Weed-B-Gon ~ Canada's Ecosense vs USA's Ortho -- Any diff?

Biggest difference is that the US version will work as expected while the Ecosense stuff doesn't really without repeated applications and some level of faith.

Nope, definitely not the same thing. The reason why its ineffective is because the EcoSense contains no pesticides. I couldnt find the MSDS online but I saw a Scott's rep reply to a question about the ingredients saying that it contains iron as an active ingredient. Which is BS, the turf grasses have a higher tolerance for iron than the broadleaf weeds and that's what they bank on to kill it. If you spray it on your grass you'll notice it will turn dark red then recover, in my experience 95% of the weeds will recover too.
On the other hand, I found the MSDS of Ortho's Weed-B-Gone and it contains three active ingredients, one of which is Dicamba-a super effective, selective herbicide(doesnt affect grass). Even if the content is low, it is the reason it works.

My advice to everyone I know is to learn a bit more about safe pesticide application and then find a way to get some real Dicamba, it will take care of the majority of your weeds. Spot spraying the weeds isnt the same as blanket applications and it eliminates most of the environmental concerns.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... RsGFL4s2Fy

Source: I used to work in lawn care

Ecosense uses iron to kill broadleaf weeds. Dicots (plants that emerge with two leaves) are much more sensitive to iron than monocots (plants like grass that emerge with one leaf/blade). Using a high dose of iron will damage broadleaf plants, while being below the level of damage for grass. It's environmentally safe as well.

Problem is, it doesn't work that well. Even commercial-strength applications (Fiesta) will fry broadleaf weed leaves, but won't typically kill root systems (especially with only one application). You have to use it repeatedly to kill the top growth (and hopefully eventually the plant). Nice benefit is that the grass likes it - it uses the iron to turn a darker green colour.

The US formulation uses chemical herbicides that are illegal to use in most of Canada, because of concerns around environmental damage (partly true - the chemicals can volatilize in the air and kill surrounding vegetation, create resistant weeds, are sometimes toxic to humans, and sometimes have toxicity issues to soil flora and residual impact to the dirt (long-ish half lives)). They're also much more effective, and will typically kill weeds outright if applied properly (sometimes requires a double tap).

If you spot spray very minimally on weeds and are careful (wear PPE, be aware of where the spray is going, don't spray anything you'll eat), it isn't a big deal. It's illegal, but sometimes people import the chemicals from Alberta or the US.

You know your stuff!

May I add that pesticide applications are not illegal, nor yet pesticides themselves. It depends on your city's bylaws. Some cities allow for residential applications but most don't without a special use case permit. Golf courses and commercial operations are exempt of course.

The grasses turn darker because aside from the chilated iron, those 'eco weed killers' contain a lot of Nitrates, nitrogen being part of fertilizer formulations so what you do is burn the leaves with a combination of iron and fertilizer. If applied under less than optimal conditions you can see some weeds become SuperWeeds!!

grumble wrote: ↑Ecosense uses iron to kill broadleaf weeds. Dicots (plants that emerge with two leaves) are much more sensitive to iron than monocots (plants like grass that emerge with one leaf/blade). Using a high dose of iron will damage broadleaf plants, while being below the level of damage for grass. It's environmentally safe as well.

Problem is, it doesn't work that well. Even commercial-strength applications (Fiesta) will fry broadleaf weed leaves, but won't typically kill root systems (especially with only one application). You have to use it repeatedly to kill the top growth (and hopefully eventually the plant). Nice benefit is that the grass likes it - it uses the iron to turn a darker green colour.

The US formulation uses chemical herbicides that are illegal to use in most of Canada, because of concerns around environmental damage (partly true - the chemicals can volatilize in the air and kill surrounding vegetation, create resistant weeds, are sometimes toxic to humans, and sometimes have toxicity issues to soil flora and residual impact to the dirt (long-ish half lives)). They're also much more effective, and will typically kill weeds outright if applied properly (sometimes requires a double tap).

If you spot spray very minimally on weeds and are careful (wear PPE, be aware of where the spray is going, don't spray anything you'll eat), it isn't a big deal. It's illegal, but sometimes people import the chemicals from Alberta or the US.

