There are several chemical options for killing plant roots, including herbicides that are systemic or contact, selective or non-selective, pre-emergent or post-emergent. Systemic herbicides like glyphosate are absorbed by the plant and kill roots from the inside out within 24 hours. Selective herbicides only affect certain plants, while non-selective ones like glyphosate and pelargonic acid kill nearly all plants. Post-emergent herbicides target mature plants and their roots, whereas pre-emergent herbicides prevent seed germination. Organic options for root killing include salt, baking soda, and vinegar.
There are several chemical options for killing plant roots, including herbicides that are systemic or contact, selective or non-selective, pre-emergent or post-emergent. Systemic herbicides like glyphosate are absorbed by the plant and kill roots from the inside out within 24 hours. Selective herbicides only affect certain plants, while non-selective ones like glyphosate and pelargonic acid kill nearly all plants. Post-emergent herbicides target mature plants and their roots, whereas pre-emergent herbicides prevent seed germination. Organic options for root killing include salt, baking soda, and vinegar.
Killing a plant's roots ensures the plant won't pop up again. Pulling a weed doesn't always guarantee you've killed the plant; some weeds are so hardy that they can regrow from small slivers of roots left in the soil. Several chemicals, however, have effective root-killing abilities.
From the Inside Out
Two main kinds of chemicals serve as plant killers, or herbicides: systemic and contact. Contact herbicides, such as DIQUAT, kill what they touch, typically plant leaves or grass blades. The affected plants usually die when they can no longer perform photosynthesis, but the herbicides don't travel to the roots. Systemic herbicides are absorbed by plants through their leaves and transported throughout their systems, killing their roots along with the other parts of the plants. One of the most common systemic herbicides is GLYPHOSATE, which sometimes kills roots within 24 hours. Selective Choices Within the two main types of herbicides lie several additional options. For example, some herbicides are selective while others are non-selective. Selective systemic herbicides, such as DICAMBA, affect the roots of only certain plants; dicamba affects mostly broadleaf weeds. Finding the right selective herbicide lets you pinpoint problem plants without harming surrounding plants and grass. Non-selective herbicides such as GLYPHOSATE and PELARGONIC acid are lethal to nearly all plants. Before or After When your goal is to kill plant roots, the choice between a pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide is a simple one. Pre-emergent herbicides, such as ORYZALIN, target seeds, keeping the seeds from germinating before they can grow into unwanted plants. They don't kill roots because no roots exist at the seed stage. Post-emergent herbicides, however, focus on more mature plants, killing the plants and their roots. Examples include GLYPHOSATE and 2, 4-D. Organic Options Organic options also kill plant roots. SALT, for example, seeps into the soil and desiccates the roots. Salt absorbs moisture from the surface of roots as well as the soil around them. Salt is a non-selective herbicide and stays in the soil for years. So use it only where you don't want plants to grow, such as cracks in a driveway. BAKING SODA also adds sodium to soil, killing plants in a similar fashion to salt. VINEGAR, on the other hand, serves as a contact herbicide by burning plant leaves, especially on sunny days.
