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DIY weed killer is easy to make, and this natural mixture is safe around kids and pets. This homemade weed killer spray even works on tough weeds like bermuda grass and nutgrass.
If I told you that the 3-year-old and I spent an hour yesterday spraying all the weeds in our yard, you’d probably have a conniption fit.
“You WHAT? Those weed killers are full of terrible chemicals! I can’t believe you even have those in your house. And you let the KIDS use them? The horror!”
(My mom is probably dialing my number right now to Discuss My Parenting Choices.)
Yes, mom, it’s true. I even let her use the sprayer. And I wasn’t worried about it in the slightest.
How is this possible?
Simple! Since we make lots of our own natural products, like kitchen cleaner, insect repellent, and air freshener sprays, I have lots of experience in making natural substitutes for toxic products. Using homemade, natural products means it’s safe for the kids to help in the house and in the garden.
That said: it’s easy to make a natural weed killer spray for the weeds in your sidewalk and driveway. It even works on obnoxious weeds like bermuda grass and nutgrass!
And I’ll bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. Let’s do this!
DIY Weed Killer
Ingredients
2 cups white vinegar
1 Tablespoon table salt
1.5 teaspoons dish soap
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz. spray bottle and label the bottle.
Spray on weeds, thoroughly saturating the leaves. Within 24 hours, the plants will wilt–and they’ll be completely dead in 48 hours.
Important! I only use this mixture on weeds in the sidewalk and between my raised beds. This combo is a non-selective weedkiller.
It will kill any plant that it touches, and if the salt gets into your garden soil you’ll never get anything to grow there again. Remember the story of the Romans sowing the Carthaginian fields with salt after sacking the city? Yup, just like that.
DIY weed killer is easy to make, and this natural mixture is safe around kids and pets. This homemade weed killer spray even works on tough weeds like bermuda grass and nutgrass. Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and label the bottle. Spray on weeds, thoroughly saturating the leaves. Within 24 hours, the plants will wilt--and they'll be completely dead in 48 hours. Important! This combination is a non-selective weedkiller. That means that it will kill any plant that it touches, and if the salt gets into your garden soil you'll never get anything to grow there again. I only use this mixture on weeds in the sidewalk and driveway. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
DIY Weed Killer
Tools
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
I have used this mixture but with cooking oil added ( it helps the mixture cling to the weeds ). But it takes a few applications and does not work on Bermuda, but then neither does roundup. To remove Bermuda you have to dig it up, not a task for the easily frustrated, and find each any every piece of root your can find. I once dug up our yard, when we lived in Newhall, Ca., even went down 3 feet in some places following the roots. Neighbors thought I was nuts but the Bermuda did not come back.
And just to let you know, if a neighbor has Bermuda you will too so you need to keep on top if it to keep it from taking over. If you use a mow-and-blow guy make sure they clean their mower before they do your lawn!!! We did not have Bermuda before, they hired an inexperienced laborer who did not clean the mower.
In classes my wife and I took on gardening we learned Bermuda can send its roots down 10 feet then travel 10-20 feet in any direction and then make its way back to the surface. The flowers ( the little stalks with 3-4 little branches ) must be destroyed before these little branches form.
This worked beautifully for me for the weeds that grow up between the cracks in the sidewalk. I had to really soak them to make sure it gets not just the plant but the roots…but it’s been a year and they never came back
Straight vinegar has worked for me on poison oak. Of course some hardy weeds are going to come back.
You might try adding a little cooking oil, it helps the vinegar to cling to the plant leaves. But it takes a few sprayings over a week or two
It is also my experience that even straight 20 percent vinegar doesn’t phase Bermuda grass. I can hardly imagine choosing to essentially add salt to soil.
Sorry, but doesn’t work, it works on small things like just growing weeds but the big ones and other weeds it just makes them look brown
this is totally bad for the soil. and here, if its forbidden to do so, so dont get caught
I’m sorry, but this vinegar mixture simply does not work. Yes, I used the Apple Cider Vin, I was so disappointed as I really wanted to kill my weeds naturally. :):)
Thanks for the interesting tip. I am going to try it on my sidewalk.