solved! Can vinegar kill weeds? How to use this pantry staple on your lawn

2021-12-06 16:25:38 By : Mr. Tom Xu

Megan Winterland | Updated 9:21 AM, September 23, 2021

Answer: Certain chemicals in commercial herbicides can cause concern, especially when they are used near fruit or vegetable plants. If you want to know, "Can vinegar kill weeds?" You are lucky. If used properly, vinegar can be an effective herbicide. It is a natural herbicide and no more dangerous than the balsamic vinegar you use to make salads. In addition, large bottles of vinegar are cost-effective and can be used for cleaning and cooking, so it is not a disposable product that will wilt on the garage shelf.

Vinegar can kill weeds quickly—usually within 24 hours—but it does not distinguish between the weeds you want to kill and the plants you want to grow, so apply vinegar carefully under the right conditions. The effectiveness of vinegar depends on the weather and the concentration of the solution. If there are a lot of weeds, or you are concerned about the integrity of the garden, professionals can solve this problem.

Vinegar is acidic and will eventually kill most broadleaf weeds, but the acid will kill the leaves before reaching the root system, and the weeds may grow back quickly. For longer lasting removal, mix 1 cup of table salt with 1 gallon of vinegar. Salt will dry out the root systems of weeds. To make the solution more effective, add 1 tablespoon of ordinary dish soap. Dishwashing detergent contains surfactants, which can dissolve any protective coating on the leaves. Apply this solution to the leaves of the weeds, not the soil.

The use of salt vinegar herbicides should be generous-but only for the leaves of weeds. Adding acid and salt to the soil around plants kills the nutrients in the soil that are vital to plant life, so saturation of the soil means that weeds will not be able to grow there—but neither will anything else. If you spray repeatedly in the same area of ​​the garden, you may need to consider manual weeding or seek professional help.

Vinegar and salt are non-selective desiccants, which means they don't know which plants to kill or protect. The solution can also discolor or corrode concrete and certain metals. The best way to use vinegar herbicide is to set the spray bottle on the stream instead of spraying it over a wide area, so that the solution will fall exactly where you are aiming. Many bottles have an adjustable nozzle to sharpen the water flow, which will make spraying leaves (instead of dirt) or between spreaders easier. Plan to use the solution on days when there is no wind to prevent it from blowing where you don't want it.

Sunlight and heat amplify the effectiveness of acid and increase the dehydrating effect of salt. Spraying this herbicide early on predicted warm and sunny days will make it work faster. Although many commercial herbicides promise to adhere to weeds and continue to work in the rain, the vinegar salt solution does not contain these additional chemicals, which will be washed away by rain. Therefore, if there is a sudden shower, plan to reapply the solution after the rain.

Adding salt to vinegar can prevent weed regeneration better than vinegar alone, but vinegar is not a permanent solution for all weed regeneration. Even with the addition of salt, green plants may die before the root system completely dries out, so they may eventually grow back. Even with commercial herbicides, the soil is full of weed seeds, and the only way to completely kill the seeds is to soak the soil with a solution, which will destroy the soil for future growth. If weeds are destroying your garden and this DIY option cannot trim it off, then professionals will be able to solve the problem and help you maintain a beautiful garden.

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