Picture your ideal garden. It might be neat rows of bedding plants in carefully cut-out borders or the blowsy intermingling of cottage-garden varieties, dripping with pastel-coloured blooms spilling over paths and edges.
Whatever it is, chances are good the vision doesn’t include rampant cow parsley or bindweed, crowding out your carefully chosen specimens. But how to keep those unwanted visitors from taking up valuable space?
You could hand weed, which is very effective, but equally very time-consuming. You could sharpen your hoe and tackle the blighters before they get too comfortable or, of course, you could take a live and let-live approach, leaving the dandelions and creeping buttercup to nurture the bees.
These days, more and more, we’re all about accommodating nature in all its forms rather than trying to force it to conform (remember no mow May?). Still, there can be a compromise, perhaps a bit of a rough patch left for the creepy crawlies to enjoy, but the majority is designed and maintained for human pastimes.
Particularly in a city garden, where space is at a premium, it’s fine to have a carefully tended garden to curate like another room in your home. So, to save time and get to the (ahem) root of the problem, here are a selection of the best weed killers out there.
Which weed killers do what?
Weed killers fall into fairly defined types, depending on what you want them for.
- Systemic: The most common type of weed killer, systemic means the stuff is carried throughout the plant to destroy it right down to the root. The active ingredient is typically glyphosate, a herbicide of which there have been many studies and concerns. The latest results from the US Environmental Protection Agency conclude that it is not carcinogenic and therefore safe to use if precautions as stated on packaging are followed. It is certainly the most effective at weed killing and will not adversely affect the soil. It can take a couple of weeks to see results.
- Contact: Also usually contains glyphosate, which will be banned in the EU from the end of December 2022, but by dint of Brexit will continue to be sold in the UK. Contact weed killers, as the name implies, get to work on those plants they come in contact with by entering through the plant’s leaves. It works best if applied early in the day, so it can get to work while the plant’s stomata are open to admit light.
- Selective: The one to reach for when you’re weeding your lawn, as they’re formulated to target broad-leaved plants rather than skinny-leaved ones like grass.
- Non-selective: Another one that does what it says on the tin: basically, it will kill everything, so not one to use on your lawn. It is one to use on paths and driveways and the like, though. Why would you choose this terminator when there are other, less hell-bent weed killers out there? Simply because it works fast, while others can take days or even a couple of weeks to take effect.
- Residual: You’re probably not going to use this in your actual garden, since it goes into the soil and destroys anything growing in it. It then hangs about, making the soil inhospitable for future plantings. However, it’s useful for driveways and patios if you don’t ever want anything taking up residence in the cracks.
We’ve tried out the best weedkillers around to help your garden grow the way you want it.
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Malix Vitax SBK Brushwood Killer
Best for: Most effective chemical herbicide that doesn’t include glyphosate
The active ingredient in this selective weed killer is triclopyr, which targets woody plants like saplings, tree stumps, brambles, bamboo, horsetail and other woody weeds, but is also effective on broad-leaved scamps.
For fast-growing plants, use in spring and summer when they’re actively growing and will take in the product, but for tree stumps and the like, aim for autumn and winter. Leave a good long gap – aim for a couple of months – between use and replanting in the same spot. Absolutely works, but take care when using it not to get it on your skin as it can cause irritation.
Buy now £24.84, Amazon
Rootblast Super Concentrated Weed Killer
Best for: The top choice if you’ve got tree stumps and woody weeds
Be sure to follow the instructions on this weed killer, as it’s pretty powerful and will kill anything it lands on. Note: wait for a dry, windless day so you don’t inadvertently get it on your prized dahlias. It tackled bramble and ivy without a murmur, though you need a bit of patience as it will take a couple of weeks to do its thing.
It’s even up to the job of killing off tree stumps trying to launch a comeback. We tried it out on a yucca that had defied just about everything, including fire, and it did a good job of finally defeating it.
Buy now £24.95, Amazon
Barclay Gallup Home & Garden Glyphosate Commercial Strength Weed Killer
Best for: Effective but takes a couple of weeks to get full results
A glyphosate-based weed killer, meaning it will take out anything it comes in contact with, so be sure to follow the instructions for dilution on the package, wear gloves (a pair comes with this one, along with a handy measuring cup) and pick a wind-free, dry day to apply.
It can take a couple of weeks for the product to work its way through the plant and down to the roots before completing its mission, so be patient, but rest assured this bad boy will do the job, tackling persistent perennial beasts including bindweed, thistles, dock, ground elder.
Buy now £22.99, Amazon
Roundup Optima+
Best for: large areas
The one to reach for if you have a large area to tackle. Dilute as per instructions and then, ideally, apply with a spray. You can also use a watering can with a fine rose, but be sure not to re-use the same can for plain watering afterwards or you risk killing everything you’re trying to hydrate.
