How to Choose Herbicides for Vegetable Plots? A Detailed Guide to Herbicides Suitable for Various Vegetables

When growing vegetables, it is inevitable that weeds will grow, leaves will turn yellow, plants will wilt, and so on. If it is a small area, that is fine, but if it is a large area, methods must be adopted to solve it. So what herbicide is good for vegetable plots?

1. Leafy vegetables

For example, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and green leafy vegetables such as napa cabbage, shepherd's purse, cauliflower, head cabbage, celery, lettuce, crowndaisy chrysanthemum, spinach, water spinach, amaranth, coriander, etc. The use of herbicides is not recommended for these vegetables. When necessary, napropamide (Devrinol) or butralin (Stomp) can be used for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence (celery and lettuce should not use napropamide), or oxyfluorfen (Goal), oxadiazon (Ronstar), or Shuzhuang No. 2 can be used for soil treatment before planting.

In celery seedling beds, butralin, oxyfluorfen (Goal), or oxadiazon (Ronstar) can be used for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence; for lettuce and vegetables, oxyfluorfen (Goal), oxadiazon (Ronstar), or Shuzhuang No. 2 can be used for soil treatment before planting; for crowndaisy chrysanthemum and amaranth, butralin (Stomp) can be used for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence; for spinach plots with no water wells nearby, benthiocarb (Saturn) can be used; for coriander, butralin can be used for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence. In such vegetable plots, sulfonylurea herbicides must not be used on the previous crop, and acetochlor must not be used on spinach.

2. Liliaceae, root vegetables, and tuber vegetables

For example, chives, garlic, Welsh onion, onion, lily, small garlic, carrot, kohlrabi, potato, ginger, Chinese yam, etc. Chives have a short growing period, are harvested frequently, and are eaten as leaves, so herbicides should be avoided as much as possible. When necessary, the contact-type low-toxicity herbicide oxyfluorfen (Goal) can be sprayed after harvesting old chives; garlic, lily, potato, ginger, and Chinese yam have long growing periods and are mainly grown for their bulbs and tubers (garlic is grown for its scapes), so soil treatment can be carried out in the early growth stage or stem and leaf treatment can be carried out in the early post-emergence stage, using oxyfluorfen (Goal), saflufenacil, Shuzhuang No. 2, etc. Green garlic, Welsh onion, and onion have short growing periods and can only use contact-type soil treatment agents such as oxyfluorfen (Goal); radish and carrot can use herbicides with poor translocation such as butralin (Stomp).

3. Solanaceous vegetables

For example, eggplant, tomato, chili, etc. Stem and leaf treatment agents are not suitable for these vegetables. Before transplanting, contact-type soil treatment agents such as oxyfluorfen (Goal) or oxadiazon (Ronstar) can be selected, or Shuzhuang No. 2 or butralin, which are mainly contact-type with slight systemic translocation.

4. Gourd vegetables

For example, cucumber, pumpkin, winter melon, loofah, snake melon, bitter melon, fingered citron, zucchini, etc. Acetochlor is strictly prohibited for these vegetables. It is preferable to use butralin (Stomp), oxyfluorfen (Goal), or oxadiazon (Ronstar) for soil treatment after sowing.

5. Legume vegetables

For example, common bean, cowpea, fresh soybean, pea, broad bean, hyacinth bean, etc. There are many herbicides suitable for vegetables, but soil treatment herbicides are still preferred, such as butralin, Shuzhuang No. 1, oxadiazon (Ronstar), etc. for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence.

6. Aquatic vegetables

For example, lotus root, wild rice stem, arrowhead, etc. Herbicides should be avoided as much as possible for aquatic vegetables. When necessary, low-toxicity options such as Lianzhuang No. 1 and Caokexing can be used.

7. Specialty vegetables

For example, asparagus, burdock, lettuce, artichoke, ginger, shepherd's purse, kalimeris, chrysanthemum greens, etc. Oxyfluorfen (Goal) can be used for soil treatment after sowing and before emergence or before transplanting.