Is it advisable to apply herbicide when plants are under stress?

Applying herbicide to plants that are under stress is generally not advisable because stressed plants can respond poorly to herbicide treatments. When plants are experiencing stress due to drought, disease, pest damage, or other environmental factors, their physiological processes may be disrupted. This can lead to a diminished ability to absorb and translocate the herbicide effectively, resulting in reduced effectiveness of the application.

Herbicides are formulated to work optimally when plants are healthy and actively growing. Healthy plants are more capable of taking up and distributing the chemicals throughout their tissues, which is essential for the herbicides to target the intended areas of the plant. Stressed plants often have compromised metabolic functions, which can hinder this process and potentially lead to incomplete control of the targeted weeds.

In addition, applying herbicide to stressed plants may cause additional stress, potentially harming them further and leading to unintended damage. It's important to assess the health and condition of plants before considering herbicide applications to ensure both efficacy and plant health.