5 Best Weed Killers For Flower Beds

Spray weed and grass killers are a convenient way to keep your garden, flower beds, sidewalk, driveway, foundation, and patio free from invasive weeds and grasses. Most of them are convenient, and all you have to do is to spray the weed that you want to be gone and wait. However, there are a few considerations when choosing the right one. For instance, many of them are made for a specific type of weed or grass. If you have pets or children, it will also affect which one you choose. Here is a quick comparison chart of the major attributes of each of the five that we reviewed.

Here are our top five picks for weed and grass killers.

Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed & Grass Killer – Best Eco-Friendly Choice

Green Gobbler works fast and is a pet-friendly, kid-friendly solution to killing weeds around your home. It has a nozzle that screws on easily, and it is lightweight to carry. It contains 20 percent vinegar and is a bit stronger than regular household vinegar, but it cannot be used in cooking.

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It is safe to use in flowerbeds, on sidewalks, in parking lots, and around foundations.

It kills within 24 hours, but you must make sure to completely soak the plant that you want to kill. It is certified for organic use. It will kill dandelions, clover, moss, and crabgrass. It does not contain glyphosate or other harmful chemicals, and it is made from ethanol distilled from corn grain.

This is an excellent product and works quickly. However, you must be careful around plants that you want to keep, because it is not selective. It will wash away in the rain or if you water your plants after application, so you need to allow time for it to work before rain or watering.

Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer2 – Best for Larger Areas

Spectracide is an effective weed and grass killer that works quickly. It kills within 24 hours. It is the perfect solution for large areas such as around pools, large patios, and before planting beds around the house.

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The bottle has a handy sprayer, and you do not need a separate sprayer to apply it. The handle is easy to grip and carry.

This weed and grass killer will not harm trees or most flowers and grasses. You can replant as soon as three hours after application. If you allow it to dry for 15 minutes, it will not wash off, and there is no need to reapply. You must make sure that the plant that you want to kill is completely saturated with the weed killer.

This is an excellent choice if you want a weed killer that acts fast, and that will not harm the plants that you want to keep. However, it contains harmful chemicals that are not recommended for children or pets.

Dr. Kirchner Natural Weed and Grass Killer – Best Pet and Kid-Friendly Weed Killer

This is an excellent choice for those who want a kid and pet-friendly option for killing weeds. This super-concentrated vinegar is an excellent eco-friendly solution for your weed problems. It has a handy spray cap, and there is nothing else needed to apply it.

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It works well on weeds in mulched flower beds, pavers, patios, fences, and around pools.

This weed killer is as friendly as household vinegar to use. Only it is four times as strong. It does have several drawbacks. It is not selective, which means that if you accidentally spray it on plants that you want to keep, it will kill them, too. It is not rain-resistant and will wash off if you use it before a rain. You should spray it in the full sunshine, and make sure that you completely soak the weeds that you want to kill.

This is the best choice if you want a safe and eco-friendly solution to weeds. It contains no glyphosates or hormone-disrupting chemicals. It is a simple solution that is good for the environment.

Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate – Best for Fast Killing

Spectracide Concentrate is a fast-acting weed and grass killer that works in as little as three hours when you saturate the leaves of the plant that you want to kill. It kills all the way to the root, so the weed never comes back.

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If you allow at least 15 minutes for it to dry, you can water as usual, and it is rainproof.

One thing to note is that it does not come with a spray nozzle. You will need to buy another small hand sprayer to apply it. It will not harm flowers and trees in the landscape, just weeds. However, you need to read the listed plants for its use because it is not safe for all plants. It is easy to apply, but depending on the sprayer that you choose, you need to be careful of overspray plants you want to keep.

This is an excellent product and works fast, but it contains powerful chemicals, and it is not safe for children or pets. You must be careful not to get it in your eyes, and you must wash thoroughly after you apply it. It is an excellent choice for many applications, such as fence rows and between pavers.

Ortho 0438580 Grass B Gon – Best for Grasses

Ortho Grass B Gon comes in a handy bottle that has its own sprayer. The bottle is a handy size that is similar to many household cleaners. It works quickly if you saturate the weeds near the roots. It is a small bottle and is only appropriate for a few weeds but not larger areas.

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It is specifically designed to target annual and perennial grasses. It is safe for most ornamentals, but you should use caution around ornamental grasses.

It is ready to use, and there is no mixing involved. It is not pet or kid-safe, so use caution if that is a concern for you. It is rain resistant if you allow it to dry for at least 15 minutes before watering or the next rain. It is an excellent solution for small areas. It is not considered safe to use around edible crops, but it does a good job around ornamentals.

