by Iown Mylife 38 Replies latest jw experiences
Three days ago we mixed up the recipe and sprayed the driveway cracks and several places where the weeds have been hard to get rid of.
Today the weeds are dead just like when we've sprayed commercial weed killer.
Mix one gallon white vinegar, 1 cup salt, 5 to 6 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid. Note: Don't spray if it's fixin' to rain, wait for dry weather so the stuff will stay on the weeds. And don't spray where you want anything to grow ever!
Just had to share this!
Marina
Thanks for this tip Marina.
I may have to utilize this on a couple of plants that are starting to take over my lawn. I am currently ripping them out by hand but I don't think I'm getting all the roots. If I just 'paint' this on the leaves of the plants instead of 'spray' do you think I can then plant grass seed later? Maybe I'll just test a small spot.
Hey you are welcome, Heaven - be careful about using this mix around your lawn! I would just keep working on it without any chemicals and sow more grass seed, maybe. You don't want bare spots
Marina
thanks, Marina. Added it to my file for homemade products.
Ok, thanks Marina. I do have bare spots. I will eventually have to seed once I'm done. The 2 patches are kinda big... it's taking me a while to rip out. I may have to resort to digging with a garden fork.
As an interesting note, Rodney Nelson, a North Dakota farmer, has RoundUp Ready Canola growing in his RoundUp Ready Sugarbeets field. The Canola is not a local plant - it was imported by migrating Canadian Geese. Monsanto told Rodney he has to manually pull out the Canola as they have no spray to deal with this. Rodney farms thousands of acres. Rodney also reports that weeds are becoming resistant to RoundUp (Monsanto's trade name for Glyphosate).
We've always just used white vinegar, it works pretty well. Will try adding the salt and Dawn and see if it works better.
Thanks for the tip.
ADCMS, you're welcome!
Heaven, i did a search on here about the term weed killer, before i posted this recipe, and came across several references to the big M's products.
I really want to use more homemade "natural" problem solvers, i'll just put it that way, lol!
Marina
I really want to use more homemade "natural" problem solvers, i'll just put it that way, lol!
Marina
It's a good idea. I recently checked out how much a 1 litre container of Super Concentrate RoundUp costs. It' over $70 Canadian!
Painted, i never heard about just using vinegar! I think the salt is for more permanent weed death and the soap is to help the solution stick, but i'm just now learning about all this stuff.
When we were jw and running around doing "God's work" we just let our yards look terrible. We lost one house to bankruptcy because we were so stupid.
Now we have been in our own house for 5 years, we're feeling responsible and want to help the neighborhood look good.
Marina
Some more...
One of the most effective ingredients for killing weeds is vinegar. Plain white or apple cider vinegar will work equally well. Use it straight from the bottle, no need to dilute. Pick a dry day to spray some on a weed and it will immediately start to droop. The acetic acid in vinegar will kill the above-ground part of the weed, but it will not kill the roots. One application is usually enough for young plants, but more established plants will need additional treatments.
Combine salt with vinegar to create a lethal plant killer. Use about a cup of salt to a gallon of vinegar for the best effect. Sometimes, salt can be a little too effective. In large quantities, it will kill everything in sight and make the ground sterile and unusable for years.
A couple of cups of boiling water will cook a weed right where it sits without harming the environment or affecting future growth in the same soil. No need to get fancy, just boil a pot of water on the stove or in the microwave and pour it on the plant. It will kill the roots of nearby plants, though, so be careful when you pour.
Dishwashing soap doesn't kill weeds, but it helps weed killer solution stick to the plants. You only need to add about 3 tbsp per gallon of weed killer. Pick a dishwashing liquid that does not contain bleach to avoid possible chemical reactions.
Corn gluten meal, which is not the same as corn meal, is a weed preventive. It prohibits seeds from starting. To prevent weeds from growing, scatter it in an area you plan to plant mature plants in, like a flowerbed. But it also will prevent volunteer flowers, so you'll have to replant when a plant dies if you use this method.
Combining methods will produce the most amazing homemade weed killer of all. Boil water, vinegar and salt, add a dollop of dishwashing soap, and it just doesn't get more lethal.
Large lawn sprayers set on a narrow stream work well. You can also use an empty spray bottle washed out well enough to remove any chemical residue, a watering can or even a gravy boat for small areas. Anything with a narrow spout or a targeted stream of spray will do the trick.
Like many commercial chemical fertilisers, homemade weed killers can't differentiate between weeds and other plants. Use your homemade weed killer very carefully to avoid killing plants you want to keep. Have a container or sprayer of water handy to rinse off plants that accidentally get splashed with weed killer.
