds listed on the pack’ attribute to the left of this lawn weedkiller page to determine what kills what.
Use two different products for maximum control
Lawnsmith Option 1
For whole lawn (blanket spraying) weed control use:
- Scotts Weedol (Verdone) concentrate
- Contains Fluroxypyr, Clopyralid and MCPA
And for spot weed killer use:
- Resolva Lawn Weedkiller Ready to Use ‘squirty’ bottle
- Contains mecoprop-P and dicamba
Lawnsmith Option 2
For whole lawn (blanket spraying) weed control use:
- Resolva Lawn Weedkiller concentrate
- Contains mecoprop-P and dicamba
And for spot weed killer use:
- Scotts Weedol (Verdone) Ready to Use in ‘squirty’ bottle
- Contains Fluroxypyr, Clopyralid and MCPA
Common Q&A's
- Is the weed killer safe for children, dogs and cats?
- Lawn products where pets graze or forage (rabbits, hens, ducks etc)
- How often can I apply weed killer?
- When is the best time to apply lawn weed killer?
- Can I use weed killer before or after sowing grass seed?
- Can I mix weed killer with other lawn products?
- I have a lawn weed that isn't listed!
Is the weed killer safe for children, dogs and cats?
The manufacturer’s recommendations are that once dry the lawn is safe to use. This would take just a few hours in the warmer months.
The same applies to our Soluble Fertiliser or Green-up Ferrous Sulphate.
Our Fertilisers, unlike grass ‘weed and feed’ products, do not contain pesticides or weed killers. Though the bag of bulk material should be stored safely away from children and pets, the lawn is safe for use by children, wildlife and most domestic pets immediately after application.
Finally, some pets have some peculiar idiosyncrasies, therefore, if you feel your pet may consume or is sensitive to these products then keep them off or don’t use the product.
Lawn products where pets graze or forage (rabbits, hens, ducks etc)
For weed killer we refer you to the manufacturer’s recommendations, which may be similar to our recommendations for applying Soluble Fertiliser or Green-up Ferrous Sulphate. That is to allow 3 mowings before allowing grazing/foraging pets on the lawn.
There is minimal risk if applying fertiliser in a mini granule form (all Lawnsmith® Granular Fertilisers) and therefore most pets can be allowed on the lawn immediately after application. However, those that forage down at soil level e.g. ducks and hens (and possibly rabbits and guinea pigs) are perhaps better kept off until the fertiliser has dissolved into the soil completely.
Finally, there are a great number of creatures under the banner 'pets' AND a large number of pets with some peculiar idiosyncrasies, therefore, if you feel your pet may consume or is sensitive to these products then keep them off or don’t use the product.
How often can I apply weed killer?
Only use in the growing season when growth is good normally 2 days after mowing and at least 3 days before the next cut.
Ready to Use
Can be used as often as you like with the following cautions:
- Don't re-spray the same weed within 6 weeks
- Contain spray to target weed and avoid the grass as much as possible
Verdone or Weedol Concentrate for whole lawn spraying
One use per year
Resolva Concentrate for whole lawn spraying
Twice per year
Need to spray the whole lawn more often?
If you need additional sprays then you can use them in combination and get 3 sprays per annum total, however, if you do need to do this because weeds aren't dying then consider either your procedure, mixing or measurements to be faulty.
When is the best time to apply lawn weed killer?
This applies primarily to blanket spraying the whole lawn. Growth should be good and the grass healthy before applying weed killer.
If possible apply:
- In calm dry weather – avoid heat and strong sun
- April to September with June and early September being optimum months
- A week or two after fertilising
- A day or two after mowing and 3 or 4 days before the next cut
- If using Ferrous Sulphate leave a gap of 7 days
- If scarifying use weed killer at least 4 weeks before
Important
- Products are normally rain fast after 12 hours
- Keep children and pets off until dry
- We recommend that grazing animals be kept off until the grass has been cut 3 times
- Always read the label. Use pesticides safely
Can I use weed killer before or after sowing grass seed?
When treating new or over seeded lawns the manufacturers have the following recommendations:
- Scotts Weedol (Verdone) - wait 2 months after sowing or turfing though I'd be inclined to give it 3 months
- Westland Resolva Lawn Weedkiller - wait 6 months after sowing or turfing if using the concentrate and 18 months if using the Ready to Use.
If killing weeds before renovation and seeding you ideally need to leave at least 2 months after weed killing and before seeding.
Can I mix weed killer with other lawn products?
You can mix weed killer with our soluble lawn fertiliser so that you do two jobs in one. If using them separately apply the soluble fertiliser first and the weed killer about a week later. You can also apply weed killer on the same day as any of our granular fertilisers.
Do not mix weed killer with moss killer or ferrous sulphate. If you need to kill moss AND weeds do it at least a week apart.
I have a lawn weed that isn't listed!
The definition of a weed is a plant that is growing in the wrong place! This means all plants can be called a weed at sometime.
You will appreciate therefore, that it would be impossible to test or label for every weed (plant) in the world which means most, other than the most common weeds, aren't listed.
To find out what will kill the weed you have will mean you need to test products to see what works. Give it time, usually upto six weeks to see if it works. Resistant weeds may need a second treatment or may not die at all. At least you will know what your options are.