The Advantages of Using Herbicides

Cheap Weed Control

• In general, herbicides are one of the cheapest ways to reduce and control both the growth and spread of invasive weeds. For example, if you had to hire a crew of workers to manually weed a farm instead of simply hiring a couple people to spray a cheap chemical solution, your crop production costs would skyrocket. In fact, a 2007 report by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences projects that the non-use of herbicides in America's farms would cause an annual income loss of $21 billion, due in part to a $7.7 billion rise in weed control costs.

Reduces Pests and Disease

• Weed species commonly act as hosts for a multitude of insect pests, such as beetles and worms, which may then transfer to any plants around the weeds. Weeds also often carry viral or bacterial diseases that can jeopardize the health of surrounding plants. The use of herbicides to kill weeds helps eliminate such hosts and ensure the long-term health of your garden or farm.

Increased Production

• Due in part to the weeds' capabilities of hosting pests and diseases, as well as weeds' direct competition with desirable plants for soil-borne nutrients and water, weeds have a direct effect on a garden or crop's rate of production. Using herbicides to control weeds has a direct, correlative effect on increased production. However, the production-increasing benefits of herbicides stops once you've achieved 92 percent weed control, reports the University of Illinois.

Low Toxicity

• While herbicides often get a bad rap for being dangerous to the health of the Earth and humanity, many popular herbicides actually present a low level of risk when used properly. For example, even the popular glyphosate chemical is "less ecologically damaging than ... other herbicides" and degrades quickly in nature, according to the National Academy of Sciences. You can even find organic herbicides on the market that, while often more expensive than traditional herbicides, can protect your garden and crops in an even safer manner.