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How to Make Homemade Weed Killers

In this how to article you will discover a a number of ways to deal with weeds. These methods will include hand pulling, scorching with boiled water and spraying various recipes of homemade weed killers.

Things You'll Need

  • Salt
  • Vinegar
  • Boiling water
  • Dawn Dish detergent
  • Pine Sol
  • Spray bottles
  • Spray bottle that connects to your water hose
  • Fork or butter knife to get into sidewalk cracks

Instructions

    • 1

      Simple choices to kill weeds:
      1)You can pour boiling water straight on the plants. Just be careful not to get it on any good plants.
      2)You can use cheap white vinegar, just pour it directly, out of the bottle, on the weeds. The next morning... dead weeds. It works. I use it on cracks in the driveway and not in big spaces. But it works!
      3)Depending on the time of year covering up the weeds with black plastic, or newspaper will kill them and not contaminate the ground.
      4)Use a fork or knife to make sure that the salt or vinegar or boiling water gets to the root of weeds in your sidewalk cracks.

    • 2

      Recipes for homemade weed killers:
      1)Use 1 gallon white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap mixed in a watering can. Stir the mix well and sprinkle on the unwanted weeds. They are dead by the next morning and the best part is that it won't hurt my dogs!
      2)Use 1 gallon of vinegar with 1 oz. of liquid dish detergent.
      3)Mix equal amounts of both Dawn Dish detergent and Pine Sol into a spray bottle attached to your garden hose.

    • 3

      The soap works to break down the waxy surface on the leaves, allowing the vinegar to work more efficiently. It also helps the solution to stick to the leaves, giving the vinegar time to kill the weed.

      Fill a spray bottle or watering can with the either solution 1 or 2 and spray weeds thoroughly. The solution will kill any plant it comes in contact with. Small weeds will shrivel and die within 24 hours. Repeat application if regrowth occurs from the roots.

      Using a spray bottle that attaches to your water hose fill it with solution 3. This mixture takes care of fleas, beetles, and destroys ant hills. It also makes your grass greener and is safe on your flowers and plants.

      Pour the solution 1 and 2 directly on the roots of large weeds that have extensive root systems. Plants like burdock may take a day or two to die off. Once the root withers and becomes soft, pull the root from the soil.

    • 4

      For weeds growing out of cracks in driveways and sidewalks, some people pour salt or vinegar directly on the weeds. Still others add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the recipe to help the solution stick to the weeds. Other organic methods of weed control include hand-pulling, boiling water or torching.