Weed and Grass Killer Buying Guide

Now that you know some of our top picks for weed and grass killers, lets us examine some of the concerns and considerations that you might have when choosing which one is best.

Natural versus Chemical

There are two categories of weed killer products available. Traditional chemical weed killers use petroleum-based chemicals to kill unwanted plants. Natural ones often use ingredients such as concentrated vinegar to do the job. Chemical weed killers often work more quickly than natural solutions. Because they are oil-based, they will not wash off in the rain or when you water.

Kid and Pet Friendly Solutions

If you have kids or pets, you need to be concerned about harmful chemicals in some weed killers. They can be poisonous to pets and children even after they are dry. That is why many people choose natural solutions. If children or pets come into contact with vinegar, it will not harm them. However, be cautious when you are applying the product, as it can burn the eyes or irritate the skin.

Selectivity

Some chemical weed killers are designed to kill a specific class or type of weed. Some are formulated for grasses, others for poison ivy, and others kill a wider range of plants. You must make certain that it will not kill your ornamentals. Natural weed killers do not discriminate. They will kill anything, so you have to be careful not to spray anything that you want to keep. The best place to find out is to read the label.

Rain and Waterproof

Natural solutions are often water-soluble. This means that if you water or it rains after you apply them, it will wash off and will not do the job. You often have to reapply natural solutions after a rain, or it will not work. With chemical weed killers, usually, one thorough soaking is all that is needed, and it will not wash off in the rain.

Weed Killers and Food for Consumption

One final thing to consider is that some chemical weed killers cannot be used on vegetables, herbs, and plants for consumption. There are often special products made for plants that are to be eaten. If you plan to use a product on or near food crops, make sure that the packaging states that it is safe for this use. Be sure to read the label and use as directed.

FAQ Weed Killers For Flower Beds

How do you clear a flower bed?

Weed control is hard. The first thing that comes to mind is to use the most sustainable method – weeding. Such a process really will not harm those plants that bear fruit, but this method takes a long time, and you do a lot of physical work. The body and hands get tired quickly. Besides, weeds will appear over time and you will have to repeat the weeding.

Many annual weeds can bloom and shed seeds, and then you will have these same weeds next year. You don’t always have a lot of free time to keep track of this. You can skip this period and then even with weeding it will be very difficult for you to get rid of unnecessary grass and plants.

Perennials are also a hassle. If you cut off the top of such a weed, but leave the root in the ground, then after a few weeks it will give fresh shoots. If the ground is dry, it will be very difficult to remove such roots. Choose a period after rain for weeding, or wet the soil yourself. In wet soil, it is very easy to get the roots of the weeds so that the next year they will not grow with a strong root system.

If you tried the weeding method and it did not give the desired results, you can always buy special herbicide preparations. Here, there are several methods of using it. You can cultivate the land in the fall when flowers and fruitful plants are no longer growing in your garden. The second method is spot application, you spray only some areas, or you treat the weed directly.

When should I clean out my flower beds?

Before replenishing the flower beds with new copies, general cleaning will have to be done. You should remove leaves, plant debris, and other debris, dig up annual plants, and clear the area of weeds. If the soil is very compacted or the flower garden is overgrown with weeds that reproduce by underground shoots, it makes sense to replace the top layer of soil with a new one. Before this, the soil should be loosened and fertilized. Such soil preparation must be carried out one month before the winter planting or sowing of plants.

How do I keep weeds from growing in my flower beds?

We can control weeds in many ways. Easier if you have open meat. You can weed, or treat the weeds with herbicides, or use vinegar, baking soda, and soapy water to fight. But if we are talking about a small flower bed, then it is better to use gravel backfill. There is a special colored gravel base for flower beds. You layout a special flooring on the bottom of the flower bed, then cover the ground, plant flowers, and cover colored gravel on top. This method of planting does not allow weeds to germinate in the flower bed. You can also arrange a flower bed in any color, make it any shape. You can realize anything that your imagination tells you using this method.

If your flower bed is attacked by creeping weeds, then in this case you can plant plants that displace pests. Plant phlox, sedum. These plants weave along the ground and make a dense cover. No weed can break through such a vegetation cover.

Should fallen leaves be left in flower beds?

People believed that fallen foxes do not harm plants, we should leave them in flower beds. During the winter, they will rot and become an excellent fertilizer for your plants. The leaves will protect the roots of trees and perennial flowers from freezing and will keep moisture in the spring. If your plants grow in the forest, then this is all true and you should not touch the leaves, let them rot, and fertilize the soil.

