Not all weed killers are the same, and picking the wrong one can cost more than a wasted purchase. A formula meant for driveways, for example, can kill the lawn or landscaping you were trying to protect.
Bottles from Ortho, Roundup, Spectracide, BioAdvanced, and other brands can look similar from several feet away, even though the formulas may serve very different purposes. A hack social video pointed out a simple shortcut to cut through some of the confusion.
Learn what shoppers may spot in the aisle, where the shortcut has limits, and what matters most before a weed killer goes into the cart.
What Weed Killer Package Colors Mean
In a T&M Hardware video, an employee explains that orange, yellow, green, blue, and black packaging help shoppers tell different types of weed killers apart.
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In the video, Orange often points to products for crabgrass and other grassy weeds. Yellow can mark products made for poison ivy and tough brush. Green often appears on weed killers made for established lawns. Blue is marked to only kill weeds and black points to products that kill everything.
The colors can narrow the choices, but shoppers still need to compare the labels before buying.
Why Weed Killer Colors Aren’t Universal
Weed killer colors aren’t a standard system across every brand. Two products with similar packaging may have different uses, while one brand may use several formulas that target some of the same weeds. A shopper relying on color alone could easily put it in the wrong category.
Packaging colors also shouldn’t be confused with temporary spray dyes. Those dyes simply show where a product has already been applied and don’t indicate what the weed killer does.
The viral color guide can help shoppers scan the shelf faster, but the wording on the bottle provides the more reliable answer.
How To Choose Weed Killer For Your Grass Type
The product label matters most when weed killer will be used on a lawn.
A weed killer that’s suitable for one grass type may not work for another. Lawn products list the grass types they can treat, the weeds they control, and any limits on where or when they should be used.
Shoppers should also distinguish between lawn weed killers and products that kill both weeds and grass. A formula intended for a driveway, walkway, or bare area can damage nearby lawn and landscaping. The same goes for brush and poison ivy killers, which may harm desirable plants they touch.
“Pesticide product labels provide critical information about how to safely and legally handle and use pesticide products,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
That includes directions on where and how a product can be used, so the label’s approved use sites and application limits are worth checking before the product leaves the shelf.
Sources
T&M Hardware, “Instagram Video”
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Introduction to Pesticide Labels”
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