Homemade Weed Killer Recipe + just the facts

I’ve been using this homemade weed killer recipe for over three years now and have figured out what works, what doesn’t, and what your expectations should be. Read on for the recipe and the facts.

Like everyone, I am concerned about the proliferation of chemicals in our food and our environment. It only makes sense that the more harmful chemicals we use, the more damage we are doing to our bodies and our environment.

But, there’s no denying that spraying tenacious weeds is much easier and more efficient than digging them up.

So, what is an avid gardener to do? I don’t want to spend my precious gardening hours pulling weeds!

This dilemma is what prompted me to investigate the recipes for vinegar weed killers I have seen advertised over the past couple of years. My first tries with the original recipe for homemade week killer were unimpressive. Sure, the weeds turned a little brown, but there wasn’t the dramatic ‘weed demise’ that I was looking for and was used to with the commercial weed killers.

But, I really wanted to cut the ties with the broad-spectrum glyphosate-based herbicides, so I did a little more investigation and experimentation into natural weed killer with vinegar and dawn. And I also adjusted my expectations!

What I’ve Learned About Homemade Weed Killers

• No homemade weed killer recipe will ever be as strong or effective as the commercial, chemical products; so you need to adjust your expectations accordingly.
• The difference I noticed between the commercial and the DIY weed killer is that the commercial product did a more effective job killing the roots of the weed, and thereby the wee, at the first application. In order to get to fully kill the weed with a homemade vinegar weed killer, you may need a couple of applications. For instance, I sprayed this mint with my homemade vinegar weed killer and a week later, while most of what you could see was dead, there was a wee bit of new growth right at the base. So I sprayed more vinegar on those little sprouts and a week after that, I haven’t seen any green growth. But let’s be honest, killing mint is no easy task!
• With that said, sometimes they kill weeds effectively the first time! Other times they may need an additional spray or two.
• The homemade vinegar weed killer will definitely hurt the feelings of whatever you spray it on, accidentally or not! I didn’t realize that my sprayer was still squirting as I walked through our lawn until I noticed this little path two days later. 🙄 (I inadvertently drew pretty good parentheses, if I have to say so myself!)
• A wind-free, dry and sunny day is the perfect day for killing weeds with this natural weed killer recipe.
• This spray works on the plant leaves and cell tissues and doesn’t affect weed seeds.
• As with all weed killers, you only want to spray directly onto the leaves of the weed, vine, or plant. Adding too much salt to your soil isn’t a good thing. I am very mindful of not wide broadcasting my vinegar weed spray but instead targeting the specific weeds. Using this approach, I have not had any problem growing welcomed plants where I am also using this spray to kill the weeds.

Even with all the caveats I’ve mentioned, I can’t imagine ever going back to the commercial, chemical-laden weed killers. There is just too much information on the cancer risk and environmental damage that commercial weed killers pose. I am more than happy to spray my tenacious weeds two or three times to control them, that’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.

What Kind of Vinegar Do You Need for Your Homemade Weedkiller

Plain old household vinegar is not strong enough. Household vinegar is typically 5% acetic acid, which might kill a very young or tender weed, but not a serious or tenacious weed or vine. We need to bring the big guns in terms of acetic acid strength to this fight; which means a minimum of 30% or up to 45% acetic acid. I’m a go big or go home girl, so I have been using the 45% vinegar as it is the same price as the 30%.

The 30% vinegar and 45% vinegar will burn your skin! I haven’t noticed that it leaves a mark, you just feel it. I imagine it is awful in your eyes and I’m also sure you don’t want to take a deep breath of it. It is a strong acid! The 30% vinegar and 45% vinegar run about $20/gallon on Amazon; which means that making homemade weed killers with vinegar will not necessarily save you money. It’s fairly comparable in price to the pre-mixed, commercial weed killers.

The Ingredients in this Homemade Weed Killer Recipe & Their Purpose

• 30 – 45% Vinegar As we mentioned, it is the acetic acid in vinegar that is the ingredient we need. Acetic acid dissolves plant cell membranes, which results in the drying out of the plant tissues and the ultimate death of the plant.
• Salt draws water from the plant cells, causing them to dry out and die.
• Liquid Dish Soap acts as a surfactant, which breaks the surface tension between the vinegar/salt solution and the leaf surface so the vinegar/salt can access the plant tissues.

The Drawbacks of a Vinegar & Salt Weedkiller as Weed Control

As grandma always said, ‘there’s no free lunch.’ Any homemade weed killer recipe that includes salt does have its drawbacks. Too much salt in your soil will harm beneficial bacteria and earthworms, as well as have the effect of reducing roots’ ability to pull moisture from the soil.

But, if you are aware of the risks and, once again, target your spray on the leaves of the weeds, you can avoid the damaging effects of the salt.

Bookmark this page or pin the following image to refer back to this Homemade Weed Killer Recipe in the future.

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