Non selective herbicides are used to kill all plants with which they come into contact to clear pathways and grounds.
We usually use glyphosate based herbicides like Roundup to get rid of weeds in pathways. I was looking for an organic, homemade weed and grass killer that is cheap and easy to apply.
My aim of looking for a homemade weed killer was not only for the high cost of Roundup, but a recent research has revealed that Roundup has potential of carcinogenic and tumour, skin cells even exposed to extremely low concentrations of this herbicide [1].
After trying a couple of easily available ingredients at home, now I don't need to resort to Roundup to keep my pathways and driveways clean.
You can make a number of environmental friendly, safe, cost-effective, less toxic, fast acting and easy-to-use homemade organic weed killing sprays using inexpensive ingredients you already have in your house. There are several options that you can try to keep your garden and home free from weeds.
Some young weeds will die in a day while some weeds may need to be treated more than once. So far I needed only one application to get rid of even the most harmful weeds like Dandelion.
No matter which homemade weed killer you use, always apply when the weather is warm, probably during mid day. No weed killer is suitable for all seasons. Spray on the weeds so that they are completely wet. The weed killers given below are non-selective so don't spray on grass and other plants.
Vinegar is very effective in getting rid of weeds. Take 1/2 litre white vinegar with 20 percent acetic acid (buy the cheapest one), add one table spoon dish washing soap and juice of 1 lemon in a spray bottle. Shake well and use it.
This weed and grass killer and works well on young perennial and annual weeds. It will kill most weeds in 1-7 days, including roots [2].
Do not spray on garden bed as it breaks down the soil structure and kills beneficial micro-organisms.
You may also add a tablespoon of salt in the spray. The vinegar weed killer can also be used in large areas as well.
Some pictures are given below that shows the killing power of vinegar spray.
Tomato Paste 1 tablespoon
Hot chilli or Jalapeño 10, chopped with seeds
Vinegar 1/2 litre
Salt 1 tablespoon
Garlic 2-3 cloves
More pictures are given below to show the killing power of homemade vinegar spray.
The following pictures has shown that homemade vinegar weed spray has killed even hardy grass in pathways and unwanted Canna Lily in my garden.
No matter which homemade weed killer you use, always apply when the weather is warm, probably during mid day. No weed killer is suitable for all seasons. Spray on the weeds so that they are completely wet. The weed killers given below are non-selective so don't spray on grass and other plants.
Homemade Weed Killer Recipes
Weed Killer Vinegar Spray
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| White Vinegar |
This weed and grass killer and works well on young perennial and annual weeds. It will kill most weeds in 1-7 days, including roots [2].
Do not spray on garden bed as it breaks down the soil structure and kills beneficial micro-organisms.
You may also add a tablespoon of salt in the spray. The vinegar weed killer can also be used in large areas as well.
Some pictures are given below that shows the killing power of vinegar spray.
Herbal Weed Killer Recipe
This weed killer recipe uses some spices.Ingredients
Water 1/2 litreTomato Paste 1 tablespoon
Hot chilli or Jalapeño 10, chopped with seeds
Vinegar 1/2 litre
Salt 1 tablespoon
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Method
Add all the ingredients in water except vinegar and bring to boil. Add vinegar and fill in spray bottle. Spray on the weeds. |
| Weed killed in one day |
Boiling Water To Kill Weed
Fill a kettle with boiling water and pour on the weeds in paving.Steam
Steam can kill surface growth but not underground growth [3].Salt
Place salt at the base of the plant on a sunny day. You can use salt water also.Baking Soda
Dissolve 1 cup of baking soda in 2 cups of boiling water and spray.Direct flame
Direct flame on weeds can be used. It kills surface growth but not underground growth [5].Spraying Citrus oil For Killing Weeds
It can dehydrate and ultimately death of the grass .Corn Gluten Meal (CGM)
This is actually not a weed killer, but you can spread it if you do not want to grow anything in a particular area [4]. It reduces germination of many broad leaf and grass weeds. On the pathways, the weeds don't grow from the seeds but roots are already there.Place down newspaper
If you want to grow something on lawns or weeds, just place a pile of newspapers and then put soil and manure over it.More pictures are given below to show the killing power of homemade vinegar spray.
The following pictures has shown that homemade vinegar weed spray has killed even hardy grass in pathways and unwanted Canna Lily in my garden.
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| Killing A Canna Lily By Homemade Vinegar Weed Spray |
References
- J.George, S. Prasad, Z. Mahmood, Y. Shukla, Studies on glyphosate-induced carcinogenicity in mouse skin: a proteomic approach, J Proteomics. 73(5), 951-64 ( March2010)
- Spray Weeds With Vinegar
- Kolberg, Robert L. and Lori J. Wiles, Effect of Steam Application on Cropland Weeds1, Weed Technology 16, 43 (2002).
- McDade, Melissa C.; Christians, Nick E. (2009), Corn gluten meal - a natural preemergence herbicide, American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 15 (4), 189 (2009).
- Flame weeding for vegetable crops. Attra.ncat.org (2011-10-12,