Herbicides That Can Be Used on Pumpkin Plants

Clomazone

• The University of Illinois Extension cites clomazone as among the recommended herbicides for use on pumpkin plants. Clomazone is a broad-spectrum herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds and annual grasses in pumpkin and a number of other crops, including soybean, sweet potato, winter squash and pea. Clomazone is used for preplant and preemergent weed control and is sold under a variety of different product names. The herbicide kills targeted weeds by retarding the synthesis of chlorophyll in the plants and is absorbed through roots and diffused into the foliage. Clomazone is sold as an emulsifiable concentrate.

Bensulide

• Kansas State University Extension lists bensulide as among the recommended herbicides for pumpkin plants. Also sold under a variety of different product names, bensulide is a selective herbicide that controls annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in cucumbers, pumpkins, melons and carrots. The herbicide is sold as an emulsifiable liquid and is applied to the soil prior to germination to keep weed seeds from germinating. It is often used in combination with other herbicides, such as molinate. Bensulide damages targeted plants by retarding root growth, and it proves effective for four to 12 months depending on rate of application.

Sethoxydim

• Sethoxydim is a recommended and safe herbicide for use on pumpkins, according to the Kansas State University Extension. The selective, postemergent herbicide, also sold under different product names, controls perennial and annual weeds in a number of fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops. It is sold in the form of a yellow-brown, oily liquid. Sethoxydim does not leach farther than 4 inches into the soil and does not persist.