Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Kravelv
No one likes a garden full of weeds, but your garden cannot be free of weeds unless you use a weedkiller. Using chemical weed killers is not a great idea as they leave behind toxins harmful to the plants, your family, and pets. It is best to use a vinegar weed killer recipe with Epsom salt, which is safe and effective.
As federal law governs the use of pesticides and weed killers, using natural weed killers makes sense. Moreover, you still want the bees and the birds visiting you regularly, don’t you?
Here are some tips on making safe and natural weed cleaners at home:
Homemade Weed Killer with Vinegar
Vinegar mixed with dish soap and Epsom salt makes a powerful combination to tackle weed menace in your garden. Please don’t use too much Epsom salt as it tends to affect the soil’s fertility.
If you don’t plan to grow any plants in a space, you can use Epsom salt liberally. However, if you only want to get rid of the weeds and use the space for growing other plants, use the salt sparingly. Here’s the recipe at a glance:
- White vinegar – 1 gallon
- Liquid dish soap – 1 tablespoon
- Epsom salt – ¼ cup
Mix all three ingredients and transfer them to a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle that lets you control the flow from a mild spray to a generous stream. Spray the mixture on the weeds twice daily for a couple of days and watch the weeds fade away. It is better to spray the natural weed killer on a sunny day as the weeds get burned faster.
Old Newspapers
If you want to try an inexpensive method, use an old newspaper to control the weeds in your garden. First, remove all the weeds in the garden. Then, spread out an old newspaper on the soil. The newspaper prevents the sprouting of fresh weeds as the seeds do not germinate due to a lack of sunshine and air.
Add mulch to complete the process, and that’s the last of the weeds you’ll see in your garden. This weed-killing method is inexpensive and safe compared to a vinegar weed killer recipe with Epsom salt, which is not very expensive. The newspaper will turn soggy when it gets wet and ultimately break down and can be discarded.
Lemon Juice
Another safe way to eliminate weeds in your garden is by using lemon juice. The citric acid present in lemons acts as a natural weed killer with no toxic side effects to the soil. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and collect it in a spray bottle. Spray the undiluted lemon juice directly on the weeds and allow it to dry.
On drying, the juice cakes up and kills the leaves within a couple of days. If you want a more potent concoction, mix some acidic vinegar with lemon juice. Buy the acidic vinegar from a garden store or a nursery as it is more powerful than what is sold in supermarkets.
Summing it Up
Weeds in the garden are a menace, but using chemical weed killers is not a great option because of the toxicity and the harm it can do to the soil. Using natural products to get rid of weeds is an excellent idea.