I Tested a $10 Weed Killer Against a $170 PRO Combo
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- čas přidán 14. 07. 2024
- Can this $10 weed killer can outperform a $170 combo in this head-to-head test. We put Spectracide up against the popular Celsius and Image products to see which one delivers the best results for your lawn. Find out how they compare in terms of coverage, application, and effectiveness against various weeds like crabgrass, clover, dandelions, poa annua, and nutsedge. The outcome might surprise you and save you money on your lawn care routine.
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Item(s) from the video:
🌾 Spectracide Weed Stop For Crabgrass: amzn.to/4899Khs
🌿 Image Nutsedge Post-emergent: amzn.to/492ppk3
🌱 Celsius WG Herbicide (easy mix packet): amzn.to/3SIbrOv
🌱 Celsius WG Herbicide (10oz bottle): amzn.to/3JOsKs5
Ensure these products are compatible with your grass type. Follow the label for safe use.
Disclaimer: Some links in this description are affiliate links. Using these links for purchases may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports the channel and allows me to continue producing quality content. Thank you for your support!
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Weed Killer Showdown
0:39 - Spectracide Overview
1:58 - Celsius WG Herbicide
3:35 - Celsius vs Certainty Combo
4:48 - Image Nutsedge Killer
6:21 - Application Methods
8:52 - Application
9:40 - Observations
12:04 - Final Thoughts
© 2024 Griffith Lawn Labs. Important: Results may vary. Follow local laws & guidelines. Griffith Lawn Labs will not be liable for damage/injury. For general info only, with no guarantees. Viewer assumes all risk. - Jak na to + styl
Want to know if a $10 weed killer can outperform a $170 pro combo? Find out in this head-to-head test! 🌿⚔
Subscribe to my newsletter for a free lawn care guide and monthly product updates: griffithlawnlabs.substack.com/
Products from the video:
🌾 Spectracide Weed Stop For Crabgrass: amzn.to/4899Khs
🌿 Image Nutsedge Post-emergent: amzn.to/492ppk3
🌱 Celsius WG Herbicide (easy mix packet): amzn.to/3SIbrOv
🌱 Celsius WG Herbicide (10oz bottle): amzn.to/3JOsKs5
*Ensure these products are compatible with your grass type and follow the label for safe use.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Weed Killer Showdown
0:39 - Spectracide Overview
1:58 - Celsius WG Herbicide
3:35 - Celsius vs Certainty Combo
4:48 - Image Nutsedge Killer
6:21 - Application Methods
8:52 - Initial Observations
9:10 - One Week Later
12:04 - Final Thoughts
Thanks for watching! For more lawn care tips, subscribe to the channel: www.youtube.com/@griffithlawnlabs?sub_confirmation=1
Some links in this description are affiliate links. Using these links for purchases may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. This supports the channel and allows me to continue producing quality content. Thank you for your support!
I just sprayed Spectracide on my lawn in CT on Monday. By Friday, most of the weeds are dead. I had a bunch of speedwell that was taking over, and that is all brown now. Usually, by July, the yellow nutsedge shows up, so I'll do another treatment then. I usually do one major treatment in May, then a couple spot treatments to follow up a few weeks later. I spray onto dry grass, and wait a couple of days before watering. Also laid down some pre-emergent w fertilizer a week ago - that tends to do a nice job keeping the crabgrass away, and the fertilizer is kicking in too
Thanks for sharing your strategy, Frank! It sounds like you’ve got a great handle on things with that. Glad to hear that it is working for you. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the video!
You got it. Hope it was helpful!
Weed Stop works great on my Bermuda lawn! I use it as a post and pre emergent and have been doing this for years. Poa has been the only issue i have in the winter so still working to solve that problem. My plans are to mix weed stop and image this year and put out mid sept and then again mid oct. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing!
Interesting approach, and thanks for sharing that! I'm glad to hear Spectracide worked well for your Bermuda lawn. The combination of Weed Stop and Image could work too. From my experience with Image, it didn't work well against Poa this year. Could be just the weather or something else - IDK.
Temperature has a lot to do with most post emergent herbicides also. If its still in the 50-70 degree days, there won't be a lot of results with most products. Once it reaches 75-85 daily they should work a lot more effectively.
Nice video and side by side comparison. Unfortunately I missed my optimal preemergent window in in NC this year and will have to deal with that this year. I have a Bermuda lawn, so hopefully I shouldn't have any problems.
