More and more consumers, like you, are joining the "Going Green" movement to help preserve our environment and make the world a healthier place. Using organic products in and around your home is a great way to contribute. Weed killers have long been controversial and the search for a truly organic, unaltered, natural herbicide has been in the forefront recently. Along with synthetic formulas such as glyphosate (Roundup®), numerous "natural" products have entered the market. If you’ve looked in stores or searched the internet, it can be a daunting task finding one that’s safe to handle and to use around pets & wildlife, doesn’t harm the environment, is classified organic AND actually works!  With all of these products making different claims, we thought some misconceptions needed to be addressed. Whether you choose to purchase Avenger Weed Killer or not, we want to help you find a product that's right for you and give you all the facts to help you make an educated choice.

 Popular Herbicides And How They Differ From Each Other: As long as there have been yards and landscaping, weeds have been an aggravating menace. Throughout the years several types of week killers (herbicides) have emerged on the market to assist gardeners, homeowners and farmers with their weed problem. These weed killers fall into three categories; Synthetic, Non-Synthetic ("natural") and Organic. Here's how they differ: Synthetic Weed Killers: Synthetic weed killers are weed killers made of compounds formed through a chemical process by human agency, as opposed to those of natural origin. Glyphosate (example: Roundup®) is an example of a synthetic herbicide. Glyphosate typically takes 7 to 14 days to get a response. Glyphosate products will never be OMRI Listed or approved for use in Organic Production or Organic Gardening. Non-Synthetic - "Natural" Weed Killers: There are 3 primary "natural" products on the market: Corn gluten, acetic acid/clove oil combination (A 4th product was recently introduced with a "food-grade" 20.0% Acetic Acid), and fatty acid. Nature’s Avenger’s patented d-limonene (citrus oil) formula is a new fast acting and effective alternative - we’ll get into that later  

• Corn Gluten: Used as a pre-emergent weed killer...  it is applied BEFORE weeds emerge. Corn gluten inhibits weed seed germination. It is now considered an organic product.
• Acetic Acid/Clove Oil Combination: (acetic acid is vinegar) Used as a post-emergent herbicide. It is applied AFTER weed seedlings emerge.

Now, it gets a little complicated! Natural vinegar contains only 6% acetic acid. New products (for example, Burnout II) are coming out with a much more concentrated acetic acid (some as high as 30%). There is NO way to naturally obtain acetic acid at these high rates; they are all produced synthetically (it’s a simple, i.e. cheap, chemical process). Since these products are made with synthetic acetic acid they will never be considered "organic". If these products are said or listed to be organic, they are doing so incorrectly. Products containing such a high concentration of acidic acid can also be dangerous. Make sure you check the MSDS sheet for handling of these products and have the proper safety gear. For example: the company's MSDS on Burnout reads the following: Health Hazards: Contains acetic acid and is flammable and extremely corrosive. Contact with this product will result in severe eye irritation and possible permanent damage. Contact with this product will cause severe skin irritation and/or chemical burns. Breathing vapors will cause significant respiratory irritation, and pulmonary edema if prolonged. Ingestion of this product could cause burns and destroy tissue in the mouth, throat, and digestive tract. Also, products with clove oil tend to have a strong, rancid odor. NAO has a fresh citrus aroma.

"Food Grade" 200 Grain Vinegar or 20% Acetic Acid: This is used as a post-emergent herbicide. As stated earlier, natural vinegar contains only 6% acetic acid. When you get into a high concentration of acetic acid, danger looms for the homeowner/user. Homeowners are not trained in safe handling and storage of concentrated chemicals. Acetic acid concentrations over 11% can cause burns upon skin contact. Eye contact can result in severe burns and permanent corneal injury. Products with high acidic acid concentrations registered through the EPA for commercial use, all have restricted entry intervals of 48 hours and list personal protection equipment to be used by the applicator. Because consumers are used to thinking of vinegar as something you can safely use on your salad and eat, they are generally unaware of the potential dangers of higher concentrations. An example is a copy of the MSDS sheet warnings on Weed Pharm®, who claims "food grade" 20% Acetic Acid:

This product contains hazardous materials as defined by the OSHA hazard communication; vapors irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. Avoid inhalation. Liquid may cause eye burns and permanent damage to cornea, possibly leading to blindness. Causes skin irritation. EYE: Extremely irritating to the eyes. If not removed promptly, will injure eye tissue, which may result in permanent damage, including blindness SKIN: Contact causes skin irritation and possible burns INHALATION: Irritating to the nose, throat and respiratory tract. Avoid breathing of vapors or mists INGESTION: Can irritate or burn mouth, throat and stomach if swallowed. Please be carefully when using these types of products.