FrozenFinger wrote: ↑ You know your stuff!

May I add that pesticide applications are not illegal, nor yet pesticides themselves. It depends on your city's bylaws. Some cities allow for residential applications but most don't without a special use case permit. Golf courses and commercial operations are exempt of course.

The grasses turn darker because aside from the chilated iron, those 'eco weed killers' contain a lot of Nitrates, nitrogen being part of fertilizer formulations so what you do is burn the leaves with a combination of iron and fertilizer. If applied under less than optimal conditions you can see some weeds become SuperWeeds!!

That may be true in some provinces (I don't know), but in Ontario it's province-wide as of 2009.

https://news.ontario.ca/ene/en/2009/03/ ... s-ban.html

https://www.ontario.ca/page/pesticides- ... nd-gardens

There is a way to get glyphosate (it's permitted to kill 'noxious weeds' such as poison ivy or giant hogweed), but 2-4D, triclopyr, dicamba, quinclorac, prodiamine, mesotrione, etc are all banned outright for household use, with fairly meaningful fines (up to 20k for a resident first time offence). I mean, enforcement is pretty spotty and you can get the products illegally via Alberta or the US (ebay), but there is some risk involved.

I have been looking to purchase some weed killer and have found killex (2,4-d) on amazon shipping to Toronto. It’s 1 liter concentrate for $70. I would prefer the concentrate as I have a lawn around 3000 sf to treat

https://www.amazon.ca/ORTHO-KILLEX-Lawn ... way&sr=8-1

Is this the best product that I can have shipped or should I look for something else without having to travel to the states?

Definitely a $20k risk - not worth. In Quebec there are only two herbicides that are banned, the rest is up to the city to decide but most municipalities do ban the use of anything but bio- pesticides. Is there any product at all that's allowed for residential use in Ontario?(which works of course) I still use dicamba here and there on the lawn but healthy thick grass with an early application of cornmeal does it too.

grumble wrote: ↑ That may be true in some provinces (I don't know), but in Ontario it's province-wide as of 2009.

https://news.ontario.ca/ene/en/2009/03/ ... s-ban.html

https://www.ontario.ca/page/pesticides- ... nd-gardens

There is a way to get glyphosate (it's permitted to kill 'noxious weeds' such as poison ivy or giant hogweed), but 2-4D, triclopyr, dicamba, quinclorac, prodiamine, mesotrione, etc are all banned outright for household use, with fairly meaningful fines (up to 20k for a resident first time offence). I mean, enforcement is pretty spotty and you can get the products illegally via Alberta or the US (ebay), but there is some risk involved.

Ian2015 wrote: ↑ I have been looking to purchase some weed killer and have found killex (2,4-d) on amazon shipping to Toronto. It’s 1 liter concentrate for $70. I would prefer the concentrate as I have a lawn around 3000 sf to treat

https://www.amazon.ca/ORTHO-KILLEX-Lawn ... way&sr=8-1

Is this the best product that I can have shipped or should I look for something else without having to travel to the states?

You are getting ripped off and ripped off big time. Look up "Par 3" on ebay,ca - for $130 shipped to your home, you get 4x as much fluid that is at 2x the concentration.

Superb replies. Very informative.

If you do get the Scott EcoSense (Canadian)....don’t buy the premixed in the spray bottle. It’s just too weak of a mix to work effectively. I buy the concentrate and do a 2x the recommended mix to make it more effective. It works decent for spot spraying and not a full lawn. And you may have to follow up after a day or two. But that works for me for some species of broadleaf. There are some weed stuff it does absolutely nothing to and only the US stuff is effective on.

craftsman wrote: ↑ You are getting ripped off and ripped off big time. Look up "Par 3" on ebay,ca - for $130 shipped to your home, you get 4x as much fluid that is at 2x the concentration.

Am I going to kill my dog by spraying my backyard with this stuff?

djeffery wrote: ↑ Am I going to kill my dog by spraying my backyard with this stuff?

How much are you planning to spray? 2,4-D is a selective herbicide so it's effective against selective vegetation. As with any herbicide, you should take appropriate precautions when handling it as well as following the directions listed on the bottle.