You're absolutely right about the weather's role in herbicide performance! Temperature and rainfall both play a part. During our 7-day test, we didn't get any rain, which likely impacted the results. For your Bermuda lawn, don't sweat missing the pre-emergent window. With some well-timed post-emergent spot treatments and solid mowing and watering practices, you can still keep those weeds in check
Great video, thanks.
I mix the Spectracide with the Image in a pump sprayer on my Bermuda. It takes care of the nutsedge,poa, crab grass, and most other broadleaf weeds. I'm in central Texas near Austin.
Thanks! I'm guessing you're buying that at a local store? We had someone say in the comments that they couldn't get it in TX. I'm guessing it was Amazon not allowing it to be shipped there...
Same here. It's my go-to mix for any weeds. I had a breakout of burnweed in my yard this year. The spectracide/image mix killed it all in one week.
Yep. I'm north of Atlanta. My go-to combo is Spectracide (orange cap) with Image Kills Nutsedge (green cap), along with some surfactant and marker dye. It seems to kill anything in my lawn that I don't want to be there.
I'm dealing primarily with clover and poa annua, along with some other random weeds.
@@craigphillips3154 North Atlanta also - for every 1000ft/1gal of water what's your measurements of Spec and Image? Or just follow the label instructions?
@@progression_decibel yes, label rates. I believe it's 5 oz of Spectracide and 1.5(?) oz of Image to a gallon of water and then just walk around and spot spray.
I tried the Spectracide with crabgrass killer...didn't kill anything, all I did was water the lawn. I also tried the baking soda tip for crab grass... nope, still have the crabgrass.
That's why I prefer using pro-grade products. Yes, they cost more upfront, but the cost per application is lower in the long run, and there's no doubt they will work
Try sedgehammer or empero for an upgraded nutsedge killer
The key word with Spectracide is multiple applications!!!
I didn't see that on the label 😆
Temps need to be about 75 degrees for these budget friendly herbs. I use the combo of Spectracide and Image, and it kills everything (POA, Nutsedge, Dollar, etc,). The sprayed weeds need good sunlight in order for the product to work effectively. No RAIN.
Appreciate the tip on mixing Spectracide and Image! And, great points about weather being the driving factor for best results - it always is, right?
I do the same on lawns of friends. I actually use Weed-B-Gon at a slightly lower rate, prodiamine, ammonium sulfate (light dose) and some MSO. For my lawn, I have all but moved to Celcius, Certainty, and Prodiamine. I sub Prodiamine with dithiopyr(SP) in the Spring and summer for its ability to fight small crabgrass.
One thing to keep in mind for homeowners, especially with smaller lawns: a bottle of Celsius or Certainty will cover a LOT of area. Probably too much area. By my calculations and the labels, a bottle of Celsius can make nearly 100 gallons and a bottle of Certainty can make 72 gallons of product. If you only have 2000-5000 square feet of lawn, thats way more product than you'll probably need in 10 years of spot treatment. And those two bottles will cost about $300 in total.
For my 4000sf, i probably wont even finish a bottle of Spectracide or Image in a year.
You're absolutely right - a little goes a long way with these any of these products.
Good morning. Just found your channel and this video was so very interesting to me and if you would answer one question I would be most appreciative. Your discussion of the Celsius and Image, it appears to me that you indicated they could be used in tandem. RE spray the Celsius over the entire lawn if needed and then the Image over the entire lawn. I am just getting started on trying to rid the back yard of a plethora of weeds. Clemson ext. has suggested Celsius also, and I have it ordered. I live in eastern SC, and Bermuda grass is the predominant grass. Thanks in advance for your response.
That's right! Celsius is a great product. In the video, I used the highest recommend rate of application and I did not have any turf injury. I combined Image with that and broadcast sprayed them at once over the test area. I also came back to my yard using the same mix, because I had plenty left over, and I spot sprayed some poa, nutsedge, and ragweed. I am going to be honest with you though. I have been unhappy with the results with Image. It has proven to work for nutsedge, but it does not work on poa. I am looking at other options that can handle both. That is why the Celsius/Certainty combo is highly recommended - it works on just about everything we find in our Bermuda lawns! It's just very pricy.
I use spectracide on dandelion last year and noticed that this year i have fewer to none growing on my lawn. Some weed it work on and some weed it don't. For the price range, i would buy it again.
