What's in That Herbicide Container?
It is critical with today's marketing and the large assortment of products to carefully read the label. Know the active ingredients, how they work, and where they are used. The inert ingredients (such as surfactants) in the formulation may also dictate where the product can be used. One group of products that causes confusion are those sold under the brand Roundup®.
There are several Roundup® branded products on the market that are sold with very similar trade names but contain very different ingredients. As a result, these products are labeled for different uses and sites. Make certain to choose the correct product for the treatment and site because a misused product can quickly lead to problems for both the applicator and the landscape.
A few Roundup® branded products that appear similar but are actually different include Roundup Pro®, Roundup® Custom, Roundup® Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer Plus Weed Preventor, Roundup® Ready-To-Use Max Control 365, and Roundup® for Lawns.
| Trade Name | Active Ingredient | Use Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roundup Pro® | glyphosate | land only | Surfactant not safe for aquatic application |
| Roundup® Custom | glyphosate | land and aquatic | Contains surfactant safe for aquatic life |
| Roundup® Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer Plus Weed Preventor | glyphosate, imazapic, diquat dibromide | driveways, sidewalks, patios, along fences, curbs, retaining walls, and edges of lawns, as well as on decorative rock or gravel areas | Do not use within root zone of desirable vegetation |
| Roundup® Ready-To-Use Max Control 365 | glyphosate, imazapic, diquat dibromide | driveways, patios, sidewalks, or gravel areas | Do not use within root zone of desirable vegetation |
| Roundup® for Lawns | MCPA, quinclorac, dicamba, sulfentrazone | lawns | selective to kill broadleaf weeds (including dandelion and clover) and yellow nutsedge |
As you see from these examples, a brand name is for marketing purposes, and each trade name under that brand may have different ingredients and different site uses. So, make sure you take a close look at the label and choose the correct product for the task!
One additional thing to keep in mind, pesticide manufacturers create a brand and marketing around new herbicides and their active ingredient. But after the patent on a new herbicide expires, other companies can manufacture and distribute that active ingredient under different trade names. For example, the active ingredient glyphosate is no longer under patent and is sold under a variety of trade names such as Roundup Pro, Accord, Cinco, Bullzeye, Envoy, Eraser, Glyfos, Gly Star, Glyphosate, Glysupreme, Ranger, Razor, Rodeo and more.
So, the chemistry you are looking for might be available under a variety of trade names from various manufacturers. As previously stated, read the label, to legally use the product make sure the site where it will be used is listed on the label, and become familiar with the pesticides and the active ingredients they contain.
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