All SBM / Bayer Garden Products such as weedkillers, insecticides, fungicides, Provado and Fungus Fighter are formulated to last many years under normal storage conditions.
As part of their registration, all pesticides must pass stringent accelerated storage trials to prove that they remain effective and safe to use for many years.
We would expect these products to last between 5-7 years form the date of production especially if they are kept in cool, dark, frost free conditions.
The coding that is printed on these products tend to have two references :-
- a "LOT" number which allows us to refer the individual product back to our production records
- a "PROD" number which is the date of production, usually stated as the month and year (eg. 0719 means production date is July 2019)
This Production date is not a sell by date or a use by date. We add a production date in agreement with most UK manufactures of garden pesticides, to allow ourselves and retailers to rotate stock efficiently. It also allows gardeners to understand the age of their products.
As garden pesticides get older they they will slowly loose their effectiveness, but will not suddenly become inactive. There is no absolute way of determining if they remain active and we advise that once these products have gone beyond 7 years from their production date, that they are disposed of safely.
Safe disposal means taking the product in its original container to a local municipal recycling centre and placing it in the area for "Household Chemical". If unsure please ask one of the operatives there.