That's great to hear! Glad it works for you. Spectracide can be effective on some weeds, especially if you multiple applications. Thanks for sharing!
I use the spectracide one and it’s amazing.
I'm glad the Spectracide is working well for you! It may not be the strongest option, but if it's getting the job done in your lawn, that's what matters most. Thanks for sharing your experience - I always love hearing what's working for different folks! 👍
Samehere, I see results the next day with spectracide
Add in a squirt of Tenacity and Speed Zone into the blend
Yes, but for **cool season grass only**
Don't use Tenacity on warm season lawns
Yep, SpeedZone Southern will burn some weeds down for sure
@@WhittyPics Reason not to?
ive use spectracide in the north east on cool season grass. and it seems to work fine. takes maybe a week or two to fully kill off the weeds.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Spectracide! It's great to hear it worked well for your cool season lawn. 👍 While it may not be my top pick, if you're happy with the results then that's what matters most. Weed control can vary based on location and grass type. Of course - weather is always a variable.
@@GriffithLawnLabs yeah I think it has to do with temperature and type of grass . Up here it seems to work fine but usually in the South like in Florida it doesn't have the same kick
The Ortho brand of yellow nutsedge killer excellent!!!
Good to know! Thanks for sharing
Ugh! I have almost 3 acres to mow. $280 for the high-end stuff technically isn't enough to cover my yard & is gone in one application. I use a 31 gallon pull behind sprayer due to the total area size. I use the high end stuff around the house & the box store stuff towards the back to try to keep the cost down.
That's a lot to manage and going to be expensive no matter what you use
@@GriffithLawnLabs yeah, it's a big negative with such a large yard. I end up just trying to keep the weeds knocked down as best as I can. Thx 4 the reply back. 👍
I’ve been using spectracide, just last week after a day of rain I noticed a tremendous amount of dandelions i sprayed the weed stop spectracide the one bottle wasn’t enough to do the backyard. Went to Lowe’s purchased another spray bottle of weed stop by the time I got home all the dandelions in the front yard were gone and some grab grass was also dying off how long will it last not sure but for $20 to do my entire yard with decent results I’m quite content
Thanks for sharing your experience with Spectracide! It's awesome to hear you got such quick results on those dandelions. 🌼💀 The length of control can vary, but I'd expect at least a few weeks of protection from the application. And for just $20 for the whole yard? That's a weed-killing bargain! 💰🙌 Happy spraying!
Which product had the better results on the nutsedge? I cant recall you talking about the results on that weed.
Thanks for pointing that out! The nutsedge was in my yard but wasn't in the test plot. I did notice some yellowing and slowed growth after applying the products in my yard though. I might recommend sedgehammer if you can get it. I have used both before and they work. Need to test those side-by-side one day...
Run Halo 75 & Celsius for a killer combo
Ive never had good luck w Spectricide. Its usually on sale at big box stores...for a reason...
That's right! You see this product getting pushed so often as the "go-to" budget weed killer, and that's why I wanted to put it to the test. I see you have a channel yourself - subscribed!
I agree. Must be a shelf life thing. Ive literally dumped a half bottle of concentrate in 1 gallon. Lots of weeds lived through it. Lol
I’ve tried Image for Poa & it didn’t do anything. I finally got tired of playing around with big box weed control & bite the bullet and brought some Celsius/Certainty….wish me luck
Yeah, that combo isn't cheap, but when it comes to getting rid of weeds, it's worth every penny! You'll be glad you invested in products that work without a doubt 💪
Certainty is the only thing that has killed my POA. Image will kill it but it is so slow you don't think it works. It is my understanding that Image needs to be watered in as it kills from the root up
There are 2 types of image. Only one will kill POA. Read the label. Make sure you have the correct one.
@@JetMac83yes I know, I’ve used both the purple & green label. The green is labeled for Poa & I had little to no success.
@@jrb3158gotcha. It can take a while for Image to work especially if you have recently had rain. Anyway, sorry you didn’t have any luck with it, I’ve always liked Image
I'd like to see Roundup for lawns. I've thought about trying it. I live in Ga also.
Thanks for the suggestion! Roundup for Lawns is an interesting product that I haven't used before. I'll definitely consider making a video about it in the future to share my thoughts and results. Always great to connect with a fellow Georgian! Our lawns face some unique challenges, so I'm happy to keep creating content to help us all achieve the best results. If there are any other topics you'd like to see covered, just let me know. I appreciate your input and support!
