Weeds are often a gardener’s worst enemy. Here you’ve gone to the trouble of creating the perfect environment for your crops to flourish, and you’ve got invaders sprouting up everywhere. Maybe it would help to think of it as flattering? I mean, you did create the ideal place for things to grow. Everything that finds its way into your garden, finds good health. That’s a nice thought, right?
Okay, it’s a nice thought but that’s about all it is. You don’t really want weeds in your garden… you just want the things you planted in your garden. There is no shortage of weed control options that contain harsh chemicals, but these days many of us are trying to live more harmoniously with Mother Nature, and that means doing our best not to fill her, or us, with what amounts to poison.
It’s easy to make your own weed-be-gone spray, which is perfect for jobs where weeding by hand is just too much.
This DIY Recipe Has No Harsh Chemicals
The formula is simple:
- 1 gallon white vinegar
- 1 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and treat weeds at the sunniest time of day for the best results. That’s it!
All you need when trying to eliminate weeds and harsh chemicals at the same time is this simple blend. Why? The acetic acid in both vinegar and salt are great at wicking life-giving moisture away from weeds. Dish soap acts as a surfactant, which helps make the weed killer soak into the plant instead of sitting on the surface. It helps to do it at the sunniest point in the day because all of the qualities of this DIY weed killer will be amplified and you’ll see results in just a couple of hours. (1)
Harsh Chemicals Are Harsh
One thing to bear in mind as you take a more natural approach to weed control: harsh chemicals mean business. Conversely, natural remedies are more gentle. Harsh chemicals get right at the root system of the whole weed, destroying it and everything else in its path. This natural remedy doesn’t penetrate that far, it doesn’t permeate the root system like the commercial weed killers do, so this is not a “one and done” solution. It’s the kind of thing you’ll want to put on your garden’s maintenance schedule and follow up on. Keep a spray bottle handy and make a habit of getting after it, and you should find this will help keep those annoying weeds at bay. (1)
This natural weed killer is good for the garden because these are foods that you’ll eat, but it’s also perfect for things like stone walkways that have weeds growing throughout, or those pesky fence posts that you can’t quite get to with the mower, so the weeds love to take shelter next to them.
Just remember not to douse plants you want to keep alive… this is an equal-opportunity chemical-free weed killer, and it doesn’t know a dandelion from a zucchini plant. It’ll soak into and dry out anything you put it on, so be mindful, and happy gardening!
