If you love a beautiful garden and lawn and want to keep it weed-free, there are natural ways to do so without using commercial herbicides. While you can make your yard pristine, you should remember to be kind to bees and be sure to plant native flowers and shrubs that are pollinator friendly and will beautify your space.
You may already have the ingredients for these five home-made weed killers that are effective and safe for the environment. But remember, that some of these remedies, like many commercial ones, are not selective and will kill anything they touch including grass, according to The Spruce, so be careful where you use them.
Vinegar, Salt, and Dish Detergent
This method works because the acidity of vinegar breaks down the cell walls in weeds and this causes them to die off, Rebecca Sears, from Seeds of Change told Martha Stewart. “Vinegars that you keep in your kitchen, such as white vinegar, contain a level of acidity that can help remove weeds.”
This recipe is very easy to make, just add salt and dishwashing detergent – Dawn is the preferred brand – to one gallon (3.7 liters) of vinegar, according to Martha Stewart. Pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle so that you can carefully aim the solution because it is not weed specific. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection to protect yourself if the solution splashes.
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Boiling Water Method
This method is the easiest one to use, suggested The Spruce, because it doesn’t require any mixing and it can be used day or night in any type of weather. Just boil water and pour it on the leaves of the weed. make sure you pour enough so the water goes into the roots. You can remove the dead weeds the next day. Or, you can also use a propane torch to scorch the weeds but be careful not to use this method on windy days or in dry conditions.
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Rubbing Alcohol Solution
This effective weed control recipe from mindbodygreen uses just 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol diluted in 4 cups (.94 liters) of water. Pour into a spray bottle. The alcohol dries out the plant cells causing them to dehydrate. It is best to use this method on a warm day because sunlight will add to the drying effect.
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Dry Baking Soda Recipe
This simple recipe has just one ingredient, baking soda. The only requirement is that the weeds are moist before you sprinkle the baking soda directly onto them.
Baking soda helps to remove moisture from the weeds and this dries up the plant tissue so that it can no longer photosynthesize its food. While this method is effective, you may have to repeat in two weeks if the weeds are still there.
“This treatment works best on driveways and sidewalks or other hard surfaces where weeds like to pop through the smallest of cracks,” Tasha Greer, a homesteader and the author of Weed-Free Gardening: A Comprehensive and Organic Approach to Weed Management, told mindbodygreen.
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DIY Borax Method
While borax is usually used for laundry and to sanitize your home, it is also an effective weed killer that is environmentally friendly according to the blog Gardennerdy. Just dissolve a small amount of borax into warm water. Add the mixture to 2.5 gallons (9.4 liters) of water. You can pour the mixture into a garden sprayer and spray the leaves of the weeds. You generally only need to spray once a year, in the spring, but be careful where you spray.
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