Vinegar as Weed Killer

The hot weather is fantastic, but with some recent rain and now some sun it means the garden has gone wild!  So this morning there I have been putting down some weed killer.  It was for cost reasons that we discovered the weed killing powers of VINEGAR.  Normal weed killer is a bottomless pit when it comes to cost, but a 5 liter container of vinegar is really cheap and add to that some cheap table salt then you have a really good combination.  It works best on hot days as on cooler days it is not so effective and if if rains then forget it.  I have been having a go at some horsetail, which isn't the easiest to get rid of, but persistence is always a good thing and keeping it from spreading another.

 
Vinegar has proven itself an effective weed killer. Like most commercial herbicides, it’s nonselective, not caring whether it kills weeds or your petunias. Unlike commercial weed killers, vinegar is eco-friendly and won’t harm people, pets or the environment. Vinegar’s only real drawback in certain cases is that it has no residual action, so new weeds soon arrive. Permanent removal is occasionally desirable for stubborn weeds in gravel drives and paths as well as cracks and crevices in walkways and sidewalks. Add common table salt to vinegar to destroy weeds for good in these trouble spots. Just make sure to never pour the salt mixture on soil, as the solution will make sure that nothing grows in that spot again.

• Pour 1 gallon of white vinegar into a bucket. Everyday 5-percent household white vinegar is fine for this weed killer. You won’t need higher, more expensive concentrations such as 10 or 20 percent. It may take two or three days longer to kill the weeds with the lower concentration, but they will die.
• Add 1 cup of table salt. Stir the solution with a long-handled spoon until all the salt dissolves completely.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap. This will act as a surfactant and make the vinegar and salt solution adhere to the weeds more efficiently. Blend thoroughly.
• Funnel the weed killer into a plastic spray bottle.
• Drench the weeds with the solution on a dry, sunny day. Coat all surfaces well with the spray. Any plants soaked with this solution will die within several days. They won’t be back and nothing else will ever grow there.

Funnel any leftover weed killer into an empty plastic container. Cap it tightly. Label it clearly and store in a cool, dark spot indefinitely.

Things You Will Need

• Household white vinegar
• Bucket
• Table salt
• Long-handled spoon
• Liquid dishwashing soap
• Funnel
• Plastic spray bottle
• Empty plastic container

Tip

• Stock up on rock salt when stores discount it near the end of winter. Substitute 1 cup of rock salt for 1 cup of table salt.

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