Can Vinegar Really Kill Weeds?
I'm sure many of you have seen "pins" on Pinterest singing the praises of simple vinegar and it's use as a weed killer. Really? I had to check this out for myself.
April rolls around and here comes a new weed killer recipe, three ingredients this time: apple cider vinegar, table salt and dish soap (not Dawn). The original pinner stated that apple cider had a higher acid content. I perused the market shelves the other day and found that no matter white or apple cider, they both had a 5 % acid content. But, I bought a quart of ACV for $1.09 anyway, I just couldn't let go of the dream!
After I put away the groceries, I Googled this whole conundrum and actually learned some interesting things! Namely, vinegar can work. Also, adding a bit of soap helps the vinegar stick to the dastardly foliage. And, to be most effective, the mix should be sprayed in the middle of a warm or hot, calm day. The heat of the sun is an important factor and I have proof for you!
First, I need to give you a little history of my struggle with an invasive perennial called Lady Bell without this becoming a novel.
 |
| Campanula: Lady Bell (*@%^!) |
This perennial is so invasive that it's not sold anymore in nurseries. I think my specimen hitched a ride with host a plant I bought 3 yrs ago. I garden organically but I've had to resort to some nasty stuff to try to eradicate this beast. Roundup 2 years ago...nothing. This nasty stuff last summer.
Okay, history explained, now you know what I've been up against for the last 3 years.
This is the formula I used today for my murderous pl0t:
4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 t. Dish Soap (not Dawn)
Mixed in a spray bottle. Add soap, then vinegar. Don't shake (BUBBLES)
It all seems so gentle and harmless but remember, vinegar is acidic and not selective when sprayed on plants.
Lady Bell, three hours after a vinegar shower on a calm, 75 degree day in Wyoming.
I carefully sprayed under the Euphorbia that LB has been trying to engulf for 2 years. The Euphorbia looks fine.
I then went after Oxalis, it's a nightmare too but, not as monsterous as LB.
Frying up nicely in the afternoon sun...
Oh Hail Yeah!
Even though I'm extremely happy with my results...I remain a bit skeptical because I know what I've been up against. I will continue to keep a vigil over this quarantined area and share my long term results but, if I were you, I wouldn't hesitate one nano second to try this in your own garden. Heck, for a dollar you can spew vinegar and reclaim your yard. You won't have to wear a face mask, wash your hands or murmur apologies to the worms, bees and butterflies for using harmful chemicals.
People, this is a break through if vinegar truly works long term. If it works for you, shout it from your decks! I'm sick and tired of being conned into using chemicals in our gardens and near our food sources. SICK of IT!
Vinegar and soap may not be the perfect eradicator but neither is a product like RoundUp which costs at least 10 times what vinegar does AND it's harmful.
Vinegar and soap may not be the perfect eradicator but neither is a product like RoundUp which costs at least 10 times what vinegar does AND it's harmful.
Give vinegar a shot, it's a win/win move!
Please, please let me know how it works for you in your slice of paradise. I hope and pray we've found a viable answer to reducing our invasive foes without polluting our soil and harming the flora and fauna that we need so dearly.
Happy Gardening!
Rebecca
posted by Rebecca @ 8:56 PM
67 Comments
67 Comments:
I read this with great interest! I do have a question though, do you need to be careful about getting this mixture on grass? I have those pesky little burrs in my back yard and I don't want to kill the grass but I need to get rid of those uninvited guests!
Valerie, I would set the spray nozzle to stream...and carefully hit your unwanted weeds that are in the grass. You might blast one or two in an obscure spot just to make sure you don't end up with a large brown spot and go from there! Let me know how it goes!
The vinegar solution is considered a "non selective" herbicide, simply put - it will kill all vegetation. Don't fret over larger plants, though as it would take considerable more than a spritz to adversely affect larger shrubs and trees.
Valerie - what you have is probably nutsedge. That's not an easy one to get rid of naturally or chemically. Please check with a local lawn care professional for options. The type of lawn turf you have will dictate the necessary approach.
Thanks for your input Carmen, curious though...what is nutsedge?
