If you need to get rid of stubborn weeds at scale then it’s a good idea to use the best commercial weed killer.
My recommended choice is RM43 Glyphosate Plus Weed Preventer.
This powerful and effective herbicide not only kills any weeds you apply it to, but also stops them growing in the treated area for a year.
And unlike many weaker formulas, just one application is enough to get the job done with a minimum of fuss.
The top choices at a glance:
- RM43 Glyphosate Plus Weed Preventer – Best Overall
- Ortho GroundClear Vegetation Killer – Best Budget Choice
- Tenacity Turf Herbicide – Best Commercial Weed Killer For Lawns & Grassy Areas
All links lead to Amazon, where you can find more information & customer reviews
The Best Commercial Weed Killer: Reviews
RM43 Glyphosate Plus Weed Preventer
RM43 has a very powerful and effective herbicide formula, making it ideal for professional use or for homeowners.
It contains 0.8% imazapyr and 43% glyphosate. These are non-selective herbicides that kill a wide range of plants, including broadleaf weeds, annual grasses, and perennial grasses.
This makes it a great choice when you want to kill all the vegetation in an area, such as around buildings, barns, driveways, and parking areas. Or areas of gardens or farmland that are overgrown with weeds and brush.
But it’s not a good choice for using on lawns as it will kill the grass as well.
Also included with the herbicides is a surfactant that helps the weed killer stick to the surface of the plants you apply it to without rolling off, increasing its effectiveness.
One of the great things about this commercial weed killer is its lasting effect. It prevents weeds from growing back for about a year. But this also means it’s not a good choice to use on land if you want to replant sooner than that.
As a systemic weed killer, it kills plants from the inside, working all the way down to the root. But like most systemic weed killers you have to be patient because it can take up to a week to start seeing visible effects. With 2 weeks common to completely kill the weeds.
It comes in a 2.5 gallon bottle of concentrate that when diluted is enough to treat a 43,243 sq. ft. area.
Ortho GroundClear Year-Long Vegetation Killer
Ortho Groundclear is a good choice when you want to clear all the plants from an area so you can start again. It’s powerful and effective and does exactly what it says on the tin.
But because it’s non-selective it’s not advisable to use it on lawns or around plants you want to keep.
Similar to RM43, it contains a 5% glyphosate and 0.8% imazapyr formula that not only kills existing weeds, but also prevents them from regrowing for 12 months.
It’s rainproof after an hour. And typical of glyphosate based systemic weed killers, you can expect to have to wait for around 2 weeks to see its full effects.
RoundUp Pro Concentrate Systemic Herbicide
This commercial grade weed killer offers great value for money.
Containing 50.2% glyphosate, it’s a powerful systemic and non-selective herbicide that’s effective at killing large areas of weeds and unwanted vegetation.
It’s ideal for industrial vegetation management and large scale weed removal in an agricultural setting. It’s also commonly used around commercial businesses and residential homes. And it’s used in many counties and cities by highway right of way management companies.
The formula also contains a surfactant to make sure more of it is absorbed by the leaves and blades of sprayed plants.
And it’s rainproof after just an hour. So you don’t have to worry about the weather weakening the results. Just make sure it’s not raining when you apply it.
The concentrate comes in a 2.5 gallon plastic jug.
Tenacity Turf Herbicide
Tenacity is a great solution for treating grassy areas. It’s effective at killing most common broadleaf weeds, including dandelion, clover, chickweed, ground ivy, and purslane. Sedges, such as purple and yellow nutsedge. And grassy weeds such as crabgrass, barnyardgrass, and goosegrass.
As it’s a selective herbicide it won’t kill most common lawn grasses. But there are exceptions — it’s best to avoid using it on bermudagrass, bentgrass, or zoysiagrass lawns.
However, one drawback is that it sometimes turns grass temporarily white. But it recovers its green after a few weeks.
Not only does it work as a post-emergent weed killer that kills weeds already growing, but it also acts as a pre-emergent weed killer to prevent them growing in the first place.
The main active ingredient in the formula is Mesotrione, a non-toxic compound that won’t cause harm to birds, bees, or mammals that are using the area. Making it a good choice for households with pets.
