Sasha CampbellIf weeds are overtaking your garden or lawn, you can eliminate them using specific home remedies.
Weeds can be a hassle in flower beds, sprout between patio stones, or compete with vegetables in your garden.
Here are some of the best natural ways to get rid of weeds in your garden and lawn.
1. Vinegar
Using white vinegar on weeds is highly effective as a contact herbicide. The acetic acid in vinegar causes the parts of the weed it touches to dry out [1].
Use a spray bottle and apply it to weeds on a sunny day for the best results.
To use, mix a solution of 1 gallon of white vinegar with one tablespoon of dish soap. Next, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply it to the weeds.
A point to note is that vinegar at 5- and 10-percent concentrations may only kill young weeds. However, use vinegar with a higher concentration for a potent homemade weed killer that kills both young and older weeds.
This remedy is also great for removing weeds from a large area, as you can pour the solution into a large pump sprayer for a broadcast application.
Note: Vinegar can damage any plant it touches, so be cautious with your spray application.
2. Baking Soda
You can also sprinkle baking soda on weeds growing in crevices, like between bricks or rocks. The powder dehydrates and kills weeds.
For garden use, apply baking soda carefully to avoid affecting surrounding plants.
This home remedy is most effective on younger weeds but can also help control small, mature ones.
3. Boiling Water
Pour boiling water directly onto small weeds to shock and kill them.
This method is a fast and effective way to kill small weeds in hard-to-reach cracks or along walkways, driveways, paving, or garden paths.
Just boil a pot of water and pour it directly over the weeds.
Tip: Use a kettle with a spout to help direct the water flow and avoid nearby plants you want to keep.
4. Pull Weeds Out
Sometimes, the simplest method is best. Pull weeds out if you want to kill them down to the root!
While hand-pulling weeds may seem like the oldest method, it’s highly effective when done right. It’s also one of the best methods for killing weeds organically over a small area.
However, you can make this task easier by wetting the soil. Weeds are easier to pull from moist soil.
You could also hand-pull weeds after it rains or after you’ve watered the garden.
Note: This is our best-known way to get rid of weeds naturally without killing grass. Just pluck the weeds out of your lawn by hand!
5. Apply Mulch Around Your Plants
Mulching helps block sunlight from reaching weed seeds. This reduces their chances of sprouting.
Organic mulches like wood chips, straw, or tree leaves are ideal for flower and garden beds.
6. Grow Cover Crops
Planting cover crops such as clover or alfalfa helps prevent weed seedlings from thriving.
These “living mulches” create a dense ground cover that reduces weed seedling growth [2].
7. Lemon Juice Spray
Lemon juice acts as a natural herbicide for weeds due to the citric acid it contains. It works similarly to vinegar in drying out weeds.
Therefore, you can use it to make a DIY weed killer. Squeeze fresh lemon juice or use bottled lemon juice.
Next, pour it into a spray bottle and apply it directly to the weed’s foliage on a sunny day.
This natural weed killer will not work overnight, but you can expect to see results within a day or two.
8. Solarizing
Covering a weed-infested area with clear plastic heats the soil to a temperature that kills weeds and their seeds.
Leave the plastic in place for about four weeks. After that, take it off for two weeks to make the seeds that weren’t affected germinate.
You’ll then cover the same areas again for another four weeks to kill the seedlings of the germinated seeds.
9. Propane Torch
A propane weed torch heats and dries out the weeds, causing them to wither and die.
However, use caution and avoid areas with dry or flammable materials.
10. Plant Ground Covers
Low-growing plants, like creeping thyme or creeping phlox, can choke weeds.
These plants can prevent weeds by creating a dense cover that blocks them from getting sunlight and space.
11. Avoid Watering Weeds
Watering only the plants you want, not the surrounding areas, can discourage weed growth.
Use targeted watering methods like drip irrigation to avoid feeding weeds. Some farmers have reported seeing fewer weeds in their gardens while using drip irrigation [3].
12. Salt
Salt also dehydrates weeds. However, avoid using salt in garden beds, which can harm the soil and prevent future plants from thriving.
Salt-based weed killer is best used in areas where you don’t plan to grow anything else, like gravel paths, pavers, driveways, or between patio bricks.
Mix 1 cup of table salt and 1 gallon of water to use. Pour it into a spray bottle and apply it directly to the weeds.
13. Essential Oils
Certain essential oils, like clove and peppermint, can kill weeds naturally.
Mix 30 drops of clove or peppermint oil in two cups of water to use EO to make a homemade herbicide that kills weeds. Spray it directly on the weeds.
14. Newspaper or Brown Cardboard
Place dampened newspaper or brown cardboard on top of newly sprouted weeds to smother and kill them.
You can also use them to kill grass. This is one of the cheapest ways to kill grass and weeds.
15. Grow Plants Close Together
Planting densely leaves little space for weeds to grow, reducing their chances of invading your garden.
17. Vodka
Vodka can be used to kill broadleaf weeds like dandelions.
Mix one ounce of vodka with two cups of water. Add a few drops of dish soap to the solution.
Finally, apply it directly to weeds.
18. Eat the Edible Weeds
Certain weeds, like dandelions and purslane, are edible and nutritious. Harvest and enjoy them instead of letting them take over!
19. Use Goats
Goats are natural weeders, consuming various weeds and leaving your plants intact. They are particularly helpful with larger properties.
However, do not use goats if you want to get rid of weeds naturally without killing plants. Unless poisonous, a goat will eat almost any plant in its path!
20. Borax
Borax is also a weed killer.
To use, mix 5 ounces of borax with a gallon of water. Shake it up well, then apply the solution to weeds early in the day.
21. Dish Soap
You can also use dish soap and water to eliminate small weeds.
A popular recipe online is to use one cup of Ultra Blue Dawn dish soap with two cups of water to spray on weeds. Apply the solution on a sunny day to help it work faster.
Dish soap and water can also work as a moss killer. Mix two ounces of dish soap in a gallon of water and spray the affected area.
Organic Commercial Products
If you can’t be bothered with these DIY remedies, try a store-bought organic herbicide instead.
Avenger AG Optima
This organic herbicide uses d-limonene (from citrus) to dehydrate the weeds, causing them to dry up and die.
AXXE Broad Spectrum Herbicide
AXXE is another organic option that quickly kills weeds by dehydrating them. It works within hours.
However, it is best to use it in places where you do not wish for plants to grow.
Gluten-8 Liquid Corn Meal
This product helps control crabgrass and broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover. It works as a natural pre-emergent herbicide.
Can You Use Bleach?
If you pour bleach on grass, it will kill it because it’s very potent. It will also kill weeds at their roots.
However, do not use bleach in the garden. It is toxic.
Takeaway
Using home remedies to kill weeds is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to garden and yard maintenance.
Some methods work best in specific areas, such as boiling water on driveways. However, other techniques can help you achieve a weed-free garden without relying on harsh chemicals.
Try out these remedies to find the ones that work best for you.
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