DIY Weed Killer

Weeds are a common problem for every gardener. You can spend hours pulling weeds and hundreds of dollars on pricey weed killers, but the work never ends. Those pesky intruders will always come back. There are tons of weed killers on the market, and not only are they expensive, they also contain toxic pesticides that can harm the ecosystem, your pets and you, plus they are really not necessary for getting rid of weeds. What if there was a way to create your own effective weed killer containing natural, safe ingredients for a fraction of the cost? Check out these 4 easy recipes for DIY Weed Killer below.

Salt and Vinegar Weed Killer

Ingredients:

• Household White Vinegar
• 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid
• 1 cup table or epsom salt (optional)
• Bucket
• Plastic spray bottle

Directions:

1. Fill the bucket with the white vinegar until it is half-full.
2. Squeeze about a tsp. of dishwashing liquid into the bucket.
3. Add one cup of salt if desired. Only use the salt for areas where you don’t want any plants to grow (such as a driveway) as the salt will permanently kill any plants and prevent new ones from sprouting.
4. Pour the solution into a spray bottle.
5. Spray the weed killing solution onto any plants you would like to kill. These plants should die within a few days.
6. Keep in mind that like most pesticides, vinegar is non-selective, so it’s important you take care when applying the weed killer to the weeds, so as not to kill plants you’d like to grow.
7. Repeat this process when you see weeds begin to grow.

Borax Weed Killer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of borax
• ½ cup of water
• 1 tbsp. dishwashing liquid
• Gloves
• Plastic Spray Bottle

Directions:

1. Using gloves, put the borax and water into a plastic spray bottle.
2. Add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to bind the ingredients.
3. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients.
4. Spray unwanted plants and weeds with the solution on a dry, sunny day.
5. Only use this solution in areas where you want to prevent any plants from growing.

Lemon Weed Killer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of lemon juice OR
• 30 drops of lemon essential oil
• 1-2 cups of water to fill bottle
• Plastic spray bottle

Directions

1. Put the lemon juice or lemon essential oil into the spray bottle.
2. Add 1-2 cups of water until the bottle is full.
3. Shake the bottle to mix the weed killing solution.
4. Spray the weed killing solution at the first sign of weed growth. The weeds should die within 1-2 days.
5. Store any leftover solution in an airtight container.

Clove Oil Weed Killer

Ingredients:

• 30 drops of pure clove essential oil
• Water
• Plastic spray bottle

Directions:

1. Add 30 drops clove essential oil to the spray bottle.
2. Fill the spray bottle with water.
3. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients.
4. Spray the weeds with the clove solution on a sunny day, and wait a few days for the weeds to die.

Other Solutions for Weeds

• Prevent weeds from growing using mulch or ground cover plants.
• Pour boiling water over the weeds.
• Pull them out by hand.
• Plant taller plants to cover the weeds.
• Smother the weeds by covering them with newspapers to block sunlight.

With so many options for DIY non-toxic weed killers, it seems pointless to saturate your garden with pesticides that could harm the environment. With only a few household ingredients, you can make your own inexpensive weed killer that does the job to get rid of unwanted weeds.