After application, results are visible within a week. But it can be quite slow to completely kill weeds, often taking over a month. So you’ll need to have some patience.
It comes in an 8 fl. Oz. bottle that when diluted gives you enough to treat 1 acre.
Compare-N-Save Concentrate Grass and Weed Killer
Compare N Save 41 Glyphosate Concentrate is one of the most popular non-selective weed killers available on the market.
It’s powerful enough to kill most plants you apply it to. But, this also means it’s a bad choice for lawns. And you have to take extra care when using it around plants you want to keep.
Like the other weed killers that contain glyphosate, it has a systemic action that kills weeds all the way to the root so they don’t grow back again. With a couple of weeks or more commonly needed to completely kill the vegetation you apply it to. But it won’t prevent new weeds from growing in the treated area.
The 2.5 gallon bottle can be diluted to make 210 gallons of effective weed killer, which is enough to cover 630,000 sq. ft.
Quali-Pro Prodiamine Pre-Emergent Herbicide
This professional pre-emergent herbicide gives great control of broadleaf weeds and grasses when applied to an area. The main active ingredient is 65% prodiamine.
Because it doesn’t kill existing plants, you can use it on your turfgrass to stop weeds from germinating and growing. It’s also good for use around landscape ornamentals, established perennials, ungrazed fence rows, and any non-crop area where you want to prevent weeds.
Use it in early spring and then again in late fall for the best results against common weeds such as crabgrass, henbit, chickweed, spurge, and Poa annua.
The Andersons DG Pro Turf Barricade Granular Weed Control
This granular weed killer works as a pre-emergent. When you spread the granules over an area and then water them into the soil it prevents weed seeds from germinating.
It’s a good choice for using on lawns and other grassy areas. And it won’t harm desirable plants and flowers. But there are better choices for dealing with weeds growing around residential areas and through the cracks in driveways and sidewalks.
Like other weed preventers, the key to its successful use lies in using it at the right time of year. Use it in early spring and late fall for the best results.
PBI/Gordon’s Speed Zone Lawn Weed Killer
Speed Zone is a lawn weed killer with a great reputation. It’s a selective weed killer that targets broadleaf weeds, including stubborn varieties such as creeping charlie and clover. And it’s safe to use on many common lawn grasses.
But there are some limitations — it’s not recommended for use on the popular St. Augustine grass.
The company recommends using it on these grass types:
- Fescues
- Zoysiagrass
- Bermudagrass
- Perennial ryegrass
- Kentucky bluegrass
For other grasses, test a small area first to make sure it’s compatible.
For this reason, it’s a product that’s best for homeowners who know the type of grass they have. But maybe not such a good choice for professional services that have to treat a wide variety of lawns.
Even when using it on one of the recommended grasses, you still have to be careful. Some customers report that it can cause browning when over-applied.
The main ingredients in the formula are mecoprop-p, 2,4-D, carfentrazone-ethyl, and dicamba. The combination produces fast results, with a visible effect noticeable after just a few hours.
But, it can take a week or more to kill difficult weeds such as plantain. And occasionally you might need to apply it more than once to complete the job.
Bonide Sedge Ender Weed Control Concentrate
Bonide is a good choice if you have to get rid of nutsedge as well as broadleaf and grassy weeds from an area.
Not all weed killers will give you effective control of sedges. But this product contains sulfentrazone, a post-emergent herbicide that’s well known for controlling yellow and purple nutsedge.
It also acts as a pre-emergent weed preventer, containing prodiamine to prevent weed seed germination.
You’ll start to see results quickly after application. It begins to dessicate plants on contact, and the effects are noticeable after a few hours. And it also kills plants systemically, working all the way down to the root and preventing them from regrowing.
Once applied it dries quickly, and after that it’s rainproof. And you can use it on most warm and cool season grasses without causing harm.
Southern Ag 2,4-D Amine Weed Killer Selective Broadleaf Weed Control
Southern Ag is a selective weed killer that targets broadleaf weeds. This makes it useful for treating lawns, pastures, rangeland, and along fence lines.
