Will Vinegar & Water Kill Raspberries?

Vinegar and Gardening

• Vinegar makes an excellent organic weed killer -- just pour undiluted white distilled or apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and spray on weeds you wish to kill. Vinegar will "kill back" weeds, meaning it will normally kill above-ground plant growth but not root stock. Vinegar thus works best on young weeds that are not well-established and don't have the energy reserves to withstand losing their leaves.

Raspberries and Vinegar

• Vinegar is not recommended for use around raspberries. Vinegar can release iron in the soil and thus raise soil acidity. A cup of vinegar in a gallon of water can be used around the base of acid-loving plants such as rhododendron to aid in soil acidification. However, use of vinegar as a weed killer, even distilled to this level, can increase soil acidity beyond the 5.8 to 6.2 soil pH preferred by raspberries and harm or kill the plants.

Protecting Your Raspberries

• If using vinegar as a weed killer in the vicinity of raspberry bushes, use lightweight fabric to cover the raspberry and protect the leaves of the plant. Spray vinegar only outside the area that should be covered by the raspberries' root system. If vinegar is inadvertently sprayed on raspberry leaves, immediate washing off the leaves with water can protect them from damage.

Diluting Vinegar

• If using vinegar near raspberries, one method of keeping the raspberries safe is to use vinegar diluted with water, though keep in mind that even vinegar diluted to 1 cup per gallon can still harm raspberries if poured directly over ground containing root stock. Diluted vinegar will also be less effective as a weed killer than full-strength vinegar.

  If vinegar is accidentally sprayed or poured over areas containing raspberry roots, immediately water the raspberries heavily (with at least 1 to 2 inches of water) to dilute the vinegar and carry it deep into the soil, out of reach of the roots.

  Vinegar can be used with care around raspberry bushes, as long as the proper precautions are taken. Since raspberries can be long-growing plants and represent the investment of significant time and effort, the smartest path is to use a different means of weed control, such as hand-weeding, in place of vinegar.