Looking for the best weed killer for flower beds? These top–notch products and home remedies are tried and true for flower bed weed control.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
Doctor Kirchner is a natural weed killer option for maintaining a weed-free flower bed. The weed killer acts as a spot treatment for weeds in flower gardens and other landscape beds, providing rapid results in 12 to 24 hours. What makes this product unique is that it’s made from natural ocean water, vinegar, and soap. Reviewers love its ability to make weeds wither and turn brown in just a few hours, without the use of harmful chemicals.
“We mainly use it on the rocks in our landscaping when weeds pop up around our bushes and flowers,” says a reviewer. “Within a half hour, the weed is shriveled. By morning, the weed actually seemed to disintegrate into the rock. I could hardly even see it. Normally, we have to go back and pull up all the dead weeds after using the RoundUp. I don’t have to do anything after spraying. It’s awesome!”
In less than 24 hours, you can eliminate any type of weed with this weed killer for flower beds. Containing 20 percent acetic acid, it’s safe to use anywhere. The product is four times stronger than traditional table vinegar, is void of VOCs or other harmful cancer-causing additives, and is made from ethanol distilled completely from corn grain. The outcome is a green product that you can rely on to accomplish tasks in a sustainable manner.
“We really like the Green Gobbler Vinegar,” says a reviewer. “This is the only product we use for killing weeds! It’s both natural and organic, leaving your yard smelling like a salad for a few days. Kills weeds within a day. Plus, you can dilute to 10% from the 20% vinegar to stretch it out!”
Great for spot spraying weeds around flower beds, trees, and shrubs, the concentrate is an effective weed killer for powerful control of almost all types of weeds. It contains 41 percent glyphosate, a post-emergent herbicide. The treated areas can be replanted in as little as one day.
These types of weed killers can eliminate existing weeds such as quack grass, bermudagrass, broadleaf weeds, chickweed, spurge, purslane, crabgrass, nutsedge, regular sedge, and panicum. With this product, you only need to spray the weeds’ leaves, as the glyphosate is absorbed and travels to the roots to kill the plant.
Keep in mind that this medication is a concentrate, so you won’t want to pour it directly into your sprayer. The recommended ratio is three tablespoons of the concentrate in one gallon of water. For severe weed infestation, you can increase that to five tablespoons of the concentrate.
“This weed killer does exactly what I want it to do—it kills weeds dead in their tracks,” says a reviewer. “I’ve got a huge problem with weeds where I live because the fields around my house are infested with them, and when the wind blows, those seeds go right into my yard. Rats! I’ve tried so many things to get rid of weeds, but this weed killer is so powerful that I can spray a couple of times (just to be safe), and all the weeds will die within 5 days.”
According to The Garden Counselor, the following recipe makes a wonderful alternative to store-bought products for killing weeds in your flower bed.
Common household vinegar contains an active ingredient called acetic acid, which helps remove moisture. “When sprayed on plant foliage, the water in the leaves is drawn out, and the top growth of the plant is killed,” notes The Garden Counselor. Salt also draws out moisture, making it a desirable ingredient for killing weeds. The addition of soap serves to improve the absorption of the spray, since it’s able to break down the cuticle or waxy surface found on many weeds. As with all weed killers, make sure to use this solution only for spot-treating weeds to ensure that your desired plants remain alive.
While this DIY mixture is a popular alternative, it’s important to understand its limitations. Homemade weed killers are contact killers, meaning they only affect the parts of the plant they touch. According to the experts at Lawn Love, they are most effective on young, broadleaf weeds. For tougher weeds with deep roots, they note that, “If the solution doesn’t reach the roots, the weeds will grow back the following year or at the end of the season.” Therefore, you may need to reapply this solution more often than a commercial herbicide, especially for persistent weeds.
So, we’ve identified four great ways to kill existing weeds, but what if you could stop them from ever showing up? That’s where pre-emergent herbicides come in. According to the lawn care professionals at Tuff Lawn, these products work by creating “an invisible barrier within the soil that stops weed seeds from sprouting.”
Taking this proactive approach is often more effective than waiting for weeds to appear. Tuff Lawn notes that using pre-emergents can “Save Time and Effort” because “Once weeds have taken root, they’re much harder to eliminate.” A product like Preen Extended Control Weed Preventer is a perfect example of this strategy.
So, we’ve identified four great ways to kill weeds in your flower beds, but we’d also like to suggest taking care of the problem before it starts! This pre-emergent weed killer stops weeds from germinating, so you never have to worry about dealing with them in your flower beds. Be sure there are no weeds present before applying, then use the included power spreader cap to apply the granules with ease. According to the manufacturer, this product prevents 27 types of broadleaf weeds and grasses from germinating for 9 to 12 weeks without harming more than 200 types of flowers, bulbs, shrubs, trees, and vegetables.
“This is probably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. An Amazon reviewer describes this product as incredible.” There’s definitely MAGIC stuffed inside this yellow tub! Haven’t had to pull a weed in months. I’m a farm owner with lots of property, and I used this bathtub on the side and front of my house. Since then, I haven’t had to worry about the landscape. Able to move on to other projects and my animals.”
The key is to be careful and work on a calm, windless day. Even a small breeze can carry spray onto plants you want to keep. For extra security, hold up a piece of cardboard to act as a shield between the weed and your flowers. It also helps to set your sprayer to a narrow stream instead of a wide mist, which gives you much better control right where you need it. Just be patient and focus on hitting only the weeds.
You absolutely have to check the product’s label, because the waiting time is different for every type of weed killer. For example, a product like Compare-n-Save with glyphosate often allows you to plant in as little as a day because it deactivates in the soil. Natural options like the vinegar or salt-based killers don’t leave active chemicals behind, so you can usually replant as soon as the weed is gone. But with a weed preventer like Preen, you have to wait much longer, since its whole job is to stop things from growing. The label is your best guide.
Lawn Love is a lawn care service provider that connects homeowners with local landscaping and lawn maintenance professionals across the country. Their blog features articles and advice from industry experts on a wide range of topics, including fertilization, pest control, and effective, practical weed management solutions.
Tuff Lawn is a professional lawn care company that specializes in services designed to maintain healthy, vibrant turf. Their expertise includes proactive and preventative treatments, such as the timely application of pre-emergent herbicides to stop weeds like crabgrass and dandelions before they can grow.
Our editors independently select each product. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission
custom-tracking =
