Weed Control
Food Plot Weed Control: Spraying Clover Without Killing It
Clover is a broadleaf, so broadleaf herbicide kills it. Three chemistries are selective enough not to — and the pre-plant kill is the one that matters most.
Selective Broadleaf Herbicide for Legume Food Plots (imazethapyr)
Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide Review
★★★★☆ 4.1/5
our editor rating how we score4.4/5 from 375 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.
$62–$76
Typical price · Plot-scale container; rates per label
Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.
Imazethapyr — broadleaf control that a clover or alfalfa stand tolerates, and the active people mean when they search for imazapyr by mistake.
Our Verdict
The companion to a clethodim product rather than an alternative to it: clethodim removes grasses from a legume plot, imazethapyr removes broadleaves. It is an ALS inhibitor with genuine selectivity in legumes, which is what makes broadleaf control possible in a crop that is itself a broadleaf. 375 Amazon ratings. Two cautions matter more than the price. Imazethapyr carries soil residual activity, which means it can affect what you plant in that ground afterwards — the label's rotational restrictions are the part to read before you spray a plot you intend to change next season, and this is the single most common way people get into trouble with the imidazolinone family. And do not confuse it with imazapyr: the names differ by three letters and the behaviour differs completely, since imazapyr is a total bare-ground herbicide with residual long enough to kill trees through their roots. If a listing describes bare ground or site preparation, it is the wrong one.
✅ Pros
- Selective broadleaf control in legumes, which ordinary broadleaf herbicides cannot do
- 375 Amazon ratings on a specialist product
- Pairs with clethodim to cover both weed families in a legume plot
- Plot-sized packaging with plot-specific instructions
⚠️ Cons
- Soil residual activity restricts what you can plant afterwards — read the rotational limits first
- Easily confused with imazapyr, which is a total bare-ground herbicide and would destroy the plot
- Food plot packaging carries a premium over agricultural imazethapyr
- No grass activity — a second product is needed for grassy weeds
Product type
Selective Broadleaf Herbicide for Legume Food Plots (imazethapyr)
Active ingredient
Imazethapyr
Price range
$62–$76
Coverage
Plot-scale container; rates per label
Best for
Broadleaf weeds in a clover or alfalfa food plot, paired with a grass herbicide rather than used alone
our editor rating
4.1 out of 5
Where our facts come from
Label read on the registrant's own PDF
EPA Reg. No. 228-627-81883
We read the printed label published by the company that holds the registration. EPA hosts no PDF for this one, so this is the best available text.
What we found when we read it
Label read 2026-08-02 on the distributor's own site. EPA Reg. 228-627-81883, EPA Est. 73427-IN-001 — a distributor product: base registration 228-627 sold under Whitetail Institute's company number 81883, so its printed label is a subset of the base label's uses. Maximum rate read off the label: 0.094 lb a.e./A of imazethapyr, which it gives as 6 oz/A. Labelled for ESTABLISHED rather than seedling stands. Adjuvant directions include a surfactant option for all states, and a nitrogen-fertilizer-solution option marked '(All States Except California)' — recorded as a California state_note. The active ingredient percentage was not legible in the PDF text layer and is not recorded.
Where this page and the container disagree, the container wins — the label is the legal authority on rates and restrictions. How to read one yourself.
Where This Product Matters
Matched against each state's actual disease, weed and pest pressure.
California
California hub →Application window: March–May while weeds are young; avoid spraying drought-stressed turf in summer
⚖️ One adjuvant option is excluded here: the label's nitrogen fertilizer solution addition is marked for all states except California. The non-ionic or organo-silicone surfactant option applies everywhere, so use that one rather than the fertilizer solution.
Common questions
Common Questions
How much does Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide cost?
Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide typically runs $62–$76, covering Plot-scale container; rates per label.
What does Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide treat?
Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide targets broadleaf weeds in clover, broadleaf weeds in alfalfa, pigweed, lambsquarters.
What is the active ingredient in Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide?
Imazethapyr, registered under EPA Reg. No. 228-627-81883.
What is the biggest downside of Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide?
Soil residual activity restricts what you can plant afterwards — read the rotational limits first
Real feedback
Customer Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to share how Whitetail Institute Slay Selective Broadleaf Herbicide worked for your lawn.
Leave a review
Thanks — we read every submission by hand, so it may take a little while to appear.
Related Guides
Lawn Care Guides
Microclover Lawn Pros and Cons: The Permanent Trade-Off
Microclover fixes its own nitrogen and feeds bees. It also ends whole-lawn broadleaf spraying forever, and dies back in winter. Extension seeding rates inside.
Weed Control
Pasture Weed Control: The Label Restriction Comes First
Grazing restrictions run from seven days to a year, and beef and dairy differ. UGA: without cultural practices, herbicide use will not be beneficial.
Lawn Health Newsletter
Seasonal lawn reminders, on time
Pre-emergent windows, disease alerts and fertilization schedules for your region — one short email, right when your lawn needs it.
Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime. US lawns only (for now). This season's companion: the printable summer checklist.