Active ingredient
Imazethapyr
Imidazolinone (ALS inhibitor, Group 2)
A selective herbicide used over legumes — the reason it appears in food-plot rather than lawn products.
What it does
Controls broadleaf and some grassy weeds in clover and alfalfa plantings, where a normal broadleaf herbicide would kill the crop.
What it does not do
It is not a lawn product and it is not its near-namesake. Imazethapyr and imazapyr are three letters apart with completely different soil behaviour: one is selective over legumes, the other is a bare-ground residual that can reach tree roots.
The label constraint people miss
Penn State notes that on low-pH soil this family binds to soil particles and can be released months later, becoming available for plant uptake. On acid ground, 'bound' is not 'gone' when you plan the next planting.
Products we review that contain it
Every product below is here because we opened its label — on EPA's own database or the registrant's — and read Imazethapyr in the ingredient statement. Registration numbers are on each product's page.
Selective Broadleaf Herbicide for Legume Food Plots (imazethapyr)
Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide
★★★★☆ (4.1/5)
Imazethapyr — broadleaf control that a clover or alfalfa stand tolerates, and the active people mean when they search for imazapyr by mistake.
Best for: Broadleaf weeds in a clover or alfalfa food plot, paired with a grass herbicide rather than used alone
$62–$76
View on Amazon
Non-Selective Soil-Residual Herbicide — bare ground and site preparation
Alligare Imazapyr 4 SL Herbicide, 1 Quart
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Long soil residual is the feature and the danger: imazapyr is taken up by roots, so it can kill trees whose roots reach treated ground.
Best for: Ground you intend to keep bare for a long time, well away from trees, shrubs and anything you will replant
$46–$58
View on Amazon
Guides that use Imazethapyr
- Best Grass and Weed Killer: Three Jobs, Three Products
- Bare Ground Herbicide: It Reaches Roots You Cannot See
- Brush Control in Pasture: Mowing Multiflora Rose Spreads It
- Food Plot Weed Control: Spraying Clover Without Killing It
- How to Kill a Lawn Before Reseeding — Or Not Kill It
- Microclover Lawn Pros and Cons: The Permanent Trade-Off
Buy for the active, then read the label anyway. Two products with the same active are not interchangeable — concentration, labelled sites and species tolerances all vary, and a three-part registration number means a narrowed label. How to read one in two minutes. Where our page and your container disagree, the container is the legal authority.