@@GriffithLawnLabs Keep up the good work! 👍
Round up for lawns weed control & Image, I believe are the same thing.
It’s got the same ingredients as image. But image is cheaper in my area (Houston)
Allyn Hayse said Roundup for Lawns is the same active ingredient as Image but at a lower rate.
Does good on the weeds but doesn't kill the crabgrass in my bermudagrass. Do you have any other recommendations for crabgrass killer for my bermudagrass?
If you're using Celsius WG, the label suggests using the higher rate of application for crabgrass. It says crabgrass is best controlled at early growth stages, and you may need sequential applications. If you're looking for a product specifically for crabgrass, I'd recommend something with quinclorac. Hope this helps!
Blindside has it all over Celsius especially on St Augustine
Thanks for the tip! I will have to research that a little more before I put my stamp of approval on it for my friends with St. Augustine.
Blindside works faster but its not as effective. Celsius can take 2 weeks to get full results, but smokes most all weeds except Bermuda and nut sedge.
Another note is to just use recognition and fuselage. If you have st aug that is.
Vero beach fl here with st aug lawn.
Thanks for the insights! It's good to know about the effectiveness of that. I have family that live in NWFL with St. Aug and I will pass that along to them. They have been mostly been using Image for Southern Lawns for weed control.
Will Dismiss kill POA in Bermuda? It looks like it is for cool season grass
It's good for both warm and cool season grasses. www.domyown.com/msds/Dismiss-Label.pdf
can you mix Image & Spectracide together?
Great question! I wouldn't recommend mixing Image and Spectracide together. Both products contain active ingredients that target grassy weeds, so combining them could lead to over-application and potential damage to your lawn. It's best to choose one product based on the specific weeds you're dealing with and follow the label instructions carefully.
You mentioned that the Spectracide was doing a good job on the poa. That's interesting. Poa annua is not one (of the 250+) weeds listed on the bottle with the orange cap. Poa IS listed on the Image Kills Nutsedge bottle, though.
Great observation! While Image does claim to control Poa annua, I haven't had much success with it. Even though Spectracide doesn't specifically list Poa on the label, the results in this video were undeniable - but I plan to conduct more testing to confirm its effectiveness.
so many reviews say the weed stop killed their grass.
As you can see in the video, it didn’t harm the grass or the weeds. My guess it they over-applied it since it's safe for both warm and cool season. I recently posted about the "results one month after application" on my newsletter, so check that out if you’re interested! 🌱 griffithlawnlabs.substack.com/p/spectracide-weed-stop-vs-celsiusimage
but can it get rid of pringle-foot, cats-billow, shepards mush, and dingle-toad weed?
Haha, you got me! 🤣 I'm not sure my weed control products are equipped to tackle the likes of "pringle-foot" and "dingle-toad weed" - those sound like some pretty serious fictional weeds! But who knows, maybe in my next video I'll bust out the big guns and show you how to rid your lawn of even the most absurd made-up weeds. Stay tuned! 😉🌿
Amazon notes - "This item, Spectracide Weed Stop for lawns, Plus Crabgrass killer, cannot be shipped or delivered to your location." BTW I'm on the Northeast coast.
He mentioned it was for southern lawns, are you in the south?
It's true that certain weed control products can't be shipped to some states due to regulations. Last week, I tried to recommend Southern AG 2,4-D to someone in Virginia, but it couldn't be shipped there either. It's frustrating, but each state has its own rules. You might want to check with local garden centers or hardware stores to see what options they have available that comply with your state's regulations. It's probably the best way to find effective products that are legal to use in your area.
Same here in central Texas
Same here. There were some products I couldn’t get shipped to NC.
We can't get the Spectracide quinclorac version here in Texas so i use the yellow bottle version. It works great. I combine it with Empero to kill my nutsedge.
Can you add surfectant to the spectracide?
Yes, it looks like you can to help it stick to weeds but I would recommend reading the label thoroughly before trying that
what is the soil temp ?? I am in Bradenton FL
67 degrees was the soil of application and then stayed under 70 during the timeframe without any rainfall
Negate is really good. Test it
Thanks for the recommendation! I actually tried Negate on my brother-in-law's yard in February to because he had a ton of poa, and it worked well. But, due to the mixing process and cost-about $50 a bottle, requiring you to use and dilute the entire thing-it's not something I'd suggest unless you're dealing with a large area. It's quite a task for the average homeowner, especially for smaller or average-sized lawns!
