When it comes to keeping your lawn healthy, pesticides and herbicides are essential. It is so easy for the health of your lawn to be compromised by weeds and insects, so regularly treating it with these killers is essential.
But, if your lawn isn’t that affected by these pests, then you might find yourself using these treatments less often.
If you do not use pesticides or herbicides regularly, then you might find that their effectiveness waivers over time. You might be wondering why this is. The answer is simple, and that is because these treatments have an expiry date.
But why do these weed killers have an expiry date? And what is their shelf life? In this guide, we’ll be taking a deep look at why weed killers expire, what happens when they expire, and what their shelf life is. So, to find out more, keep on reading.
Does Weed Killer Expire?
As we have said, yes, weed killer does expire. However, you might not have been aware of this because a lot of manufacturers do not list an expiration date on their packaging.
When it comes to food products, manufacturers have to list an expiration or ‘best before’ date because these products are sold for consumption.
But, with products such as pesticides and herbicides, there is no legal obligation to list an expiry date because humans will not be eating these products. This is why some manufacturers simply choose not to include one.
Manufacturers might choose to omit expiry dates on their weed killing products because it could put individuals off buying them.
If you are someone who doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides regularly, then you might be disheartened by a product that has a realistic expiry date. Whereas, a product without an expiry date might appear more attractive.
However, even if a pesticide/herbicide does not have an expiration date listed, it will still expire. So what happens when a weed killer expires? Let’s take a look.
What happens when a Weed Killer expires?
You might find yourself puzzled as to what happens when a weed killer expires.
This is understandable because when a product expires, it usually becomes a threat to your health, or even a killer.
But, weed killers are designed to kill, so what happens to them when they pass their ‘best before’ date.
When a weed killer passes its expiration date, it will not be completely ineffective immediately. But, the ability of that weed killer to do its job will become compromised.
Herbicides are designed to kill weeds, and pesticides are designed to kill pests (bugs) that threaten your lawn. When these products are past their expiration date, their ability to do this will decrease.
So, pesticides and herbicides do not become life-threatening when they pass their expiration date. In fact, the opposite happens. Once your weed killer has passed its expiration, you will find that it begins to struggle to kill pests that are threatening your lawn.
As more time passes, the weed killer will struggle even more, until it becomes totally ineffective.
You might be wondering what it is that causes this weed killer to become ineffective after a certain period of time. So, let’s take a look at what causes herbicides and pesticides to expire.
What can cause Weed Killers to Expire?
The main reason why weed killers have an expiry date is because the different ingredients that work together to make the weed killer will have a shelf-life. Traditionally, weed killers were made using chemicals, so these had a longer shelf-life.
But now, most weed killers are made using natural ingredients, and these will have a much shorter shelf-life. So, these weed killers will expire when the ingredients in them break down and can no longer do their job properly.
But, there are some additional factors that can speed up the expiry process for weed killers. On the packaging of any weed killer, you will find a variety of instructions regarding how to store your weed killer.
If you fail to follow these instructions, then you will find that the weed killer will begin to expire a lot quicker.
These factors that can impact the expiry date of weed killers include high temperatures, low temperatures, and direct exposure to sunlight. When you read these instructions, then you will likely find that they are similar to the storage instructions for non-perishable foods.
So, if you want to avoid your weed killers expiring prematurely, follow the storage instructions for the specific product that you are using.
Pesticide and Herbicide Shelf Life
So far, we’ve spoken a lot about how pesticides and herbicides will expire. But, we haven’t actually spoken about the specific expiration dates of these products.
Of course, these will differ depending on the specific pesticide or herbicide that you are using. But, generally speaking, we can give a rough idea of how long the shelf life is for both pesticides and herbicides.
A lot of manufacturers will give a specific expiration date for their products. This expiry date will usually provide a month and year, after which the effectiveness of that product will begin to deteriorate.
You can use these products past the expiration date, but it is not advised if you really want your lawn to remain in good health.
In the situation where a manufacturer has not listed an expiry date for their product, you should expect it to last for roughly 2 years. After 2 years have passed from the purchase of that product, it is best to throw away any unused product.
Generally speaking, pesticides/herbicides with an expiration date will only last around 2 years too.
The only difference is some products will have the expiration date listed, while others will leave the decision up to you.
Summary
In short, yes, weed killer does expire. A lot of manufacturers will list an expiry date on their products so that you know when their effectiveness begins to deteriorate.
But, some manufacturers will not list an expiration date, in which case you should expect your pesticide/herbicide to expire roughly 2 years after purchase.