13 Homemade Weed Killers to Tackle Weeds

There is nothing more annoying than finding unwanted growth in your beautiful flower garden. As homeowners, we spend an awful time in our back yards trying to keep away weeds, such as sorrel, nettles, poison ivy, and corn grass.

Some weeds, such as dandelions, are useful, while others simply hinder the growth of flowers and vegetables. Most of the weeds belong to the Ruderal species.

Dry soil conditions and climate change favors the weed growth. Hiring the services of a professional gardener, every time there is an outburst of weed growth in your garden, becomes very expensive, so here are a few methods for making your own homemade weed killers, and tips that will help you check the growth of weeds.

Homemade Weed Killer Recipes

We’ve put together a great list of homemade weed killers for you to try out. If you anything about weeds, though, you will know that not every weed killer, even commercial ones, work on every weed. With that in mind, you may want to try out a few different recipes to find what works best for the weeds you are trying to tackle.

1. White Vinegar

Mix 8 cups of white vinegar, ½ cup salt and 2 tablespoons of any dishwashing liquid. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and spray it directly on the weeds.

Make sure that you don’t use it on the surrounding grass; otherwise, it will kill the grass as well. Use this weed killer a day before you plan to trim the lawn.

2. Boiling Water

The next time you boil any pasta or vegetables; do not pour the water into the kitchen drain. Instead, pour the boiling water directly on the patch or area where the weed is growing. The boiling water will kill all the weeds.

3. Rainwater

If you have ever tried pulling out weeds with your hands, you would have experienced that it’s very difficult to pull out some weeds. In such a case, wait until it rains because rainwater makes the soil around the weeds softer.

4. Avoid Sunlight

Cover the weeds with old newspapers. This way, they will not get any sunlight, and dry out.

Alternatively, cover the weed with landscape fabric and pin it down. Cover the fabric with mulch, so that, the weed does not get any sunlight.

5. Burn the Weeds

Burn the top of the weed using a blowtorch. Simply run the flame over the head of the weed, and they will die in no time. However, a good knowledge on the type of weed that you are burning is very essential, because some weeds are dangerous, for example, poison ivy.

6. Bleach

Bleach is also very effective in killing weeds. Simply spray the bleach onto the weeds and wait for a day or two. If you do spray it on a flower by mistake, simply wash it off with water.

7. Rubbing Alcohol

Use rubbing alcohol to dry the weed out. This liquid will draw out all the water from the weed and kill it immediately. One needs to take precautions while using rubbing alcohol, as it will kill any plant that comes into contact with it.

8. Corn Meal

Sprinkle some corn meal in the area where weeds grow, it will keep the new weeds from growing again.

9. Citrus Oils

Citrus oils like lemon oil helps dry out the water in the weeds and eventually kills them.

10. Borax

In a large bucket, pour 118ml of lukewarm water. Now add 8 tablespoons of borax. Mix well, so that, all the powder dissolves completely. Then, add 9 more liters of warm water to the mixture and mix again.

Spray this mixture on the weeds. The only disadvantage of this homemade weed killer is that you can use it only once in a year.

11. Baking Soda

If you find weed growing in the cracks of your sidewalk or driveway, simply sprinkle some baking soda on the cracks. This will prevent them from growing any further and will dry out in a day.

12. Gin

Take 4 cups of water and add 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and 1 tablespoon of gin to it. Mix together and spray on the weed. It will kill the weeds.

13. Rock Salt

Rock salt is ideal for killing the weeds. However, be careful about the amount that you use because too much quantity can result in barren soil.

Tips

Now that you have the recipes, here is a little more insight into how to use them. We also provide you with some general tips about avoiding weeds to begin with so you don’t have to kill them.

Do:

  • Apply homemade weed killers during the day when it is warm.
  • Always wear gloves while sprinkling the weed killers in the garden.
  • The smell of the weed killer is very strong. So, wear a mask.
  • If you have pets, make sure that you keep them indoors for a few hours, after using any of the above weed killers.
  • If you have any children’s play sets in the garden, cover them up before you begin spraying the weeds.
  • If you can’t remove the weed completely, cut off the head.
  • When planting new plants, make sure you do not leave a huge gap. This will automatically control weed problem.
  • Build a fence or retaining wall around your lawn and garden.

Don’t:

  • Do not use all the weed killer recipes at once. Select one and use it for some time before you switch to another homemade killer.
  • Do not eradicate all the weeds at one time. Work on one area first, and then move to the next one, after the weeds in the first patch are gone.

The Wrap Up

You have all the information you need to go out there and make your lawn, garden, or other outdoor area look amazing and weed free. Make sure to try out all the different weed killer options and recipes along with the tips to get the best experience possible.