Dry, water-soluble, substituted phenoxy and/or benzoic acid herbicides and method of preparing same

A dry, water-soluble substituted phenoxy and/or benzoic acid herbicide powder composition comprising;

• a dry blended mixture on a parts by weight basis of about
• 31 parts of dry, solid powder particles of 2,4D,
• 16 parts of dry, solid powder particles of MCPP,
• 3 parts of dry, solid powder particles of dicamba, and
• 40 parts of trisodium phosphate
• said 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba and trisodium phosphate having been dry blended in powdered form without changing the physical state of the particles to retain the discrete particulate character thereof, and in the absence of chemical reaction between said 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba with the trisodium phosphate or tripotassium phosphate to form a relatively uniform dry mixture thereof.

A dry, water-soluble substituted phenoxy and/or benzoic acid herbicide powder composition comprising;

• a dry blended mixture on a parts by weight basis of about
• 37 parts of dry, solid powder particles of 2,4 D,
• 20 parts of dry, solid powder particles of MCPP,
• 4 parts of dry, solid powder particles of dicamba, and
• 30 parts of trisodium phosphate
• said 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba and trisodium phosphate having been dry blended in powdered form without changing the physical state of the particles to retain the discrete particulate character thereof, and in the absence of chemical reaction between said 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba with the trisodium phosphate to form a relatively uniform dry mixture thereof.

A dry, water-soluble substituted phenoxy and/or benzoic acid herbicide powder composition comprising;

• a dry blended mixture on a parts by weight basis of about
• 31 parts of dry, solid powder particles of 2,4-D,
• 16 parts of dry, solid powder particles of MCPP, 3 parts of dry, solid powder particles of dicamba, and
• 40 parts of tripotassium phosphate said 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba and tripotassium phosphate having been dry blended in powdered form without changing the physical state of the particles to retain the discrete particulate character thereof, and in the absence of chemical reaction between said 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba with the tripotassium phosphate to form a relatively uniform dry mixture thereof.

A method of preparing a dry, water-soluble, substituted phenoxy and/or benzoic acid herbicide powder composition consisting essentially of the steps of:

• providing a first quantity of dry, powder particles of a substantially solid herbicidal agent selected from the group consisting of herbicidally active phenoxy acids and substituted herbicidally active benzoic acids, which are not readily soluble in water;
• providing a second quantity of dry, solid powder particles selected from the group consisting of trisodium phosphate and tripotassium phosphate as a solubilization medium for the herbicidal agent,
• said first and second quantities of the herbicidal agent and the solubilization medium being the predominate constituents of the composition,
• there being from 0.6 mole to about 1.15 mole of solubilization medium for each mole of herbicidal agent;
• and
• dry blending the herbicidal agent and the solubilization medium in powdered form without changing the physical state of the particles to retain the discrete particulate character of each of said first and second quantities of said particles, and in the absence of chemical reaction between said herbicidal agent and said solubilization medium to produce a relatively uniform dry mixture thereof,
• a sufficient quantity of the phosphate solubilization medium being provided in the dry blended mixture in relationship to the quantity of herbicidal agent combined therewith to cause the powdered dry blended mixture to substantially dissolve in water during preparation by the applicator of a herbicidal solution which contains an adequate proportion of the herbicidal agent to provide from about 0.1% to about 21/2% by weight of the active herbicidal agent in the herbicidal solution.