Fatty Acid: (essentially soap) Used as a post-emergent herbicide. It is applied AFTER weed seedlings emerge. The fatty acid products (soap), are practically useless. But in the past couple of years, a short chain fatty acid (C9 or 9 carbons) has been discovered that is very active. It is available only synthetically (i.e. not natural). The C9 fatty acid is called pelargonic acid and is sold under the trade name Scythe Herbicide. Scythe is expensive and is NOT organic.

Organic Weed Killers: An organic weed killer is made from natural ingredients without the use of any chemicals in the ingredients and/or formula and without any of the ingredients being chemically altered. An organic weed killer can be used in any planting that has been classified as organic by USDA National Organics Program (NOP) and listed by OMRI (OMRI achieved USDA accreditation under International Organization for Standardization Guide in January 2008 - click here to read announcement).

In the past organic weed killers have been expensive and were much less effective than synthetic weed killers, but of course do not inject unnatural chemicals into the environment. Today organic weed killers go through a rigorous review process with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Registrants can obtain EPA approval indicating that all ingredients (active and inert) in a herbicide product and all uses of that weed killer meet the criteria defined in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) Rule. The information on the pesticide label will assist those persons certifying organic production methods, as well as consumers looking for an organic product, in knowing which weed killer product meets the requirements of the NOP Rule for use in organic agriculture or gardening. Once products have been reviewed and approved, they are allowed to add to their label verbiage and a "logo" to announce this fact. Labeling consists of "For Organic Production" or "For Organic Gardening". This wording along with an EPA registration number will alert you to an authentic registered organic product. MAKE SURE YOU SEE THESE ITEMS FOR AUTHENTICITY.

Logo and Text	Just the logo
... or as on the NAO label	... indication a product is considered organic, is if it carries the "OMRI Listed" seal.

Other products, such as Burnout, Weed Pharm and others fall under the "25b product" category and are unregulated by the EPA in their claims. These products are also not OMRI Listed or approved for use under the USDA NOP program.

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides organic certifiers, growers, manufacturers, and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing. OMRI reviews products against the National Organic Standards. Acceptable products are "OMRI Listed®" and appear on the OMRI Products List. (OMRI achieved USDA accreditation under International Organization for Standardization Guide in January 2008 - click here to read announcement). Nature's Avenger carries both, "For Organic Production" and "OMRI Listed" seals.

How does Avenger Weed Killer compare to these "natural" weed killers? Avenger Weed Killer is a post-emergent weed killer. Our patented natural d-limonene (citrus oil) based weed killer is a fast acting and effective alternative to synthetic weed killers or less effective "natural" products. What is d-Limonene? When citrus is squeezed for juice, a layer of oil remains on top of the juice. The citrus rind is then squeezed further to remove any remaining oil in the citrus skin. That oil is called d-limonene. D-limonene is a natural degreasing agent that strips the weed of its waxy skin (cuticle). The result is dehydration, which in turn leads to dead weeds, down to the root in smaller, younger weeds.

Avenger Weed Killer carries both, the "For Organic Gardening/Production" and "OMRI Listed" seals. To our knowledge the only other post-emergent natural weed killers are the acetic acid/clove oil combinations and fatty acid weed killers(as mentioned above). Both of these products have been on the market for more than 20 years. Michigan State and North Carolina State, conducted side by side trials with acetic acid/clove oil combinations and fatty acid weed killers, with Avenger clearly being the more effective weed killer. Avenger Weed Killer carries both, the "For Organic Gardening" and "OMRI Listed" seals.

How does Avenger Weed Killer compare to synthetic weed killers such as glyphosate? Glyphosate is a synthetic chemical which is made in huge quantities (and can therefore be sold cheaply). The d-limonene in Avenger is natural and must be grown (citrus fruits, etc). Glyphosate typically takes 7 to 14 days to work; NAO acts much faster, often seeing results in 1-2 hours. Glyphosate will NEVER be considered organic. Avenger Weed Killer carries both, the "For Organic Gardening" and "OMRI Listed" seals.