Make Weed Killer

Chemical weed killers are toxic for the environment and pose a risk to bees, other beneficial insects, wildlife, and even your pets and children if they play in the area you treat. As an alternative, you can make your own natural weed killer from common household products. Try various combinations of ingredients to find the weed killers that work best for you.

Steps

Natural Weed Killer Spray

  1. Start with 2 cups (400 ml) of cider or white vinegar. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which effectively kills weeds and other plants.
  2. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons (29 to 44 ml) lemon juice concentrate. Lemon juice contains high levels of citric acid and may also be effective either used with the vinegar or alone.
  3. Mix in 1 ounce (30 ml) of cheap gin, or use an equal amount of rubbing alcohol.
  4. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons (7 to 14 ml) dish soap. Either dish washing or dishwasher soap, in liquid or powder form, may be a helpful addition to weed killer. The soap attacks the outer protective layer of the plant, making it more vulnerable to attack.
  5. Dilute the weed killer with water. You can use the full-strength solution, but many report success after diluting the mix by 50 to 90 percent. Start with a 50/50 diluted mix, and then mix up a more or less concentrated solution depending on the results you have.
  6. Pour the solution into a plastic spray bottle. Set the nozzle to "stream" rather than "spray" if the weeds are growing close to plants that you do not want to kill. Weed killer does not discriminate: it will kill any plant it comes in contact with.

Other Ways to Kill Weeds

  1. Use salt as a weed killer. Try this method only if you want to eradicate weeds in an area where you do not plan to grow anything for several years -- perhaps around paving stones and in pavement cracks. Salt kills the weeds and absorbs into the ground, preventing all plant growth. You can apply salt in one of two ways:
    • Dissolve 1/2 cup (120 ml) salt into enough warm or hot water to fill your spray bottle. Any type of salt should work. Some people recommend common table salt; others suggest using rock salt.
    • Apply the salt dry. Instead of dissolving the salt into water, you could apply the water and the salt to the weeds at the same time. Hose the weeds well leaving them wet, liberally sprinkle them with salt, and then soak them with water again.
  2. Kill the weeds with boiling water. Dump a large pot-full on them if there are no other plants close by that you don't want to hurt. You might have to repeat this several times over several days to kill all the weeds.
  3. Boil some eggs in the water. Some people have found that the waste water left over from boiling eggs kills the weeds faster than water alone. Pour the water on the weeds immediately after you remove the eggs.



Tips

  • After getting rid of the weeds, use mulch, rocks, stones or other physical barriers to prevent the weeds from returning.

Sources and Citations

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