The most effective homemade option is a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and liquid dish soap. Each of these ingredients has special properties that combine to kill weeds. Both the salt and the vinegar contain acetic acid, which serves to dry out and kill the plants.
Acetic acid is a terrific weed killer but it is also a terrific plant killer! Acetic acid works by drawing all of the moisture out of the weed or plant leaf. It is quick to work and it would be common to see a weed or plant brown up after only a few hours of having vinegar applied to its leaves in the full sun.
Organic Roundup alternatives include herbicidal soaps that use fatty acids to kill weeds and industrial vinegar, which contains much higher levels of acetic acid than what you have in your kitchen. Acid-based herbicides burn down some young weeds. Corn gluten meal can kill grass weeds and broadleaf weeds.
Field Bindweed
This fast-growing vine is one of the most aggressive, difficult perennial weeds to remove, and its little white morning-glory-like flowers produce lots of seeds. The main problem is with its white-rooted runners that spread deep and wide, making it very difficult to dig out.
Vinegar kills weeds quickly—usually within 24 hours—but does not discriminate between the weeds you want to kill and the plants you want to grow, so apply the vinegar carefully and in the right conditions. Vinegar's efficacy depends on the weather and the solution's concentration.
Using vinegar to kill weeds takes around 24 hours, as long as there's no rain. Mulch, newspaper, and cardboard will keep weeds from growing as soon as they're laid on top of the soil, as long as the area is thoroughly weeded beforehand.
Vinegar and salt will dry out weeds and grass, whereas the dish soap helps the vinegar and salt to cling to the leaves rather than absorbing the mixture. If utilized correctly, they may be an effective herbicide.
Glycosulphate is the strongest weed killer chemical on sale and will kill grass too, but most gardeners won't need a product this strong as more targeted chemicals are nearly as effective.
The brands that we highly recommend for weed control over RoundUp is Eraser 41% by Control Solutions Inc. and Glyphosate 4 Plus by Alligare. Eraser 41% Glyphosate is better suited for small spot treatment applications conducted by homeowners to remove weeds from their lawn or driveway.
Rock salt is actually a super-effective and totally natural weed killer that is ace at clearing a gravel driveway. Simply sprinkle some rock salt on the ground surrounding any weeds you can see and then sit back and watch as the salt kills the weeds in just a matter of days. It's almost unbelievable.
Glyphosate, the ingredient in Roundup and other products, is translocated from the leaves to the roots of a weed. Vinegar is not translocated. It is true that 5% vinegar (acetic acid) will kill young, tender weeds but it does little damage to established weeds.
Is Bleach a Better Weed Killer Than Roundup? While bleach has some weed-killing properties, it falls short when compared to Roundup, a widely used herbicide. Roundup, also known by its active ingredient glyphosate, is designed specifically for effective weed control.
Undiluted bleach can zap weeds growing through the cracks in your walkway or driveway. Spray undiluted bleach on the weeds and let stand. The solution will kill existing weeds and help prevent new ones from sprouting. Bleach will kill grass, flowers, and other vegetation as well, so take care where you aim!
While vinegar solutions may kill the top growth within a few hours, it might take days for the roots to die off. Boiling water is an effective way to kill weed roots. Try using a tea kettle to help direct the boiling water to the roots.
It will kill weeds permanently. What is this? Choose a day that is warm and calm with no forecast of rain, in the event of rain, bleach can infiltrate other plants and areas of your garden, killing them. During the spraying process, bleach can be blown onto plants or other people by the wind.
It's time to ban it. Roundup's main ingredient is a probable human carcinogen, but it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with it. The EPA must ban it, unless and until independent research proves it safe.
Weed Stop and Xtract are long lasting weed killers and form a protective barrier in the soil which prevents most new weeds from emerging for up to 9 months after application. Use this product where total weed control is required and maintaining bare ground weed is desirable.
Is Glyphosate Banned in the United States? Despite the IARC report's 2015 conclusion that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has held that glyphosate poses no unreasonable risk to the environment or human health. But that classification could soon change.
Deprive Weeds of Water
Weeds can't survive without moisture. In areas with little or no summer rain, drip irrigation or soaker hoses help prevent weed seeds from sprouting by depriving them of water. These systems deliver water to the root zone of plants at the soil level.
There are pros and cons to both spraying and pulling weeds, and we have a good rule of thumb you can use when choosing a method. Hand-pulling is easier when you are focusing on a small area. Spraying weeds is ideal when you're dealing with a vast area or a loftier infestation of weeds.
Glyphosate is a postemergence translocated herbicide that effectively kills turf and grassy and broadleaf weeds. Glyphosate is translocated rapidly in all actively growing plants.
Dawn dish soap weed killer is a popular choice for many gardeners because it is effective and safe. It works by breaking down the plant's cell walls, causing the plant to dehydrate and die. It is especially effective as a moss killer.
In both the burndown and in-crop studies, the most effective timing was usually midday, followed by midnight. Coles says, “Since night spraying was usually more effective than dawn, night spraying could be a good option when daytime opportunities for spraying are limited.”