Who to hire for weeds that have taken over

Short answer

A gardener or a licensed weed control contractor. Identify what you actually have first: several states declare specific weeds, and for a declared species landowners generally have a legal duty to control it — and sometimes specific rules about disposal, because putting the cuttings in a green bin spreads it.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a gardener or landscaper.

  • your state's biosecurity or primary industries agency

    you think you have a declared weed. They publish identification guides and, in many cases, the required control method.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Photograph and identify the weed. Control methods differ completely between species and the wrong method spreads some of them.
  2. Check whether it is declared in your state.
  3. Note what is growing next to it that you want to keep — that decides whether a selective or non-selective approach is possible.
  4. Check whether anyone in the household has chemical sensitivities, and whether there are edible plants, pets or a water body nearby.

What to ask when you book

  • Do you hold a chemical user licence, and what product are you using?
  • What is the withholding period, and when can children and pets use the area again?
  • Is this a one-off or does it need follow-up, and is that included?
  • How is the material being disposed of?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Area and density.
  • Species, and whether a selective treatment is possible.
  • Number of follow-up visits — most serious weed problems need more than one.
  • Disposal requirements for declared species.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Applying agricultural or veterinary chemicals commercially requires a chemical user licence or accreditation in most states. Declared weeds carry landholder obligations under state biosecurity legislation.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for weeds that have taken over
A gardener or a licensed weed control contractor. Identify what you actually have first: several states declare specific weeds, and for a declared species landowners generally have a legal duty to control it — and sometimes specific rules about disposal, because putting the cuttings in a green bin spreads it.
Do I have to control weeds on my property by law?
For weeds declared under your state's biosecurity legislation, generally yes — landholders have duties that can include control and preventing spread, and some species must be reported. For ordinary garden weeds there is no such obligation. Identification is therefore the first step rather than a curiosity.

Find a gardener or landscaper near you

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.