Re: Organic weed killers
perennials@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: Organic weed killers
  • From: &* P* L* <1*@rewrite.hort.net>
  • Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 09:14:27 -0500 (CDT)
----- Original Message -----
> Iâve had some luck with vinegar. I have a friend that swore by
> boiling water.

I second Cheryl's vinegar solution, although a stronger vinegar solution
is best.  Thistle is especially vulnerable to vinegar, but many other
plants will be unfazed by the ~5% strength stuff that you can buy
in the store.

20% concentration is much more effective, and it's actually available
online from many different suppliers.  You could pay $25 for a gallon
with shipping through Amazon, but local farm supply companies might
have it for less.

Whether you go with 5% or 20% vinegar, adding a little dishwashing
soap to the solution will help it stick to leaves and break down
any oils the plant might use as a defense. Just mix it all up,
put it in a sprayer, and spray the leaves of whatever you want
to kill.  Whatever it touches will be damaged or killed, although
you might have to respray later if new growth comes up from the
base.

I've seen some online recipes that involve salt, but I won't use
it because it could affect the soil and many of my plants have salt
sensitivity.

Here's an older article about it:

   http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2002/020515.htm

For sidewalk cracks I've also used a blowtorch (mostly because it's
fun burning weeds).  It didn't work very well in the garden.

And, of course, there's the old Borax trick for removing creeping
charlie:

    http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h519borax.html

Just make sure that you don't do it too often or else everything will die 
from boron
toxicity.

I hope that helps!

Chris

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