When it comes to killing unsightly weeds in your lawn, Ortho’s Weed-B-Gon is a popular choice amongst homeowners everywhere.
However, you probably have many questions about using this particular selective herbicide, including how long it takes to dry.
Ortho Weed-B-Gon takes between one and three hours to dry completely on your lawn’s surface. Exactly how long it takes to dry depends mainly on the weather before and after applying it. You will also need to avoid watering or mowing your lawn for at least two days after using the product.
To learn more about the magic of Weed-B-Gon, how to apply it, and how long it takes to fully dry on your lawn, keep reading.
We’ll go over what to do to your lawn in the meantime and immediately after you’ve applied the product.
Table of Contents
How Long Does Weed-B-Gon Take To Dry?
Weed-B-Gon works immediately as an effective spot treatment and entirely kills most common lawn weeds it is applied to within about two to three days or roughly 72 hours of application.
However, it typically only takes two to three hours to fully dry on the surface of your lawn after it has been applied.
The exact amount of time the product takes to dry depends on the weather conditions both before and after you applied the product and when you last watered your lawn and any other plants surrounding the weeds.
Wait at least 12 hours after watering or rainfall to apply the herbicide, as too much moisture will often dilute or wash away the product before it has enough time to fully dry.
When you apply Weed-B-Gon, there should never be puddles of excess water pooling on the ground around the weeds.
However, it is still a good idea to apply Weed-B-Gon about a day or two after recent rainfall because water also encourages the weeds to grow a bit beforehand.
While this sounds counterintuitive at first, you want a few inches of weed growth, so the post-emergent herbicide can cling to their leaves and effectively kill them off entirely.
What Is Weed-B-Gon?
Weed-B-Gon is one of the most well-known types of selective herbicides on the market.
More specifically, it is a post-emergence selective herbicide.
This simply means it kills weeds after they have already emerged from the ground and developed some growth, rather than pre-emergence herbicides, which kill weeds before they can germinate.
For pre-emergent herbicides, check out our picks of the best options by clicking the link.
Weed-B-Gon also starts working immediately after you’ve applied it, so it is very fast-acting and convenient for most homeowners.
The product claims to be capable of killing more than 200 different types of weeds commonly plaguing most lawns, including dandelions, chickweed, crabgrass, and many more.
If you aren’t sure about the product’s efficacy on a specific type of weed, just check the product label before applying for a comprehensive list.
Weed-B-Gon has existed for decades and remains a prevalent method of weed control, mainly because of its ease of use, efficacy, accessibility, and low cost.
While there are potentially hundreds of different commercial weed killers available to you at your local garden or hardware shop, Weed-B-Gon is almost definitely the most abundant and also one of the most inexpensive options.
What Does Weed-B-Gon Do To Weeds?
As we touched on earlier, Weed-B-Gon is a post-emergence selective herbicide.
Only apply to weeds that have already germinated and spread throughout a particular area of your yard.
It is a liquid herbicide meant to be applied directly as a spot treatment onto any unwanted weeds you intend to eradicate via a spray nozzle.
Once the Weed-B-Gon has been applied, it begins working immediately, penetrating the weeds and sinking into the surrounding soil to ensure they are killed off completely and don’t return.
Within only 18 to 24 hours of applying Weed-B-Gon, the weeds will begin to wilt and turn yellow.
After an additional day or two, the weeds’ leaves and stems will continue to shrivel up and necrotize, eventually turning from yellow to brown as the herbicide’s chemicals seep into the soil and fully reach the plants’ roots.
How Do You Apply Weed-B-Gon?
Weed-B-Gon is a liquid weed killer which typically comes in a large container with a long hose that is then attached to a spray nozzle.
This design gives you the ability to hold the container in one hand and the sprayer attached to the hose in the other.
As a result, you have more flexibility and are able to reach further distances or hard-to-reach areas with the spray nozzle.