HAIL YES!!!! And Thank You!!
I'm looking for something to use in a cool, wet, windy climate [ Scotland] and have been trying the vinegar and dish soap treatment with some small success, perhaps the addition of a good dose of salt would help? Perhaps readers in some other cool, wet, windy state in the US of A has tried this...
In my experience, the warmth of the sun is key to a good shriveling! Perhaps the addition of the salt would make the difference for you. Please let us know if you have better success with salt, good luck!
keep updating because i want to know how effective it is! keep the dream aliiiive!
I used vinegar on my driveway with limestone gravel w/o the soap. The weeds died and then came back. I think the limestone provided needed alkaline presence to counteract the acid of the vinegar. Will try again with the soap.
I remember as a kid that when we made homemade ice cream we would pour the salt water on the cracks in the drive and side walk where we wanted the grass to die. I would think that just straight salt water would work. I wonder if the salt would also prevent future growth in that location. Any thought?
I've heard that pickling vinegar is more effective for this because it is more acidic. I tried just plain white vinegar, and it worked but didn't seem as good. I need to try it with the soap.
Have you checked the roots to see if they are dead as well?
We have a thistle type of plant here that we cannot kill, the root system is amazing. Even if I dig it up if there are even a piece of root left the plant evently grows back. I am going out right now to try your vinegar solution. Thanks
Lynn
To make a "shield" so you can protect the desired plants while spraying the weeds, slice the bottom off of a milk jug, then cut down the side. Wrap the bottle around the weed so the opening/spout of your shield is now at the ground around the stem of the weed. Most of the time the plastic will close around the weed, if not a piece of tape can be used to pull it closed. I also have been reading about Vinegar, and am watching several patches of garden weeds that I have treated.
And why not Dawn as the dish soap?
I'm watching this one because like your thistle, this campanula has a pretty good root network too. The foliage is dead though so I'm hoping the roots will eventually follow suit. We shall see!
I wonder if it will affect the soil, making it too acidic? What is simple soap? Bar soap? All of the liquid dish "soaps" are detergents
I highly doubt spraying vinegar will have an adverse effect on the soil as it dissipates so quickly and in re: to soap, I used an earth friendly dish soap by Method, a teaspoon at that.
Dawn contains a degreaser which is unnecessary in this kind of application. Just a simple dish soap will do, I used a liquid dish soap by Method but you can use what you have in the house...should work great too!
As I started to read this edition to your blog, an ever so slight wave of panic began to sweep over me, for just this morning I replentished my vinegar supply with the intent of going on a weed hunt. As I parused the choices before me I considered getting one gallon of WV and one gallon of ACV. I decided on 2 gallons of just plain ol' white vinegar. As I continued to read the panic left and I am happy to say that my homemade weed irraticator is mixed and ready to go...but not for a few days now because we are expecting rain tomorrow.
I think I need to buy some stock in vinegar...what with all of the homemade recipes that call for it (=
Lol Karen, I'm with you, my vinegar consumption is crazy lately! But what would we do without it now that we've been "enlightened"?!
It's a grassy type plant that isn't really a grass. It starts out as one shoot that opens into 4-6 blades, in the center the burrs will develop. The burrs are very hard with multiple sharp spikes. No fun to pull off shoe strings, socks or out of pet fur. It's very hard to control because it spreads with rhizomes that can grow very deep. You definitely can't run barefoot in the yard if you have those burrs everywhere!
Carmen, that sounds exactly like what I have and with 5 dogs they carry a ton of them inside. The short hair dogs of course are easy to "de-burr" but the 2 long hair dogs don't like it one bit! I can't even walk barefoot through my house because they get brought in and they do hurt! I definitely don't want to kill the grass though *sigh*.
I do my best to avoid appeasing the roundup gods, but sometimes you just can't avoid it. This is unfortunately one of those instances where it may become necessary. And if your neighbors have nut sedge also (I'm betting they do) chemical warfare isn't a permanent solution since it spreads through rhizomes. Semipermanent solutions are extreme - ie: dig in a 15" impermeable boarder all around your yard to block the rhizomes. We went through this battle when we lived in Florida - it was very unpleasant and the nut sedge won. Since moving to Virginia we haven't run across nut sedge in our yard.
