If you have a green thumb and a garden or a beautiful vegetable patch at home, you will surely know that weeds are a real nightmare. On paths, between the slabs of your terrace or in your garden, the dreaded weeds give you trouble. And despite manual weed control, these weeds grow at a great speed. Good news! You can fight weeds with natural ingredients that you probably already have at home, such as baking soda and white vinegar, and turn your green space into a Garden of Eden…
Why use organic weeding methods?
Weeds are unwanted plants that grow in the garden near plants, flowers and vegetables. Although weeds are seemingly harmless, they damage the health and vitality of your plants by taking space and nutrients from the soil! In addition, they are not pleasant to look at and detract from the beauty capital of your garden!
Now, to eliminate weeds and save your garden from colonization, you no longer have to resort to aggressive chemical herbicides, which are not only toxic to you and the environment, but are also harmful to your plants themselves, as they can burn them and make them lose their vitality. In addition, when it comes to products to destroy pests, diseases or weeds, it is better to rely on natural methods of prevention and control. Baking soda and vinegar are among them and do not pose any health risks and help keep the environment healthy.
How to make a natural weed killer with baking soda?
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is an effective natural weed killer. It is a phytotoxic product that damages plant growth. It dries out unwanted plants by absorbing water from their cells and destroying them.
How do you ?
- Water the weeds to moisten them so that the baking soda sticks to the leaves and soil.
- Sprinkle about a teaspoon of baking soda over each herb you want and cover it with the product.
- If you don’t see results (wilting or browning of the leaves) after a few days of waiting, repeat the process.
- If you have weeds on your garden paths, sprinkle baking soda between the tiles. It will kill weeds and prevent their growth.
It is best to use this method away from lawns and plantings. In addition, it is not advisable to plant anything in the treated area before the rain has washed away the bicarbonate.
How to make homemade weed killer with white vinegar?
White vinegar contains acetic acid, which can burn weed leaves; the latter weaken and eventually die. It should be noted that vinegar is most useful on young broadleaf weeds. Large or deep-rooted plants may require multiple applications to work properly. This is more laborious than the baking soda method, but it is a good weed control solution if you don’t want to make the soil inhospitable to plants.
How do you ?
- Pour 2 cups of white vinegar into a spray bottle;
- Add 2 tablespoons of dish soap to help the spray stick to the leaves and dissolve their protective coating.
- Spray the solution on the weeds and avoid spraying your valuable plants.
- Vinegar decomposes quickly in soil, but we recommend waiting a week before planting anything in areas sprayed with vinegar.
Grandma’s recipe for weed killing
Mixing white vinegar and baking soda is a doubly practical weed control solution! It lets you kill two birds with one stone by burning the leaves and drying out the plants at the roots!
How do you ?
- Use 1 part baking soda and 2 parts vinegar;
- Pour the baking soda into the sprayer first before adding the vinegar.
- A chemical reaction occurs! Then add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid;
- Close the sprayer and shake it.
- Spray the weeds well with this solution!
For information
Another method is to sprinkle baking soda on the weeds and then spray them with white vinegar. A chemical reaction will take place directly on the unwanted plants. Let it sit and repeat the process if necessary.
Remember that you can’t plant anything here for a long time either!
What helpful practices complement your natural weed killer?
In addition to your natural weed killer of baking soda and vinegar, there are a few simple things you can do in your garden to keep these harmful plants away: Remove surface weeds manually and save the baking soda and vinegar for deep-rooted weeds Mow the weeds regularly Sow the lawn to a height between 3 and 3 inches to keep weeds down and cut them before they go to seed etc.
When the sun and the nice weather come, we spend more time in our garden, going for walks or taking care of our beautiful flowers and plants! So we want this space to meet our expectations and not have bad plants around! We hope you found all the useful information in this article to get rid of it!
Frequently asked questions
What other natural herbicide can kill weed roots?
Boiling water also kills weeds and their roots! This has been confirmed by many experts, including Gena Lorraine , gardening expert, recommended by our colleagues at Express UK.
How to kill weeds with boiling water?
Boiling water kills plant tissue. This weed killer is easy to make and easy to use, day or night, with or without sun! Simply boil some water and pour a sufficient amount onto the leaves of the herb. For precise pouring, preferably use a kettle with a pouring spout!
How to use a propane torch to kill weeds?
You can actually burn weeds! Be careful with the torch though, as the fire can also destroy nearby grass and plants. Never use it in bush areas prone to fire!
The best places to use it are areas without plants, such as cracks in the sidewalk.
What concentration of vinegar should I use to kill weeds?
Concentrations of 5 to 10% will kill weeds that are only in their first days of life (2 weeks). However, older plants require higher concentrations. Note that a bottle of household vinegar has a concentration of about 5%.
What are other natural herbicides?
Essential oils from cloves, red thyme, savory and cinnamon are also used to kill weeds because they are phytotoxic, meaning that when they come into contact with light, they can irritate and damage weed cells.
How to weed?
There are four different ways to weed a garden:
- Pulling weeds by hand (from the roots),
- Cover weeds with mulch or black plastic to protect them from light.
- Use a weed killer.
- Hoeing weeds involves loosening the soil surface with a hoe or a 3-pronged claw.