But we are talking about a flower bed and a front garden. In such places, the leaves can only harm. There are perennial plants that die from excess moisture. Among them are perennial carnations, saxifrage, primroses, woolly chasing, ground cover phlox, and others. Such plants under a layer of foliage will rot by spring. And pests can accumulate in the foliage, which will come to life as soon as it gets warm and spoil your flower bed.

Leaves in the flower bed will bring another kind of problem to primroses in the fall: forest trees, crocuses, and other small-bulbous plants – in the spring it will be difficult for them to break through the layer of rotten foliage.

Should you remove leaves from flower beds in spring?

Many gardeners make it easier for themselves to work in the garden and do not remove the foliage that has fallen in the fall. They believe that such foliage will rot in winter and turn into high-quality mulch. But we want to tell you the truth and warn you against such mistakes.

Gardeners should know foliage that is wet in autumn does not allow moisture and air to reach the roots of plants. A thin layer of foliage crumbles and gets off, which does not allow moisture to evaporate. Your plants will dry out by spring only because the layer of leaves will prevent them from breathing in winter.

Garden plants often get sick with fungal infections in the spring. All of this is partly because the leaves that fell in the fall remained on the ground. Spores of pathogens such as gray rot, powdery mildew, late blight winter well on fallen leaves that have rotted.

Harmful insects lay eggs on fallen leaves. In the spring, the larvae and eggs will produce offspring of harmful insects that will eat your garden plants.

Do not forget about bacterial plant diseases. Although such diseases are extremely rare, fallen leaves create an ideal environment for their spread and development.

It is important to remove leaves not only from flower beds and gardens but also not to forget about the lawn. If you do not want bald spots to appear in the spring in those places where the fallen leaves lay, then you should take care of this in the fall. If you left everything as it is, then in the spring you will have to replace the dead sections of the lawn. You will need to remove the rotten grass, loosen the soil, remove the weeds and plant a new lawn.

As already the fat, there is nothing good because the foliage will remain on the ground from the fall and lie there until spring. Taking care of your lawn, garden, and flower beds will give its results in the spring and will delight you with delicious fruits and beautiful flowers.

How do I prepare my flower beds for spring?

Weeds are always tricky. Sometimes you can fight them for an entire season and not get the desired result. Weeds will disappear for a certain period and reappear, grow even more vigorously and in greater numbers.

Use every possible method to control weeds. Try mulching. Cover the ground with pine bark, wood shavings, cover areas with weeds with Agrofiber. Organic materials will keep moisture in the soil, and plants will receive nutrients. At the same time, weeds cannot break through this layer.

The second way is easier. Sow the areas where the flowers grow with ground cover plants (phlox, tenacious …).

To keep your flower bed always well-groomed and beautiful, do not forget about these simple rules:

Loosen the soil in the flower bed. The soil has natural properties to allow air to pass through. In open areas, earthworms perform this function. In the flower beds, you must loosen the soil and saturate it with additional air.

Remove faded flowers from herbs, flowers, shrubs in time. This will help increase the number of new inflorescences in perennial and annual flowers. Seeds will not form and the plant will delight you with beautiful flowers longer.

Even if you use special weed control products, we advise you to weed your beds at least several times per season.

Fertilize your flower beds. If you want the flowers to have many buds, then when planting, add special mixtures with fertilizers to the ground.

Following all these tips, your flower bed will play with bright colors all season. By the fall, you will collect seeds from perennial plants and be able to contemplate them in the new year.

Can I spray Roundup in my flower beds?

If weeding the flower beds does not give any result, then you can use such a tool as Roundup. It should be noted that this is a fast, efficient, and not time-consuming method. You just need to know and take into account the peculiarities of its action and use it in strictly defined situations. Remember that Roundup destroys all plants it hits. It is best to apply it in the fall when you have cleared the flower bed of flowers, and the weeds remain. You can treat such a flower bed, after the destruction of the weeds, dig up the flower bed and prepare it for the spring planting of flowers.

Video Tutorial: Controlling Grassy Weeds in Flower Beds

Conclusion

Now, you know the main considerations when choosing a weed or grass killer. New products are continually being developed in both chemical and natural solutions. The most important thing to consider is whether it is right for the plants that you want to kill and if it is pet or kid-safe. The best place for information is to read the label. If you have any questions, most products list a phone number that you can call with any questions. Weed killers can be a convenient way to keep your flower beds weed-free if you read the labels before choosing.

Sources:

• Spectracide Official Website
• Controlling Weeds in Flowerbeds
• Is it Safe to Use Weed killers and Bug Killers Where Kids and Pets Live?