Once you’ve unwrapped the Weed-B-Gon from any external packaging, hold the spray nozzle in one hand (which should already be attached on one end to the hose) and attach the other end of the hose to the main bottle or container’s spout.
Twist the knob on the product to “ON,” then turn the sprayer nozzle to your preferred spray style.
Check the label directions if you aren’t sure how to get the product ready to use, and follow the application directions closely.
Use the trigger on the nozzle to spray the herbicide onto weeds you want to get rid of.
Spray it directly onto the weeds’ leaves and stems, fully coating the exposed weed growth.
You don’t need to dig into the soil or disturb the weeds in any other way–over time, the product will slowly seep into the soil and fully penetrate the weeds’ roots.
Be sure to avoid applying it near storm drains, gutters, drainage ditches, or within 30′ feet of any major bodies of water.
Additionally, don’t apply it to any garden vegetables, fruit trees, vines, or other plants the product’s label suggests you avoid.
When Can You Water After Applying Weed-B-Gon?
Although it generally only takes two to three hours for Weed-B-Gon to dry completely, it’s best to wait a few additional hours on top of this.
This is to make sure it doesn’t run off onto other desired plants or seep into nearby bodies of water, drainage ditches, etc.
Ideally, wait to water your lawn at least 4 to 6 hours after applying Weed-B-Gon.
Many homeowners wait up to an entire day before watering, though this usually isn’t necessary.
When you eventually water your lawn again, be especially mindful to avoid overwatering.
Again, even though you’re probably safe at the 4-hour mark, excess moisture has the chance of causing the product to spread to areas you don’t want it in.
This has the potential to harm other plants you want to keep, your or your neighbors’ pets, or children, or contaminate water supplies.
When Can You Mow After Applying Weed-B-Gon?
Once you’ve applied Weed-B-Gon to your lawn or any plants surrounding your lawn, wait at least 48 hours before mowing again.
Mowing your lawn immediately after applying a selective herbicide reduces the product’s success and overall efficacy in eradicating persistent weeds.
In addition to waiting at least two days before mowing after applying the herbicide, leave your lawn unmowed for at least five days before initially applying it.
By doing this, the weeds will have enough growth for the Weed-B-Gon to fully penetrate its leaves and roots, thus increasing the chance all of the weeds present will be killed off and not return.
What To Do After Using Weed-B-Gon
After you’ve applied Weed-B-Gon to the weeds you want to get rid of, all you need to do is wait and be a bit patient for it to take effect.
Avoid walking on or near the area you’ve sprayed the product for at least a full day.
This will ensure you don’t spread the product around to areas you don’t want it in, cause damage to any desirable plants you want to keep, or get it on your shoes and track it into your home, for example.
Keep any children or pets away from the area where you sprayed the product for at least a full day as well.
The herbicide is toxic if they get it on their skin or ingest it.
As we discussed earlier, avoid watering for at least 4 to 6 hours and avoid mowing for at least a couple of days.
Once you’ve noticed the weeds have fully wilted and died off after a couple of days, you’ll be able to remove them however you’d like, for example, by hand, with a rake or bagger, or simply getting rid of them when you mow your lawn again.
The roots of the dead weeds will also slowly decompose on their own, so you won’t need to dig into the soil or do anything with the weeds’ roots.
How Often Should You Apply Weed-B-Gon?
Weed-B-Gon should only be applied to your lawn twice per year at most.
We recommend spraying an initial application onto the weeds you want to get rid of and then following up with an additional treatment a few months later to ensure the weeds are fully eradicated down to the roots.
The chemicals in Weed-B-Gon and most herbicides are powerful and linger within your soil for weeks or even months at a time.
Some of the chemicals in these products will dry out your lawn if applied too frequently.
Additionally, there should be at least 30 days between Weed-B-Gon’s first and second application.
This will allow your lawn to breathe and heal after the initial application, and limiting the product to two applications per year will ensure your lawn doesn’t dry out or deplete its nutrients too quickly.