Are there safe alternatives to Roundup ? Everyone who has a garden has faced the problem of weeds growing around your plants. Or, if you are a proud farm owner, you will have surely faced the problem of weeds growing around your crops.
Most people use Roundup as a weed killer to protect their crops or plants. Roundup is a famous herbicide that is used all over the US by almost everyone who has a garden or a farm. That, however, does not mean that it is a good weed killer.
Roundup contains glyphosate. Glyphosate is a carcinogen and might prove dangerous for the environment and, especially, aquatic life.
That is why we are going to talk about some safer alternatives to Roundup. Before we do that, though, let us take a look at the different types of weed killers.
Table of Contents
Different Types Of Weed Killers that are safe alternatives to Roundup
Flamethrowers
This might sound weird to beginners, but burning weeds is a great way to kill any weeds. As they are better known, flame weeders have been used for many years. For the past few years, many people have started using them in their garden. They are an effective, and much safer alternative to Roundup.
Vinegar
If you try to use vinegar that you have hanging around in your house, it will not be effective enough to get rid of those grown weeds. But, many farmers use industrial vinegar, which has a 20-30 percent acetic acid concentration. So, you could use this to kill those pesky weeds. Be very careful though. There is a reason that it is called industrial vinegar. If it touches your eyes or skin, you will have to take a small trip to the ER.
Organic Weed Killers
Nowadays, there are tons of different organic weed killers. They have tons of different combinations, the most usual ones being citrus oil, vinegar or lemon juice. These are really great, because they do not usually harm the environment. They are especially good if you have any kids or pets, because they are not toxic. So, you should either make your own, or look for these when buying a great weed killer. You can also check out our
Essential Oils
There are many different alternatives to glyphosate. Such alternatives are citronella, peppermint, and many other essential oils. Such oils usually destroy all the weeds. But, you should be very careful if you are a pet owner. These essential oils can be toxic to pets like cats and dogs. Some of them can even be fatal.
Top 18 Safe Alternatives To Roundup
1. Brush-B-Gone vs Roundup
Brush-B-Gone is a product made by Ortho, who are very well known when it comes to herbicides. This is a very effective herbicide. Unlike Roundup, Brush-B-Gone targets certain weeds. It kills any woody plants, like poison oak, and certain vines, like poison ivy, willows, wild blueberries, and any other unwanted vines and bushy plants. It also kills any stumps of alder, maple, willow and many others. It becomes rain-proof after just two hours, which is amazing. So, it is your ideal solution for any weed problems you might encounter in your garden.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!2. Burning Weeds vs Roundup
Burning weeds is a very effective method of killing any unwanted weeds. Burning weeds, or flame weeding as it is better known, is a somewhat dangerous process. You will need to get yourself a flame weeder, or a flamethrower. It usually consists of a propane tank, and a wand that is connected to it through a hose. When flame weeding, you should not aim to burn the weeds. You will need to heat them up enough so that their tissue gets destroyed. This much better than using a herbicide, because the only thing that you are doing is destroying the weeds, without harming the environment.
3. Ground Clear vs Roundup
This is another awesome product by Ortho. The Ground Clear is a great herbicide that you can use instead of Roundup. This “vegetation killer” can be applied almost anywhere you want to. From driveways, to sidewalks, to parking areas, to curbs and many more, you will be able to use this on any area that has some weed growth. With Ground Clear, you will be able to prevent any regrowth for at least 1 year, which is a huge plus in our opinion. It also acts in rapid speed, taking only one hour to start killing weeds. For the best results, it is recommended that you use it on a sunny day, when it is not too cold, because that is when weeds grow the most.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!4. Vinegar vs Roundup
This is a perfect way to kill weeds without using any chemicals. We all know that vinegar tastes really bad, and most plants think the same. That is why it is an amazing method to kill weeds that are growing in your garden. The problem is that vinegar is non-selective, so if you apply it all over your lawn, it will probably get destroyed by the next day. So, you will need to be extremely careful when applying a vinegar solution. Also, you will need to buy some industrial vinegar that has high concentrations of acetic acid. Otherwise, you won’t be able to kill any of the unwanted weeds.
