Review of the Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer
As of this writing, there are 112 customer comments and 13 answered questions for the Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer. I’ve read the customer feedback and then condensed the results into this review. I hope that this review helps you when shopping for a weed killer.
Best Features
- Visible results can be noticed in just 3 hours
- Kills the entire plant
- Makes up to 20 gallons
- Works on patios, walkways, and flower beds
- Effective at killing weeds
Item Specifics
The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer is a non-selective herbicide that will kill any vegetation it comes in contact with. It enters plants through the leaves and moves down to the roots. This will ensure that the entire plant is killed. Because it will kill all vegetation, you’ll need to protect desirable plants and vegetation with a piece of plastic or cardboard. If desirable plants are accidentally sprayed, wash the plants with water immediately. That said, this weed killer has no soil activity and thus will not affect nearby untreated plants. This product is recommended for patios, walkways, and flower beds. You can also use it in your garden to kill garden weeds. Visible results can be seen in just 3 hours. It comes in a 64-ounce concentrate, which makes up to 20 gallons. This weed killer is restricted in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Contains Fluazifop-p-butyl
One of the active ingredients of The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer is Fluazifop-p-butyl. A customer explained what this ingredient does. The customer said, “Looking at the product label, this contains Fluazifop-p-butyl in addition to the typical weed killer ingredients Diaquat dibromide and Dicamba. Fluazifop-p-butyl has been around for decades and it is also safe to use around the house. This weed killer is unique because most others do not contain a specific grass killer ingredient in addition to the broadleaf weed killer ingredients. If you have a lot of grassy weeds, this is a good product to rotate into your arsenal. According to the Center for Invasive Species, ‘Fluazifop-p-butyl kills annual and perennial grasses, but does little or no harm to broad-leaved plants (dicots). It kills by inhibiting lipid synthesis (lipids are necessary components of cell membranes), particularly at the sites of active growth. In the environment, fluazifop-p-butyl is degraded primarily through microbial metabolism and hydrolysis. It is not degraded readily by sunlight. The half-life of fluazifop-p-butyl in soils is one to two weeks.’ “
Works Differently Than RoundUp
Roundup’s active ingredient is Glyphosate which works differently than the active ingredients of The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer. A customer explained the difference well by stating, “Several people have compared Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer to Glyphosate (trade name Roundup). IMO they are comparing apples and oranges, as these are complementary products that happen to work differently, but each has their strengths. Spectracide is a “foliage burner” i.e. it burns back whatever green foliage you spray it on, but does not go after the roots to the extent that roundup does. This makes it ideal for spraying the “runners” that my hybrid Bermuda lawn sends out into the flower beds next to the lawn. It kills those without affecting the parts of the Bermuda plant that stay on the lawn. And it does it quickly, turning them brown within a day or so. Glyphosate works by inhibiting the formation of certain plant proteins; this process takes longer (up to a week or more during cool months, or days during the warmer actively-growing summer months) but it kills the entire plant including roots. Furthermore, you don’t have to cover the entire plant for it to absorb enough herbicide to completely kill the plant. That makes it ideal for spraying some of the hardier, more “shrubby” plants that grow around our property. Taken together (note: not applied together) these two herbicides provide the complete solution to my weed-control needs.”
Works Fast
The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer works fast. The majority of customers who commented on the speed at which this works, said that it works very quickly to kill vegetation. Here is one of those comments, “I got the Spectracide HG-96390 Weed and Grass treatment for a friend of mine, who has a huge and beautiful garden. He diluted the product as directed, and sprayed all the weeds he could find. Viola! Within two days the weeds had withered, and within four days they were gone. The spray did not harm his precious flower beds, plants or trees. He said he believed that this product was the best he’d tried. Highly recommended.”
Some Complained It Did Not Kill the Roots
There were a lot of people who said this product did not kill the roots as it should. Here is one of those complaints, “Not everyone had success with this product. What it killed is now back. This DID NOT kill to the root. It browned the grass quickly…VERY quickly but now I have new growth on every part of the lawn sprayed…and I mixed int on the strong side. The Compare N Save and HDX are is still dead…took much longer but killed to the root! Spectracide DID NOT kill to the root and all the grass area to be killed off…90% has grown back. Product did not work for me as I hoped it would. If you’re looking for a quick brown…this is your product but it did not kill the lawn to the root in the areas desired. I have Floratam St Augustine which is a rather sensitive and many weed and feeds will kill it off…so I totally expected this to work completely….and it did not. Wasted money…at least it was on sale. Going back to Compare N Save and/or HDX.”
Good Price
Compared to other weed killers, The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer is priced well. Here is one of the many positive price comments left by customers on Amazon, “Shipped securely and was a good deal for the price. I have alrea​dy put it to use!”
You Will Need a Sprayer
To apply The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer, you will need a sprayer (not included). A customer shared this, “I used this to get rid of a lot of grass and weed that were coming up between the bricks of a large (20 by 30 feet) patio. The product was easy to mix and apply with a hose sprayer. After about 24 hours, most of the grass and weeds started to turn yellow and within the week, everything was pretty much dead. This used about half of the bottle, so I may try another application in few months if weeds come back. None of the grass or plants near the patio seemed to be affected later – I was afraid when it rained two days after applying this some residue might get into my lawn, but this didn’t seem to happen.”
Restricted in Two States
Each state has its own laws on which poisons are allowed to be used in the environment in that particular state. New Hampshire and Vermont do not allow this weed killer. If you live in those states you obviously can’t use this product, but this may concern other people in other states as to why it is banned. Not all of the health hazards of poisons are known so use extreme caution when using this product around people and pets.
Pros
- Kills weeds effectively
- Good price
- Works fast
Cons
- Will need a sprayer to apply
- Some complained it did not kill the roots as advertised
- Banned in two Vermont and New Hampshire
Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer Conclusion
The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer is a non-selective herbicide that will kill any and all vegetation it comes in contact with. The poison enters the plants through the leaves and then moves down to the roots. Because it kills the roots, this ensures that the plant will not grow back. Take care to not get this on any plant that you do not want to be killed. Visible results can be seen in just 3 hours after application. This product comes in a 64-ounce concentrate, which makes up to 20 gallons. The Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer is restricted in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Common Questions
Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer.
- Can I use this weed killer on my lawn? Yes, you can use this weed killer to kill weeds in your lawn. However, keep in mind that this weed killer will kill all plants that it comes in contact with. If you apply this on your lawn, you will need to plan on reseeding your yard. This can be done in about a week after applying it.
- How long should I wait before applying the second application? Spectracide recommends waiting at least 2 weeks between applications.
- How long after use can I plant my flowers/flower seeds? You would only have to wait 24 hours after the last application of the product to plant flowers.
Related Article: Best Weed Killer: Top 10 to Get Your Lawn Looking Great