Roundup is the original brand name for glyphosate and as we know by now, glyphosate is the most effective weed killer out there, getting into the entire system of the plant and working its way down to the roots. When it comes in contact with soil, it breaks down and becomes harmless, so it’s safe to replant in the same spot.
Buy now £44.23, Amazon
For weedy lawns
Resolva Lawn Weed Killer
Best for: finishing off the perennial weeds once and for all
Our top pick for tackling the lawn spoilers, including dock leaves, nettles, dandelions, bindweed, chickweed and more. A systemic weed killer, this one gets to the root of those hardy perennials to stop them coming back. You’ll start to see results after about three days, so be patient. It works by targeting broad-leaved plants, so your grass is unaffected.
The handy trigger head can be adjusted to targeted or wide spray, so you can finesse for particular jobs. It doesn’t contain glyphosate, but best to keep pets and kids out of the way until it dries as it does contain an irritant.
Buy now £5.95, B&Q
Weedol Lawn Weed Killer
Best for: a simple solution to annoying weed-infested grass.
Tired of searching the lawn for those pesky weeds that interrupt your green sward? This ready-to-use selective weed killer will take down the common broad-leaved grass invaders, but leave the actual grass alone to do its thing. Start using in the spring, when weeds are first popping up.
It can take several weeks to see the full results, but you’ll have the satisfaction of watching weeds turn brown, wilt and wither away. Effective on dandelions, creeping buttercup, daisies, clover, plantain and more. It’s glyphosate-free, but contains fluroxypyr, which is a systemic weed killer going right down into the roots so you won’t get regrowth with perennials.
Buy now £5.95, B&Q
Scotts Miracle-Gro EverGreen Complete Lawn Food
Best for: achieving a thick, weed-free lawn
Feed your lawn and get rid of the weeds in one fell swoop with this lawn feed that has moss and weed killer all in one. Tip: pick or cut any flowers off weeds before applying, otherwise unlucky bees and other pollinators will get poisoned too if they come in for a taste of a bloom.
We found it to be especially effective on moss and it brought worn patches in the lawn back to life as well, though it took a few applications and a couple of months. Just keep your eye on next year, when you’ll have a weed-free swathe of lush, healthy grass to give the neighbours something to envy.
Buy now £16.97, Amazon
Kind to the environment weed killers
Weedkil Glyphosate Free Weed Killer
Best for: An effective, safe choice for those with children and/or pets
If you’ve got pets and children, you’ll likely want a weed killer that won’t cause them any problems, so this glyphosate-free squirter could be just the job.
Its active ingredient is acetic acid, which is pretty much what vinegar is made of, so there’s nothing nastier than that in it. It works best on low-growing vegetation, such as moss or chickweed, but its USP is that it works fast.
Spray in the morning and you’ll start to see results by evening. It works best when plants are in their active growing phase, from spring through summer, but you can use it all year round.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
Neudorff WeedFree Plus
Best for: tackling a wide range of weeds
Our top pick for an eco weed killer, as it’s visibly effective on such a wide range of space invaders, including stinging nettles, dandelion, thistle, chickweed, horsetail, ground elder and grasses. It even tackles rampant ivy.
It includes two of nature’s natural destroyers: pelargonic acid, which stops plants in their tracks, and maleic acid hydrazide, a foliage inhibitor that prevents re-growth. It’s biodegradable, so you can replant in the same spot just 48 hours later, and it’s safe for children and pets as soon as the product has dried.
Top tip: if it accidentally gets on a plant you don’t want to kill, just wash it off.
Buy now £21.24, Amazon
Roundup Naturals Glyphosate Free
Best for: Safe to use where you’ll be planting fruit and vegetables
From the same folks who brought you glyphosate (Roundup is the brand name for the original manufacturer of the stuff) now comes a glyphosate-free formula that works fast and is made neutral once it hits your soil, so the same patch can be used to grow vegetables and flowers pretty much right away.
The active ingredient is pelargonic acid, which is naturally occurring in many plants, including apples and grapes. Like other ecological weed killers, it works best on young, emerging weeds rather than the big, established bullies, so keep it handy and spray at will. Another bonus: it’s rain resistant after three hours, so it won’t wash off after that amount of time.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
Weedi Original Eco Weed Killer
Best for: Weed killing with pets around.
Both glyphosate-free and designed to professional industrial strength standards, you’ll be rid of your weeds in no time with Weedi’s Original Eco Weed Killer.
Suitable for patios, gravel, stone, tarmac and other hard surfaces, simply spray it on a day when there is no rain expected. It will dry in 15-20 minutes and will work within 24 hours. It’s that easy.
Buy now £29.99, B&Q