But although it’s safe to use on most types of grass, you still have to be careful when using it on St. Augustine grass and bermuda grass as it can stunt and slow their growth.
It’s a systemic weed killer that kills the roots to stop them from growing back. Taking up to 2 weeks to completely kill many weeds.
When diluted, the 32-ounce bottle can treat 20,000 sq. ft.
Buying Guide: Choosing The Best Commercial Weed Killer
How do you choose the best commercial weed killer?
Here are some important things to consider:
Selectivity
If you want to kill all the plant life growing in an area then non-selective weed killers are the right choice.
The best weed killers for gravel driveways, around buildings, and along roadsides, usually fall into this category.
But if you’re treating a lawn full of weeds and you don’t want to damage the grass, then you’ll need a selective weed killer.
Selective weed killers are specially formulated to target broadleaf weeds. They also sometimes kill sedges and certain types of grassy weeds.
But they’re not always safe to use on all lawn grasses. So make sure to check the recommended list on the product before you start.
Pre-emergent or Post-emergent?
Weed killers that kill plants that are already growing are known as post-emergent. When people first notice they have a weed problem, this is the type of weed killer they usually need.
But pre-emergent weed killers can also play an important part in an effective weed prevention strategy. Because they prevent weed seeds in the soil from germinating.
This is particularly useful for preventing problematic weeds such as crabgrass and Poa annua that leave many seeds in the soil over the winter waiting to germinate and grow during the next season.
The timing is important when using pre-emergent herbicides, with early spring and late fall usually recommended. If you know the type of weeds that the area is struggling with then you can find out when the seeds are likely to germinate to more precisely time your use and improve your results.
Persistence
Persistence refers to how long the weed killer continues to have an effect on the treated area.
Long-lasting weed killers that prevent the growth of weeds in the area for a length of time into the future are known as persistent weed killers.
By remaining in the top layers of soil, often for many months, they prevent the germination of weed seeds. But this effect is reduced if you disturb the ground by digging or tilling.
Non-persistent weed killers kill the weeds that you spray them on but won’t offer much protection from new weed plants growing in the area.
Some of the best commercial weed killers are persistent and keep the area clear of weeds for up to a year.
Persistence is also sometimes described as residual activity.
Contact vs Systemic
Contact weed killers start to kill the weed immediately on contact. They give fast results. But because they often don’t kill the plant all the way to its roots it can still grow back again. And regular treatment of the area using a good weed sprayer will be necessary to control the problem.
In contrast, systemic weed killers are translocated around the plant’s circulatory system, killing it from the inside including the roots. This complete killing of the weed prevents it from growing back. This makes them a better choice for commercial use.
Some commercial weed killers combine both contact herbicides and systemic herbicides to get fast and lasting results.
Chemical vs Organic
As well as chemical weed killers you can also get organic weed killers.
But for commercial use, these are less popular. This is because they don’t offer the same effectiveness and ease of use.
Where chemical weed killers can clear an area of weeds and prevent them from regrowing, organic weed killers tend to work on contact but are less likely to kill plants to the root and don’t have the same residual activity.
Examples of organic herbicides include high strength acetic acid (vinegar), citric acid, clove oil, d-limonene, and lemongrass oil.
An advantage of using organic herbicides is that they’re safe for pets, so they’re popular with some homeowners. We’ve also reviewed the best pet-friendly weed killers.
Chemical herbicides are usually more economical. So they’re a better purchase for a professional who needs a weed killer for large areas.
Final Thoughts
When choosing the perfect commercial weed killer brand to buy you should first think about the environment you will be using it in.
There is a range of products that are suitable for different uses. And a strong weed killer that wipes out all vegetation and prevents anything from regrowing might not be the best choice if you need to replant the area sometime soon. And an even worse choice if you’re aiming for weed control in a lawn.
The best commercial weed killer is RM43 Glyphosate Plus Concentrate Weed And Grass Killer. This is a great choice if you want to efficiently get rid of everything.
But if you want a selective herbicide that won’t harm lawn grass or desirable plants in your client’s yard then I recommend Tenacity.
