If you’re like most people, you want a beautiful lawn, lush with the kind of thick grass you can walk barefoot in or a flower garden worthy of bragging rights. To have that, you need to get rid of weeds so that the rest of your plants can thrive. We have many natural ways to kill weeds without putting harmful herbicides such as glyphosate into the environment.
Weeds are just like any other plant. Their main goal is to thrive and survive. Many weeds have flowers and unique qualities about them that can be appealing.
Unfortunately, most weed plants have an invasive attitude, and once they find a suitable home, they dig in their heels, or rather their roots, and refuse to leave. Not only that, they invite all of their friends to join them. In other words, weeds can cause havoc in your lawn and garden.
Natural Ways to Kill Weeds
Every homeowner knows that weed control can be a tricky job. We’ve searched high and low for the most effective method to kill weeds and prevent new ones from sprouting. Whether you want to kill coastal garden grasses that have become invasive or just don’t like dandelions sprouting throughout your yard, we can help.
Fortunately, we have come across many natural ways to eliminate weeds from the lawn and garden without using harsh chemicals. There is a safe way to kill weeds.
You just have to find the method that works best for your purposes. Many of these recipes use everyday items you can pick up from the grocery store or you may already have on hand.
How to Get Rid of Weeds Naturally Using Borax
Many commercial herbicides contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment. This spray shows you how to get rid of weeds naturally using Borax as a natural herbicide.
Use this method on a sunny day for the best results. Pour the water into a bucket and add the Borax.
Pour the Borax solution into a garden sprayer or spray bottle and spray directly onto the weeds or invasive ornamental grasses. Make sure to avoid saturating the soil, or spraying other plants in the vicinity to keep from killing or damaging them with the mixture.
Kill Weeds Naturally with Acetic Acid
Kill weeds naturally with household vinegar, which is a form of acetic acid. This all natural weed killer will suck the life out of weed plants and is ideal for removing small weedy areas.
Combine white vinegar and dish soap into a spray bottle and give it a gentle shake. Label the container if you plan on using it again. Vinegar is harmful to all types of plants, so set the spray nozzle to stream to prevent getting any of the vinegar on nearby desirable plants.
Spray the weed killer directly onto the weed, covering the leaves and stem. The solution is more effective if you do this at the hottest time of the day. The dish soap helps the vinegar adhere to the leaves and stem so that it can have more time to get the job done.
If you have a stubborn weed smack dab in the middle of a flower garden, try this handy tip. Cut the bottom large soda bottle, and place it over the entire weed.
Aim the spray nozzle of the spray bottle into the mouth of the soda bottle and spray without worrying that any of the vinegar will get onto surrounding plants.
You can also spritz moss with vinegar. This solution is particularly effective to kill moss on pavers or moss that grows in the cracks of the sidewalk.
How to Remove Weeds in the Garden
When trying to determine what kills weeds naturally in garden beds, we found that the best way is to remove them by hand. Doing this will ensure that you do not harm any nearby plants or add unnecessary additives to a vegetable garden.
Removing Garden Weeds
While you can use your hands for this process, you may want to use a garden weeder or trowel. Purchase these at just about any garden center. The best time to pull weeds in the garden is when you first notice them before weed seeds begin germinating.
Begin by spraying the area with water to loosen the soil and make weed pulling easier. After the water has soaked into the dirt, grasp the weed plant around the base of the stem and gently twist and pull upwards.
For larger weeds, you may have to use a spade or trowel to pry the weed roots from the ground. While weeding, make sure that you remove all of the tap roots of the weeds to ensure that the plant does not grow back.
How to Smother Weeds
Smothering is a natural way to kill grass and weeds without resorting to herbicides. Doing this prevents weeds from getting the sunlight, oxygen, and nutrients they need to survive.
Not only does this method kill weeds, but it is a great way to recycle newspapers. This process is also an excellent choice for killing large patches of crabgrass and ground cover weeds.
