– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
Is herbicide free chemical free?
Weeds have been the most prominent topic of discussion coming through the Extension office over the past month. They seem to be heavy on the mind as we move into fall. The increased struggle many are experiencing with weeds this year aligns with what we expected to follow the exceptional drought conditions of 2024. The harsh growing season posed significant challenges for our desirable plants and allowed weedy species to gain ground and leave plenty of seed behind that we are now observing in 2025.
Of the folks who reach out for advice, many are looking for herbicide options and many are looking for “chemical-free” alternatives for weed control. We are able to provide advice on both, however, it is important to acknowledge that there are really no “chemical-free” options for weed control. There are “herbicide-free” options to consider.
By definition, a chemical is “a substance obtained by or used in a chemical process” (Oxford Dictionary). All living and non-living things are composed of chemical compounds that interact with each other to drive the function of every creature on the planet. If you think back to science class and your first introduction to lessons in chemistry, we were all introduced to The Periodic Table of Elements (https://iupac.org/). Of the 118 elements listed in the periodic table, 98 are natural elements that occur all around us without human interference. There are 20 that occur only by being synthesized (https://sciencenotes.org).
Point being- The weeds we wish to combat are composed of chemicals. We- the ones who want to combat the weeds- are made of chemicals. Whether the chemical reactions we utilize to combat those weeds are employed via applying a synthetic herbicide that comes in a bottle from the store or whether the chemical reaction is glycolysis in our muscles that converts glucose into pyruvate which produces the energy needed to pull weeds with our hands, we are using chemicals to combat weeds.
So, if you prefer to avoid synthesized chemical formulations of herbicides to kill weeds, here are some options for “herbicide-free” weed control strategies.
The notes below are summarized from advice shared in the book, Manage Weeds on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies by Charles L. Mohler, John R. Teasdale, and Antonio DiTommaso, published by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), through the support of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), via the United States Department of Agriculture (2021):
- Cultural Control- Creating conditions where desirable plants thrive and weedy plants suffer. Cultural tools include:
- Utilizing crop rotation
- Competitive crop selection
- Planting cover crops
- Using herbicides composed of natural ingredients
- Using strategic grazing and animal hoof traffic to interrupt weed lifecycles
- Preventing weed seed contamination from outside sources and dirty equipment
- Preventing the development of seed from existing weeds
- Physical/Mechanical Control- The physical removal or suppression of weeds via a disruption to the environment where weeds are creating issues.
- Strategically tilling the soil before, during, or after the desired crop
- Cultivating the soil to remove weeds via human, animal, or machine-driven cultivation tools
- Appropriately timed mowing to keep weeds suppressed
- Cautiously flame weeding to burn weeds
- Using hot water or steam to burn weeds
- Using electrical discharge to kill weeds
- Hand-pulling or hoeing weeds
The best success in controlling weeds will be attained through the integration of multiple techniques at once. Weeds are successful because they are adaptable. To be successful in a war against weeds, we must also be adaptable. No method is easy, cheap, or fast. If that were the case, we wouldn’t struggle with weeds!
To dive deeper into ecological solutions to weed management, you can access the book Manage Weeds on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies in print or as a free PDF Download by visiting https://www.sare.org/resources/manage-weeds-on-your-farm.