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9 Natural And Safe Homemade Weed Killers

If you have a lot of unwanted weeds in your garden, you try to pull them out, but some of the roots are very deep and it's a struggle to pull them out completely. The chemicals present in commercial weed killers react with plants, killing some or all of them. These weed killers contain harmful chemicals and substances that can cause damage not only to plants, but also to humans and wildlife. Some weed killers if applied near water sources can cause water pollution. Luckily there are some home made natural weed killers that are safe for both humans and plant life.

Due to all these risks, you must use homemade natural weed killers as an alternative, and you can use common household products that are effective and cheap too. It might take a bit longer to kill the weed, but this is a safe option to your family, pets and the environment.

How to kill weeds naturally without chemicals? Today, Boldsky will share with you some effective home made natural weed killers. Have a look at some natural organic weed killers.

Vinegar

Vinegar

You can use apple cider vinegar (ACV) or white vinegar for this purpose. The high acidity of the vinegar helps to kill weeds. You can dilute the vinegar by adding water or use the concentrated form, depending on the results you have. Start with a diluted mix (1 part of vinegar to 1 part of water) and then increase or decrease the concentration according to the results you have. If the weed is more established, you need to spray it several times to kill it. Adding a little bit of dish to the mixture helps the solution to better adhere to the weeds.

Salt

Salt

Using salt will make the soil unsuitable for future plant growth so this method is more suitable for areas where you don't want to grow anything for the long term, for example in pavement areas or gravel paths. You can fill your spray bottle with warm or hot water and add to it about ½ cup of salt. Mix well and spray.

Bleach

Bleach

It is one of the most effective home made natural weed killers. The stronger the bleach, the faster it will kill the weed. During the hottest part of the day, spray undiluted bleach directly over the weeds. Don't overuse it as large quantities of bleach residue can harm the soil and prevent not only weeds but other plants from growing.

Baking Soda

Baking Soda

Apply a good amount of baking soda over the tops of weeds. You may need to reapply this treatment several times. It is best to apply baking soda when the weeds are actively growing such as in spring. It also works during the summer, but more slowly.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing Alcohol

How to kill weeds naturally without chemicals? Rubbing alcohol is one of the best home made natural weed killers. It sucks the moisture from the leaves of weed thus killing them. Fill your spray bottle with water and several tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and spray on the weeds.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn Gluten Meal

How to kill weeds permanently? This is among the best and effective natural organic weed killers that can permanently stop the growth of weeds. This substance is described as a pre-emergent lawn herbicide. Which means that it kills the weeds before they grow to adult size. The corn gluten meal prevents the growth of the weed roots and they quickly die of dehydration. This substance doesn't inhibit weeds that already have root systems, so you can use it on soil before the weeds start to grow.

Newspaper

Newspaper

Covering the ground with several layers of newspaper is suitable for low growing weeds. It is biodegradable and prevents the sunlight from reaching to the weeds, thus eventually killing them. Also new weeds will not be able to grow due to the lack of sunlight.

Ground Cover Plants

Ground Cover Plants

Ground cover plants are useful in the garden for covering bare patches of soil. They are good for low maintenance garden and will not only brighten up the area but will also suppress weeds. These ground cover plants compete with the weeds for nutrients, sunlight and water so if you maintain a healthy and thick ground covers, it will help you to suppress weed growth.

Boiling Water

Boiling Water

This is the easiest and very effective solution for weeds. Just pour boiling water on the weeds to destroy them. For more established weeds you will need to repeat it several times over several days. killing weeds with hot boiling water is the safe and most economical natural remedies to kill weeds in your lawn.

Story first published: Monday, February 16, 2015, 19:17 [IST]
Read more about: home made organic gardening