Smothering Weeds
Use garden shears to cut the weed down as low as possible. For large areas, mow the weedy area with a lawnmower on its lowest setting. Smother the weed plants by covering them with about ten sheets of newspaper.
Wet the newspapers and then cover them with one to two inches of mulch. Mulching the newspaper eventually breaks down the papers, which adds nourishment to the soil.
How to Make a Weed Killer Spray
This natural dandelion weed killer is useful for removing isolated weeds or weedy areas in the lawn. Our recipe calls for dish soap, which helps the weed killer stick to the plant, enabling the vinegar and salt, both natural weed killers, to kill the weed plant more efficiently. It works best on a sunny day.
Combine the vinegar, salt, and a couple of squirts of dish detergent into a large container. Transfer the weed killer to a garden sprayer or spray bottle. Spray the weed killer on dandelions, crabgrass, and any other common weeds that you have in your lawn.
Soak the leaves and stems but avoid getting any of the sprays onto other plants nearby. If you do not have a sprayer, put the solution into a watering can and pour the liquid directly onto the weed.
If you have stumps in the yard, you can also take care of killing a tree with salt, whether table salt or Epsom salt, but know that it will take a while. Use a drill with a long bit to drill a lot of holes in the top of the stump. Pour salt into each of the holes and add vinegar.
Cover the stump with a tarp. This process can take several months or even longer if the tree has an extended root system but it can keep you from hiring a stump grinder or tree removal service.
How to Control Weeds Using Corn Gluten Meal
Corn gluten meal works well as a pre-emergent treatment on the lawn and is a byproduct of the production of corn syrup. It prevents weed seeds from growing into new weeds while also adding some nutritional benefit to the yard.
Corn Gluten Meal Herbicide Weed Prevention
Spread the corn gluten meal onto the weedy areas of your yard in the early spring before weeds erupt. Use a garden hose to water the entire area until the yard gets a quarter-inch of water. The area needs to remain dry for one to two days after application.
Killing Weeds with Heat
While all plants love getting a drink when thirsty, they do not want to quench their thirst with hot water. The following method works well for removing small patches of weeds in the lawn or garden.
Hot Water Weed Killer
When killing grass and weeds, bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully pour the water into a watering can. Pour the boiling water onto the top of the weeds, making sure that it does not splatter onto nearby foliage. Repeat this daily until the weed plant is dead.
Getting Rid of Isolated Weeds
There are several things that you can coat weeds with that are not only natural but quite effective at killing them. You should only perform this method on weeds that are isolated from other plants, however, such as dandelions growing up through a crack in the driveway. A sprinkle today will help keep the weeds away!
Isolated Weed Killer
Spray the weed with water to wet the leaves and stem. Will Epsom salt kill grass and weeds? Sprinkle Epsom salt, baking soda, table salt, or rock salt directly onto the weed plant until it is completely coated. If the weed does not die after the first application, apply a second coat one week later.
How to Kill Weeds Using Vodka
No, you didn’t read that wrong, you can kill weeds with vodka. Vodka dehydrates plants and causes them to wither and die.
The dish soap helps the vodka mixture stick to the plant so that more of the vodka is absorbed. The only downfall to this weed killer recipe is that it doesn’t work as well on shade-loving weeds.
Combine the vodka, water, and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. Label the container for future use and safety purposes.
Turn the spray nozzle onto the stream setting and spray directly onto the leaves of the weed plants. Try doing this on a sunny day to enhance the dehydration process.
Controlling weeds will no longer be a burden now that you know which tools you need to remove them and which natural ingredients you need for a homemade weed killer.
Retake control of your yard, grab a spray bottle, some vinegar and dish soap and start eliminating those weeds. Don’t forget the trowel and gardener gloves!
As you can see, there are many natural ways to kill weeds without adding harmful chemicals into the environment, so why not share these natural weed killing techniques with your family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook?