WEED WANDS VS WEED PULLERS - WHAT IS THE BEST FOR WEED REMOVAL
Weed wands and weed pullers are useful for eliminating unwanted vegetation from your lawn. We've compiled a guide on the dos and don'ts of weed pullers and weed wands to help you decide when each one is appropriate.
Weed Wands
Firstly, let’s look at what weed wands are and when they are best used. Weed wands are a stick that disperses herbicides to a small, selected area of your lawn. These sticks are usually around 1 metre tall, eliminating the need for you to bend or kneel to treat weeds. Weed wands are used to precisely apply herbicides. They are mostly used in situations where there are no herbicides that will selectively treat the weed or grass without harming your lawn, like invasive grasses and hard-to-remove weeds like onion weed. Non-selective herbicides like roundup are poured into the wand and are dispersed by an applicator on the end of the wand.
The weed wand applicator will usually look like a small paintbrush and will disperse the herbicide to the weed. When using these, it is best to dab the product onto the weed instead of using a sweeping motion to allow for a more accurate application.
Pros
1. Weed wands have a small applicator, allowing for accuracy upon application.
2. Weed wands are best used with a non-selective herbicide that contains glyphosate, like roundup. Non-selective herbicides will kill everything that they touch. This can be handy if you do not know what type of weed you are treating.
3. The weed wand applicator is on the end of the stick so there is no need to bend or kneel.
Cons
1. When using a weed wand, you will need to be careful to only apply the product to the weed you are wanting to treat and not your lawn as it will kill it too.
2. As the weed wand is on the end of a stick, you will have less control over where the applicator will go.
Yates Weed Wand
One of our favourite weed wands is the Yates weed wand. This weed wand comes with a handy screw-on safety cap which is great for when the wand isn’t in use. The wand has a specially designed valve on the brush that prevents any of the product from leaking into your lawn when moving between weeds across your lawn.
Weed Pullers
There is a wide range of weed pullers that are available on the market. Some are small handheld pullers; some have serrated edges making them easier to use in different soil types and some are stand-up pullers stopping you from bending and kneeling. Most will pull the entire plant and root system out.
Pros
1. Weed pullers do not require herbicides. This is particularly handy for those wanting to keep their garden organic.
2. Weed pullers are one of the easiest and quickest ways to remove weeds from your lawn
3. The right tool will be able to remove the roots of the entire weeds.
4. Stand-up weed pullers don’t require you to bend over or kneel to remove weeds.
5. You won’t run the risk of accidentally killing your lawn.
Cons
1. Some weed pullers will not be able to remove the entire root system of the weed.
2. Can be time-consuming.
3. No more bending down and tugging out weeds by hand, and no more leaving half the roots in the ground to grow back again.
How to Use
Simply push down on the built-in footplate. The clever gripping prongs will push into the surrounding dirt around the weed and grab tightly onto the whole weed and root system. Then simply pull the whole thing out of the ground and dispose of the weed and its roots in your green waste bin.
Final Thoughts
Either a weed wand or weed puller has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to find what’s right for your yard and overall moveability. Weed wands are great but involve a lot of bending over, whereas the weed puller can be operated while standing straight. Weed pullers are also a great option if you have young children or pets as they are a zero-chemical solution. They do however require some strength to operate.
If you have any questions on weed products or want recommended chemical solutions, give Wallington’s WRG a call on (03) 5250 2056 or visit us at 370 Grubb Road, Wallington. Once you find the right product for you, you can order online anytime at wallingtons.com.au