That version of Spectracide will kill St Augustine, they don't even sell it where I live in Florida.
Image purple cap from Home Depot is a good intro herbicide for St. Aug.
Right! I have family that live in FL and have St. Augustine, and like Morgan said, the Image for Southern Lawns is a great option to get from the local store and works well from what they've told me.
I can confirm image for st augustine works, but it takes days not hours. I’m in Houston and used it this year
@@ckrampen22 Yes, image is a systemic herbicide. Takes time but helps guarantee a full kill.
The clover showed looks a lot different than the clover I've dealt with
There are several types of clover that can invade lawns. The most common ones are white clover and red clover, but there are others too. Clover can look quite different depending on the species and growing conditions. The clover that tries to grow in my flowerbeds through the black mulch turns very dark color vs when it tries to grow in the yard.
I can not get rid of the nutsedge in my yard 😭😭 I need to figure something out.
Did you try 'SedgeHammer'?
SedgeHammer is a selective herbicide that can be used to control purple and yellow nutsedge.
SedgeHammer will do in Purple & Yellow
yeah, give SedgeHammer a try - it's the best option for battling sedges. It's a very difficult weed to get rid of in one season like I mentioned in this video. You have to keep hitting it with post-emergent until it goes away.
@@GriffithLawnLabs And try to reduce water in that area.....Nutsedge loves damp/wet areas
Appreciate yall!! I got the sedge hammer ordered should be here today.
I’m about to start picking them with my hand!! Little bastards lol
Why wouldn't you use a surfactant, I mean dawn soap is fine and cost nothing
Great question! In the video, I mentioned that I purposely didn't add any surfactant to the Celsius/Image mix. I wanted to keep the test fair since the Spectracide product doesn't contain surfactant. Maybe I'll do a surfactant showdown in a future video though!
Is that one safe for Centipede?
I would like to know if it is safe on St. Augustine and safe for Bermuda. Please answer :)
Label says that it should not be used on bentgrass, St. Augustinegrass, bahiagrass, centipedegrass or carpetgrass.
Spectrcide is a JOKE. Wasted my money on 3 bottle this season, complete crap. Weeds everywhere.
Yeah, it can be frustrating when a product doesn't work as it's marketed.
None of those would kill dallis
You are correct. Celsius Xtra will suppress it, but not kill it. I'm dealing with some dallisgrass in my backyard. The only thing that will truly kill it is glyphosate, but also will kill surrounding grass. My neighbor will use a paint brush and target dallisgrass using Roundup quick pro and within a few days it's turning yellow.
Yep! You could also use a sponge; maybe the best would be one of those little spongy type paint brushes.
I've tried just about all the Professional and Home Depot herbicides. Although the Home Depot herbicides are effective, the professional herbicides come out to significantly cheaper per application, although the upfront cost is significantly more (you'll always encounter more weeds, so I like to save on the front end). Thanks for the comparison, Griffith! Regarding the video: Celsius needs at least 2-3 weeks to see results. It works very slow throughout the entire root zone; I'd appreciate an update one month from now. A big drawback with Celsius is that the primary turf will experience significant stunting in growth (it frustrates me that it's marketed as an herbicide that can be applied at any temperature).
I'd love to see a video of you using the herbicide called "Avenue South". If you have already tested it, my apologies. It's extremely effective and does not cause any stunting in growth to your primary turf. It's by far the best herbicide I've used and has some control of kylinga as well. If you mix Avenue south with MSM, it's about the most "beast mode" herbicide I've ever used for southern turf types. Looking forward to more content, thank you for contributing to the community. Always love these comparison videos, well done!
Thanks for the great insights and kind words! You're spot on about the cost per app - it's a long-term investment. I'll definitely check back on the test plot in a month for an update. Avenue South is now on my radar - I appreciate the recommendation and will look into that. The combo with MSM sounds like a powerhouse! Patience is key with these herbicides, even if it doesn't align with video production timelines. 😅 I'm excited to keep experimenting and sharing the results with the community!
@@GriffithLawnLabs There is no mention about weed control effecting grass seed germination for those that are overseeding in the fall?