What are some natural herbicide alternatives?

Tired of glyphosate? Here are some alternatives. More natural products can control weeds in the lawn, garden and landscape. According to Colorado State University Extension turf specialist Tony Koski, these natural herbicides work in one way. They destroy the leaf cuticle and integrity of leaf cells. The leaf cuticle forms a substance that covers the leaf surface. Often it is a group of substances, such as wax, a water repellent substance. The cuticle is found on the inside of a cell wall, which is considered the epidermal layer.

The second important point about these natural herbicides is that they are a contact herbicide. Once applied to any live part of the weed, they initially appear to brown or wilt the plants hours after the application. According to Koski, this is referred to as “burn-down” herbicides. The herbicide hits the leaf surface and begins to deteriorate the cell wall and the cuticle, which allows the substance designed to protect a plant to leak out of the cell.

Glysophate, also a contact or nonselective herbicide, works on plants by being absorbed into the plant and stops the plant from making enzymes needed for plant growth. The plant is slowly starving to death. Since the introduction of glysophate in 1996, there are now some resistant weed species. One of these across 14 states, according to Penn State Extension, is horseweed. Horseweed is a winter annual that can be difficult to control, especially for farmers.

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