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Install a weed mat beneath the mulch or topsoil in garden beds. These can be super effective at stopping weed growth without ruining your aesthetic. Weed mats come in several different forms, but most will require you to install them as a layer beneath any topsoil or mulch.
There is an old Chinese garden adage that says the best weed control is the gardener’s shadow. For a couple of days after applying the vinegar for weeds, you can expect the area to smell like a salad dressing exploded all over your yard. On the plus side, that powerful scent can deter deer, rabbits, and other pesky critters from entering your garden for a while. Crabgrass, dandelions, thistles, and other weeds are history with just a spritz of Green Gobbler Vinegar Weed & Grass Killer.
How We Chose the Best Organic Weed Killers
Nonselective weed killers will kill all vegetation—both weeds and desirable plants—so gardeners should use them with caution. To rid an entire yard of dandelions, spraying or broadcasting a nonselective weed killer will kill the grass along with the weeds. It’s also a good idea to be mindful of the difference between natural herbicides that kill existing weeds and those that stop weed seeds from sprouting. The best organic weed killer will vary from gardener to gardener, depending on individual needs and weed type. The following weed killers contain natural ingredients and will kill a range of weeds.
These organic weed-killer products work, but they also have certain limitations. Regular grocery store vinegar will not harm your garden soil. However, stronger strengths of 24% acetic acid or more can lower your pH value temporarily.
Survival Garden: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle, and shake to mix. Apply when the weather report says you'll be getting a few continuous days of sunshine. Rain will wash the vinegar off the weeds too soon, and most of the damage happens when the sun hits the weeds' leaves.
If you keep at it, eventually you can eliminate some types of weeds because they won’t get the chance to reproduce. You can substitute cold water and spray the mixture on plants to keep the bugs away. Any soil disturbances have the potential to trigger weed growth or create an opportunity for weeds to take root.
How to apply vinegar as weed killer
Just dissolve a small amount of borax into warm water. You can pour the mixture into a garden sprayer and spray the leaves of the weeds. You generally only need to spray once a year, in the spring, but be careful where you spray. When it comes to natural herbicides, users have very few selective products to choose from; the majority are nonselective and designed to kill most forms of vegetation.
While vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and boiling water can work to kill annual weeds, they won't work against some of the tougher, perennial weeds. You can still stay organic, but it takes some extra work on your part. Homemade weed killers are generally non-selective solutions—they kill whatever plants they touch including lawn grasses. They can also alter the composition of the soil when used repeatedly. Few things give a garden a more untended look than weeds. One way to deal with pesky weeds is to kill them with commercial herbicides.
Cornmeal Will Stop Weeds in Their Tracks
Acetic acid is the active ingredient that makes vinegar a weed killer. This level of acetic acid burns the tops off weeds but is less likely to kill anything with well-established roots. For a vinegar weed killer to be most effective, you'll have apply it frequently. Our list of recommendations is the result of a deep dive into organic solutions for weed killers, which help users find more environmentally friendly options for killing weeds.
While Borax is a naturally occurring mineral, you'll want to be cautious not to get it on your skin or eyes. Most sprays can be used whenever new weeds appear, and some may require two or more applications to get rid of certain types. Despite attentive gardening practices, unwanted weeds muscle in—fast! Weeks spent coddling flowers and vegetables so they produce blossoms and edibles feel lost when weeds sprout, stealing soil nutrients. Though mulch is the best-looking smothering agent, there are other options.
This is a more expensive natural weed killer than some of the other options, but it shows promise as a useful tool in the garden. If you want something stronger, you can purchase a garden-specific vinegar. Vinegar in the grocery store contains 5% acetic acid, but the more concentrated stuff has a whopping 24%. Keep in mind that vinegar at this concentration is caustic.
This acts as a surfactant to help the vinegar cling to the weed's surface longer. Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40 years' experience; writing for over 20 years. There are many advantages to "no-till" farming, a lack of weeds being one of them. All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The Bob Vila team distills need-to-know information into project tutorials, maintenance guides, tool 101s, and more. These home and garden experts then thoroughly research, vet, and recommend products that support homeowners, renters, DIYers, and professionals in their to-do lists. Natural weed-killing products are available in various forms, with some better suited to specific types of application.
Specifically, phosphorus-rich fertilizers will help your lawn roots to spread, promoting new growth at the surface. The thicker your lawn is, the fewer chances weeds will have to find somewhere to take root. "The baking soda works by sucking moisture from the plant tissues, drying the plant up to the point where it can no longer photosynthesize its food," says Witz. "This treatment works best on driveways and sidewalks or other hard surfaces where weeds like to pop through the smallest of cracks."
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