5. RM43 vs Roundup
RM43 offers two great options that are better than Roundup. These are the rm43 weed preventer, and the rm43 weed killer. Both of these, unfortunately, have some glyphosate. But, the concentration of it is not that high. They are both very effective in their respective functions (one prevents weeds from growing and the other kills them). If you use them together, not only will you kill any weeds overnight, but you will also prevent them from growing again for almost a year. You can use both of these anywhere you desire, whether that is your garden, patio, driveway or anywhere else.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!6. Tordon vs Roundup
Tordon is recommended to be used instead of Roundup. It is not only more effective but also much safer and does not contain glyphosate. You won’t need to mix this one, as it is already working. All you will need to do is add it into a squirt bottle, and you are good to go. It can kill all unwanted weeds in your driveway, and it is also really easy to use. It does not have a freeze formulation, so the product keeps flowing freely.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!7. Ortho Ground Super Concentrate vs Roundup
The Ortho Ground Super Concentrate is an excellent choice. It does not have glyphosate as an ingredient which is a huge plus. You can kill any type of weed with it, anywhere they grow. So, you should not worry when you have some unwanted weeds growing in your patio. Just spray this one on them, and they will be killed in a few days. It also becomes rain resistant in the matter of minutes, which is awesome. The formula starts working immediately, so you will see a difference in the first few hours.
8. Crossbow vs Roundup
Crossbow is made by Southern Ag, a famous company when it comes to herbicides. They have some other amazing products, and Crossbow is one of them. With Crossbow, you will be able to kill most of the unwanted weeds, so you should not worry about it not being effective. It contains 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, butoxyethyl ester, Triclopyr. While these might not mean something to you, the key point to understand is that it does not contain any glyphosate, which is always a plus.
9. Natria vs Roundup
This weed killer by Natria is a great one. It works at record speed, so you won’t need to wait for too long to see results. Unfortunately, it is a non-selective herbicide. This means that if you are not careful, you might ruin your lawn, instead of just getting rid of the unwanted weeds. That is why Natria is recommended to be used in patios or sidewalks, to ensure that it does not ruin a nice garden or lawn. It kills all kinds of unwanted weeds, though, so that is a huge positive.
10. 24D vs Roundup
24D is a better herbicide than Roundup. It is one of the cheapest herbicides you can find on the market and is also a great alternative to most other herbicides. You can’t use it everywhere, though. It is recommended to be used on certain types of lawns. You should be able to use it in your garden, though, so that is a huge plus. It is also really economical. This means that you do not need to waste tons of it to kill any weeds. The recommended use is 1 to 4 pints per acre.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!11. Preen vs Roundup
Preen has tons of different products. From weed preventers, to weed killers, too many other products that help you take care of your lawn, they are the ones on top. It is not meant to be used on lawns, because just like 24D it is non selective. So, unless you want to ruin your lawn, we would suggest that you do not use it for it. But, it is a great selection for unwanted weeds that have grown on your patio or driveway. It is also really effective, so you should not face any issues with it, and you will probably see the results immediately.
12. Remuda vs Roundup
With Remuda, you’ll be able to get rid of any unwanted weeds you have on your driveway. It’s a great alternative to Roundup, as it offers great weed control and is also really effective. Unfortunately, just like Roundup, it has glyphosate, which is widely used in many weed killers. It’s perfect when it comes to killing weeds that have just started growing. Then again, it’s non-selective, so you won’t be able to use it in your lawn, but it’s great for your patio. It’s super easy to mix. Just add the designated amount of water, mix it up well, and you’re good to go.
13. Triclopyr vs Roundup
Triclopyr is another amazing alternative to Roundup. Unlike most other weed killers on our list, this one is a selective herbicide. This means that you can easily use it on your lawn, without the fear of destroying it, as the herbicide only targets unwanted weeds. Speaking of unwanted weeds, Triclopyr gets rid of a lot of different weed types, making it one of the best choices on this list. You can mix the concentrate with some water and apply it on the affected area with ease. Then, all you need to do is wait while Triclopyr does its magic.
14. Wipeout vs Roundup
Wipeout is a really unique product, compared to the rest of the products we have listed. It actually kills any unwanted weeds that grow in ponds. Cool, right? Thankfully, it contains no glyphosate, whereas Roundup does. It gets rid of any kind of floating or submerged weeds. Mixing is incredibly easy. All you need to do is add some water (preferably not water from the pond) and mix it up really well. Then you can apply it directly on the affected area. Due to its ingredients, it does not harm the aquatic environment, so you should not fear that.
15. Bleach vs Roundup
The bleach weed killer is another DIY weed killer, which is really easy to make. We would suggest that you mix salt, some liquid dish soap and bleach to make a solution. You will need to mix it up really well, so that it has the right consistency. Then, you can apply it directly to the area where the unwanted weeds are. Make sure that you wear gloves throughout the process, unless you want to burn your hands with the bleach. This is a very effective way to get rid of unwanted weeds, without buying any herbicides.
16. RM18 Weed Killer vs Roundup
The RM18 weed killer is a great weed killer. Before we go into details, it is important to mention that this should be applied on a sunny, warm day, and it should preferably not be windy, so that you get the best results. It’s a concentrate, so you’ll need to mix it up with some water before it is ready to be used. But, after that, you’ll get a great ready to spray weed killer. It also comes in 4 different containers. So you’ll need to choose according to the amount of affected areas you have.
