What is Roundup for Lawns?

With the spring lawn and garden season fast approaching, the advertisements for lawn care products are fast and furious right now.  A new product from Scott’s Company on the market is Roundup for Lawns.  Many are familiar with Roundup which contains the active ingredient glyphosate.  Glyphosate is a non-selective active ingredient which when applied to a lawn will kill it.  Roundup for Lawns does not contain glyphosate. In this case, Scott’s is taking the liberty of using a widely known name of one of the most effective herbicides, and putting something else in the bottle.

Roundup for Lawns contains the active ingredients MCPA and dicamba, as well as quinclorac and sulfentrazone.  MCPA and dicamba provide broadleaf weed control, quinclorac helps control crabgrass, and the sufentrazone controls sedges.  Weed control occurs best when weeds are small or prior to emergence.  Roundup for Lawns is considered a post emergence herbicide meaning it is labeled for applications after weed emergence.  Crabgrass emerges after soil temperatures reach 50°F.  Controlling weeds early can mean better control of weeds and fewer herbicide applications.

Other lawn care products contain similar active ingredients.  Bayer Advance Weed Killer for Lawns contains only the synthetic auxin herbicides and will not control crabgrass.  Additionally, Bonide Weed Beater Plus contains both quinclorac and dicamba, as well as 2,4-D.  If you’re looking for a product that is very similar to the formulation of Roundup for Lawns, you can find that in the PBI Gordon product called Surge, although this does not contain quinclorac so crabgrass control will not occur.

The bottom line is if you plan to use Roundup for Lawns on your lawn, be sure you do not mistake this for a bottle of Roundup containing glyphosate, which will kill your lawn.  Just because this bottle says Roundup, it is not Roundup as we think of it.  The herbicide active ingredients in Roundup for Lawns are regarded as more toxic than glyphosate. If you’re looking for a good broad-spectrum post-emergent weed control product, Roundup for Lawns will work.  Be sure to follow all label instructions when using this product, including proper personal protective equipment, application strategies, and re-entry intervals.  Adapted from the University of Minnesota http://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2017/04/what-is-roundup-for-lawns.html
News release:
Jerry Clark, Agriculture Agent
Chippewa County UW-Extension
Contact jerome.clark@wisc.edu
715-726-7950