Effects of Herbicide Dye on Concrete

By Home & Garden Last updated Monday, June/03/2024

This is a great shade for your grass to let people know to keep off pets and children -- but for your driveway it could be a little lurid.green fabric background image by rgbspace from Fotolia.com

When you are using an herbicide on your lawn, the state of your driveway may not be the first thing that you think of. After all, you are focused on getting rid of those weeds. However, if you are not careful, your driveway could end up paying the price for weed removal, since many herbicides contain dyes to let people know that an area of vegetation has been treated. Knowing what to look for and avoid will help you prevent permanent damage to concrete areas near your lawn.

Temporary Staining

Many herbicide manufacturers boast that their products will not harm or stain your concrete. However, they can lead to temporary tinting -- especially if it rains not too long after you treat the area. The best way to prevent this temporary staining is to check the weather ahead of time to make sure that your concrete pavers or driveway will not be getting tinted runoff, then scrub any areas that you accidentally spray immediately to decrease the risk of a lovely green hue being a long-term accent.

While permanent stains on concrete are rare, if you are spraying the cracks in between concrete pavers -- essentially applying the herbicide and dye directly to the concrete in the process -- then you can quickly develop permanent stains that will not fade without removing the top level of concrete via a muriatic acid treatment. If you will be applying an herbicide to these areas, then you must use one without a dye. Look for herbicides that contain neem oil to kill everything in the cracks without marring your concrete.

In most cases, as long as you apply the herbicide to the weeds and vegetation rather than the concrete, your driveway and pavers should be just fine. Even if you do get a little dye on the concrete as a result of runoff, the tint should fade fairly quickly. However, if your concrete has been treated and stained already, is a very pale color or is completely unsealed, then you may experience issues, so always test in a small, unnoticeable area before you expose your concrete to the effects of herbicide dye.