CHECK THE PRICE ON AMAZON!17. Gramoxone vs Roundup
Gramoxone is an incredible alternative to Roundup. It is very convenient, and also really effective. As you might know, it can kill tons of different weeds that will grow in your garden in almost two days. Even if you have really stubborn weeds that do not want to go away, you will easily be able to kill them with Gramoxone. Even though it is safer than Roundup, it is not the best choice because it contains chemicals that could prove harmful to the environment.
18. Borax vs Roundup
Borax (also known as Boric Acid) is an acid that is contained in Bonide is herbicide. There are two different versions of it. The first one is the ready-to-spray and the second one is the concentrate version. We would undoubtedly suggest the concentrate version, because it is cheaper and more effective. This herbicide kills over 200 different weeds, without harming your lawn. The results are really quick. You will notice the damage on the weeds in a few hours after applying it on them, and they will be killed in the span of 1-2 weeks. One of the best safe alternatives to roundup.
Factors To Consider When Buying a Weed Killer
There are some factors that you will need to consider when you want to buy a great weed killer. These factors can often be overwhelming. That is why we have summed them up for you. Here they are:
Effectiveness
The first thing you will need to think about when buying a weed killer is how effective it is. This will prevent any weeds from growing in the future. If you are wondering how you will be able to check how effective a weed killer is, all you need to check is the ingredients it contains.
Even though glyphosate is really effective, we would suggest that you avoid products that contain it. Try to look for more organic ingredients that are also really effective. This way, you will be able to get rid of weeds and not have the fear of poisoning yourself or others.
Safety
If you are using a weed killer for your garden, you will need to take some measures before you go out spraying or burning. After all, what is the point of having a nice garden if you can’t go out and have fun in it? All of the chemicals from weed killers, organic or not, can be harmful to your health.
This, however, does not mean that you should worry when you are done with the process. You should usually stay safe when you are spraying the weeds. If you use the methods we mentioned, you should have no problem hanging out in your weed-free lawn.
Weed Killer Size
This is a huge aspect that you need to take into consideration. Simply explained, if you have a small weed growth, you won’t need to buy a huge weed killer. So, you will have to measure the affected area, so that you do not overspend money on a new weed killer.
Thankfully, most weed killers come in a plethora of sizes. So, you should not have a problem if you want to buy a small container or a large one.
Working vs Concentrate
Most weed killers, whether they are organic or not, come in two different forms. They are either working or concentrate solutions. As you can imagine, a concentrate solution needs to be diluted with water to become active. Working solutions are usually more expensive than concentrate, so if you do not mind diluting a concentrate solution, you should buy that one.
Most products have instructions that are really understandable on how to turn a concentrate into a working product. More often than not, all you will need to do is fill the solution with a gallon of water, and you will be ready to go.
FAQs For Weed Killers
1.Are weed killers safe for my kids and pets?
Most organic weed killers are safe for your kids and any of your pets. But, before you use any type of weed killer, you should take a look at the ingredients, to make sure that there are not any harmful chemicals.
You should also look for more organic weed killers. The ones that do not have chemicals are the best, because even if they come in contact with your pet or kid, they are not harmful for them. Plus, they do not harm the environment, which is always great.
2.What is the difference between a Weed Growth Preventer and Killer?
There are so many people that think a weed growth preventer is also a killer. That is why many use a growth preventer to try to “eliminate” the weeds. This is wrong. If you have no weed growth, then you can use a preventer. If you have even the slightest of growth, you must opt for a weed killer.
3. Is a Ready To Spray Weed Killer than a Concentrate?
The answer is no. We always recommend concentrates, because they are cheaper and sometimes more effective. In 2021, it is easier than ever before to dilute a concentrate, by just adding a bit of water. So, why not look for the cheaper version of weed killers, when it is so easy to get them working?
Concentrated solutions are also better because they have much more actual herbicide inside. This way, you can use them many more times than their ready to spray alternatives.
Protect Your Garden with Your New Weed Killer
If you have any kind of plants or crops, a weed killer is more often than not essential. Roundup is the most well-known weed killer, but contains glyphosate, which can be really harmful to you and the environment.
That is why we have opted for other methods to kill weeds. We would definitely suggest that you try some of these ways. This way, you can keep a healthy garden, and a healthy lifestyle as well.
External references:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4226356/
James Fields is the founder of Gardener to Farmer. His passion for gardening goes back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandfather during the holidays and help him with the plants in the backyard. This has now translated to creating a dependable resource for gardening.