Here are 7 ways to murder weeds with
household items. You’ll save money and show no mercy to your garden’s uninvited
guests.
Layers of wet newspaper, buried under mulch, will smother
weeds and prevent new ones from growing. Image: Jami
Scholl/My Edible Eden
Nothing ruins your garden or yard like weeds, those
uninvited guests that rob your plants of space and nutrients. So murder those
weeds most foul, but without harmful chemicals that can do you in, too.
Who says you need standard weeding tools to kill weeds? Here are 7 ways to kill weeds with weapons you already have around your house.
Who says you need standard weeding tools to kill weeds? Here are 7 ways to kill weeds with weapons you already have around your house.
How to kill weeds
1. Newspaper:
A carpet of newspaper, which blocks sunlight and oxygen from reaching the soil,
will smother weeds already sprouted and prevent new ones from growing. Throw
down newspaper in 10-sheet layers, wet to hold it down, and cover with an inch
or two of mulch. If weeds begin to grow in the mulch, add more layers, making a
mulch-newspaper lasagna, which eventually will decompose and nourish the soil.
2. Old shower curtains and carpet samples: Spreading these useless items in garden paths or between rows will keeps weeds from ever showing their unwanted heads. Cover with mulch.
3. Corn gluten meal: This corn by-product stops seeds from growing into weeds. Since the meal will prevent germination, spread it around established plants, and after seedlings and transplants have taken hold in the soil. After harvest, spread the meal to prevent late-season weeds.
4. Vinegar: The acetic acid in 5% vinegar is a desiccant that sucks the life out of plant leaves. It’s most destructive to young plants with immature roots, though it just rolls off weeds with waxy leaves, like pennywort or thistle.
Make sure you cover desirables before spraying, because vinegar is an equal opportunity killer. Keep your spray on-target by removing the bottom from a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, and placing it over the weed. Spray vinegar into the mouth of the bottle, which will keep it from splattering on your vegetables.
5. Vodka:
Don’t know if vodka makes weeds fall down dead or drunk, but 1 ounce mixed with
2 cups of water and a couple of drops of dish soap will dry out weeds that live
in the sun. Doesn’t work that well on shade-loving weeds. Protect desirables,
because vodka will dry them out, too.
6. Soap: The oil
in soap can break down waxy or hairy weed surfaces, making them vulnerable to
desiccants. So add a few drops of liquid dish detergent to vinegar or vodka
sprays to keep the solution on leaves. The soap also makes leaves shiny, which
will help you keep track of what you’ve sprayed.
7. Boiling water:
After you’ve made yourself a cup of tea, take the kettle outside and pour the
boiling water on weeds, which will burn up. This is a particularly good way to
whack driveway and walkway weeds, because the boiling water can run off
impervious surfaces and cool before it reaches border plants.
Lisa Kaplan Gordon is a HouseLogic contributor and builder
of luxury homes in McLean, Va. She’s been a Homes editor for Gannett News
Service and has reviewed home improvement products for AOL.
Image: Jami Scholl/My Edible Eden
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