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How do you like having uninvited guests at your party? Much less when they decide to take center stage. Well, that’s exactly what weeds are in your garden. The intruders that take up your plants’ space and nutrients. It’s understandable that you want to get them out as soon as possible. And rightfully so.
But maybe you should pose for a moment and think. The strong chemical herbicides and pesticides could do you more harm than good. It will pollute your drinking water, as well as the soil and the environment. Considering the long term side effects of using the chemicals, it’s best to clear the weeds using organic or natural means. Imagine having all that area cleared of every last one of the weeds without polluting your natural ecosystem or the environment.
1. Drench the Area with Boiling Water
Boiling water is the simplest natural homemade herbicide you can use. It does not pose a harmful threat to you or to the environment. All you need to do, is ensure you do not spill the boiling water on yourself.
After boiling your water, carefully pour it on the leaves and stems of the weeds you want to get rid of. It’s an effective method to clear a large area. It does not leave behind any residue or any harmful long-term effects. You must ensure that you only apply the hot water to the plants you wish to get rid of.
2. Get a Newspaper Carpet
Covering the weeds with newspaper blocks oxygen and sunlight from reaching the soil. It will smother the already sprouted weeds while ensuring no new one grows.
For the best results, throw down newspaper in layers of 10 sheets and wet them as a way of holding them down. Cover the newspaper with mulch a couple of inches. If after some time weeds begin to grow in the mulch, add more layers of the newspaper and mulch. The newspaper-mulch lasagna will in the end decompose and nourish the soil.
3. Set them on Fire
Apply direct heat to the weeds. It will cause them to wilt immediately. You must do it repeatedly to kill the leaves that may try to re-sprout from the roots.
You can get a flame-weeder tool (you can check it out from our link on Amazon) to allow you to apply the flame and heat precisely on the weeds without causing an accidental fire. In fire-prone areas, you must be extra cautious as you weed with flame. You need to contain the fire since dried grasses and weeds are highly flammable.
4. Saturate with Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, your common table salt is an effective natural herbicide. In the past, salt was used to lay to waste the soils of conquered nemesis. You must apply the salt directly to the leaves of the weeds without soaking the soil since salt has a detrimental effect on your soil.
Dissolve salt in hot water following the ratio of 1 is to 5 respectively. Pour it into a spray bottle. Before applying the solution, cover the plants you do not want dead. Spray the solution on the leaves of the weeds ensuring you do not soak the soil.
5. Apply Vinegar
Applying vinegar to the weed leaves will kill them effectively and create room for your plants to grow and flourish. The white vinegar you buy at the store contains 5% acetic acid. It is strong enough to get rid of the weeds in your garden unless they are the notorious type. A more industrial strength version with 20% acetic acid is available for the stubborn leaves.
Like with all herbicides you must only spray on the weeds’ leaves and minimize spraying over on your garden plants.
6. Soap
The soap contains oils that will break down the waxy hairy weed surfaces. Breaking these surfaces down makes them highly susceptible to desiccants. Your laundry and cleaning product like borax could help clear your garden of all the weeds. Add 10 ounces of the powdered product to 2.5 gallons of water and mix thoroughly.
Coat it on all the leaves of the unwanted weeds using a sprayer making sure you do not overspray off on the plants you want to keep or saturate the soil with the solution. You can add a few drops of your general cleaning soap to your vinegar for best results. Adding some liquid dish detergent to vinegar will improve its effectiveness in doing away with the weeds once and for all.
7. It is Time for a Seasoning
You can season your weeds away. The nest organic homemade herbicide resembles a recipe for seasoning your chips. Combine table salt or rock salt with white vinegar. For every 1 cup of salt, you need 1 gallon of vinegar.
Spray this mixture on the weeds to kill them. You can add liquid soap as a way of improving the efficiency of this weedkiller. Alternatively, you can add certain oils such as clove or citrus oil.
8. Put in Some Vodka
An ounce of vodka mixed with 2 cups of water and a few drops of dish soap will destroy the weeds surviving on sunlight. Whether it makes them fall down dead or drunk, it will get your job done. It may not be very effective with weeds that love shades. Like with all the other herbicides, you need to protect your desirable plants.
9. Spread Some Corn Gluten Meal
The corn by-product will stop the seeds from germinating into weeds. Spread it around the healthy plants and ensure it’s done after the transplants and seedlings have taken a firm hold in the soil. Since the gluten meal will prevent germination, you must spread it after harvest to prevent the late-season weeds.
10. Make Use of the Old Pieces of Clothes
Items such as the old shower curtains and carpet samples may do more than just lay and clutter your house. Spread them between rows and in the garden paths. Cover them with mulch. They will keep weeds from showing up uninvited.
