Natural Ways To Kill Garden Weeds
Weeds are a gardener’s worst nightmare! They sneak up and creep in where they don’t belong, causing havoc with precious plants. Make those pesky little weeds go away for good with these natural tips.
Do It By Hand
The simplest and most time honored way to remove weeds is to do it by hand. A trowel comes in handy to pre-loosen the soil, which makes it easier to pull the weeds out. Also, be sure to wear a special pair of gardening gloves so that you don’t transfer the seeds elsewhere.
Use Mulch
Mulch packs a double whammy against weeds! A heavy layer of mulch prevents sunlight from reaching the soil. Those poor little weed seeds that are living underground just won’t germinate without sunlight! Mulch also prevents stray seeds from even getting into the soil in the first place.
Nice Hot Bath
Don’t just give the weeds any old hot bath, but make it boiling hot! Take a boiling kettle of water outside and introduce those darling little weeds to a scalding stream of water. Ouch! Pour it around the crown of the plant, and that’s one weed you’ll never have to introduce yourself to again.
Sprinkle With Salt
Much like in humans, salt disrupts the internal water balance of cells and will cause the weeds to dehydrate. Using salt to kill weeds works best in small gardens that have plenty of rainfall which will eventually dilute the salt. This is important because large quantities of salt that aren’t diluted by water can disrupt the soil balance and then it won’t be able to support plant growth. Start with a 3:1 ratio of salt to water and target the weed plant only!
Grab A Newspaper
After you’re done with the morning newspaper, pile it around the plants you want to be weed-free. It works in much the same way as mulch, by blocking sunlight from reaching the seeds lurking in the ground. Wet both the ground and newspaper, then apply a light layer of mulch to smother those weeds for good!
Spray Some Vinegar
This is the weed killer your grandma probably used! It’s all natural and cheap. The acetic acid in vinegar works as a natural herbicide by drawing moisture out of the leaves. In fact, it’s an all-around plant killer that doesn’t differentiate between weeds and your lovely rose garden. So, be sure to spray it only on the leaves of weeds.
Make An Herbicide Soap
This is one sudsy cleanup the weeds won’t like! Mix equal parts of dish soap, salt and vinegar. Put it in a spray bottle and splash those suckers in a spray of deadly mist. The salt and vinegar will dry out the plant, while the dish soap acts as a binder to make sure the stuff will stick to the leaves. Make sure the mist doesn’t touch other plants, or they too will fall prey to the deadly mist.
Weed Torch
This is one bonfire party the weeds won’t be happy to be invited to! A weed torch works by boiling the cells from the inside out. However, there’s no need to go overboard and char them!
Dust Them With Cornmeal
If you sprinkle cornmeal in your garden, it will prevent the weed seeds from germinating. But, be sure the plants you want to grow are already well on their way, as cornmeal works on all types of seeds, even the ones you want to grow!
They Are Goners
There’s no end to the many ways you can kill garden weeds. Whether you want to bathe them in hot water or put a nice comfy layer of mulch on top of them, the end result is always the same. Bye-bye weeds!
