How to Use Vinegar, Salt, and Dish Soap to Kill Weeds Naturally
By Timothy Tibbetts |
Today, we're going off the beaten path to test a natural weed killer. If you've read the many articles out there, there's no secret to what the three ingredients are. In this article, we give this natural weed killer a try and show you the results.
Mix 1 gallon of vinegar, 12 cup of salt (26 ounces is about 3 cups), and a teaspoon of dish soap into a pump sprayer and shake well. Our cost was under $4.00 to make one gallon.
Some people say to boil the water, and some prefer borax over salt. You're welcome to experiment, but we used this method for our tests.
This weed killer works best on walkways, driveway edges, etc. While most people call this a weed killer, it should, in reality, be called a grass, plant, and weed killer or "it kills every plant it comes in contact with."
Things You Should Know
Spray your weeds when the sun is shining (see more on this below), and no rain is expected for at least a few hours.
Spray on a day with little to no wind, so your plants don't accidentally get sprayed.
If you plan to overseed, look to apply your natural weed killer a few days before rain is expected.
Weeds are not killed to the root so numerous applications may be required.
This solution might lower the ground PH, so if you have bare spots, or accidentally spray your lawn you may want to add some lime, then overseed.
Expect your yard to smell like a huge salad for a day or two.
Once you've sprayed your weeds, you can see significant results in as little as an hour. We waited for 90 minutes to show you the results on a broadleaf (plantain) weed.
Next, we waited a week to see the results. Both the weed and the grass, are making a comeback following recent rain.
Things You Aren't Supposed to Do
Most articles say to wait for the hottest time of the day. We sprayed our lawn when the dew was still there, about 9:15 AM and the weed killer worked.
We then sprayed some weeds (creeping charlie) in the shade. After a couple of hours, we found a little wilting but nothing compared to other weeds we sprayed. The creeping charlie was indeed killed off; however, it took a few days to see results. One week later and the creeping charlie is gone, with no signs of returning.
We then sprayed large areas of crabgrass that has been spreading in our lawn and waited for 2 hours:
All of the crabgrass, and grass nearby grew back within a week. Also, we sprayed crabgrass in various places on our lawn, much to the laughter of our neighbors. One week later, the results are the same; everything is growing back.
The Verdict
The combination of vinegar, salt, and dish soap works but with mixed results. Some weeds are harder to kill than others, and many of the weeds you spray will return at least one time, so plan on spraying your weeds two or three times over two weeks.
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Mix 1 gallon of vinegar, 12 cup of salt (26 ounces is about 3 cups), and a teaspoon of dish soap into a pump sprayer and shake well. Our cost was under $4.00 to make one gallon.
Some people say to boil the water, and some prefer borax over salt. You're welcome to experiment, but we used this method for our tests.
This weed killer works best on walkways, driveway edges, etc. While most people call this a weed killer, it should, in reality, be called a grass, plant, and weed killer or "it kills every plant it comes in contact with."
Things You Should Know
Spray your weeds when the sun is shining (see more on this below), and no rain is expected for at least a few hours.
Spray on a day with little to no wind, so your plants don't accidentally get sprayed.
If you plan to overseed, look to apply your natural weed killer a few days before rain is expected.
Weeds are not killed to the root so numerous applications may be required.
This solution might lower the ground PH, so if you have bare spots, or accidentally spray your lawn you may want to add some lime, then overseed.
Expect your yard to smell like a huge salad for a day or two.
Once you've sprayed your weeds, you can see significant results in as little as an hour. We waited for 90 minutes to show you the results on a broadleaf (plantain) weed.
Next, we waited a week to see the results. Both the weed and the grass, are making a comeback following recent rain.
Things You Aren't Supposed to Do
Most articles say to wait for the hottest time of the day. We sprayed our lawn when the dew was still there, about 9:15 AM and the weed killer worked.
We then sprayed some weeds (creeping charlie) in the shade. After a couple of hours, we found a little wilting but nothing compared to other weeds we sprayed. The creeping charlie was indeed killed off; however, it took a few days to see results. One week later and the creeping charlie is gone, with no signs of returning.
We then sprayed large areas of crabgrass that has been spreading in our lawn and waited for 2 hours:
All of the crabgrass, and grass nearby grew back within a week. Also, we sprayed crabgrass in various places on our lawn, much to the laughter of our neighbors. One week later, the results are the same; everything is growing back.
The Verdict
The combination of vinegar, salt, and dish soap works but with mixed results. Some weeds are harder to kill than others, and many of the weeds you spray will return at least one time, so plan on spraying your weeds two or three times over two weeks.
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