Hi - I'm in Australia so was wondering what your measurements refer to (what's the "C"?) Also, with the soap - do you grate a bar of soap, or do you use liquid hand soap? If you add salt, how much? (Celtic sea salt best?) I would LOVE an answer to my weeds. Hate using weedkiller but white vinegar and/or boiling water never worked for me.
Good morning! C refers to Cup, which is 8 ounces and I used a liquid dish soap in my formula. If you can find apple cider vinegar, that worked best for me. I've never used salt but that's certainly an option for you. I would start with 1 teaspoon added to this recipe and see how that goes. Also, it's important to spray in the heat of the day, the sun plays an important role with this method. Let me know how it goes for you!
Thanks for the tips: I've tried the pinterest vinegar recipes and had 0 results, so was scoffing it as a scam... but it's been a cloudy, cool week. Now that I've read your post, I think I'll try again when the sun makes an appearance :)
Kirsten, sunshine is imperative! Please try it again on a warm, sunny day and let me know how it goes for you. I am SOLD on apple cider vinegar w/ a little dish soap. You may have to apply it more than once, but Roundup is no different.
Ah, yes, it means that here too. Must have had a brain-fade... *embarrassing*. Have tried the recipe twice now but still no luck :(
Hmmmm...that's so frustrating! Are you using apple cider vinegar? And, have you tried adding the salt?
Yes. I was actually very keen on trying the apple cider vinegar, as I've previously tried white vinegar to no avail, boiling water to no avail, and a spray of white vinegar followed by about a 2 - 5 minute break and then pouring boiling water on top... all to no avail. So, yes, I used apple cider vinegar plus the dishwashing soap plus the salt... still no results. I'm in Canberra (capital of Australia), though, and it's pretty cold here... well, cold by Australian standards, that is.
Did you know that you can eat campanula? It's a great addition to salads!
I don't know...this campanula is a stubborn sort, what if it never left??? ;)
the issue with salt is it harms the soil, and may make it difficult to plant in the area for a season
In Fla., red fire ants can build condominiums in the yard. I used baking soda and vinegar to nuke the mean, nasty, stinging red ants mounds in our backyard. It worked, but it killed the weeds (yeah) and the grass too. I don't care about the brown circles of death in the backyard. The ants are gone - from me, the kids, and the dogs - and I can't wait to do it again. Interestingly, I just so happened to vaporize the ants on a hot, calm afternoon.
Good to know, and good for you for trying something less caustic than chemicals to get rid of the nasty ants!
Hi Freddy, in Texas they also get into the electric boxes and destroy those. When we lived there, I used boiling water, dish soap (washes the little oils off their bodies) and cayenne pepper. I used it in the early morning when the queen was a bit closer to the top. It was in the shade where my kids liked to play. If you bend over and listen carefully, you can hear the tiny screams of those murderous ants. For me, it was a perk, That particular summer they had killed an elderly man mowing his yard and a few cattle.
My biggest problem with weeds is the ones UNDER the tree at the edge of the walk. They don't get any sun.
Some gardening centers sell a stronger vinegar...I think it is 30%. My daughter used it successfully in Colorado against some long rooted weeds.
I used this recipe about 6 weeks ago and while it seemed to work, my weeds are back, full force. Seemed to kill them, but not the root. I will check about the 30% next time I am at Lowe's!! Thank you for the tip!
I have been using vinegar on weeds for several years, on and off. I have found it works much better when you pour it on rather than spray but, of course, that uses quite a bit more. Also, I agree with the heat and sun beating on the invaders. I am not convinced that vinegar will kill the plant entirely, however. I tried to convince my husband, who is a round up fan, and claims you could drink round up and not be hurt (definitely not going to try this...blah!) because he has seen the deer eat corn not long after he has sprayed. So we experimented with white vinegar and he was not impressed with the less than desirous effect. While I was out of town, the weeds "magically" burned up. How do you suppose THAT happened??? Next year, I will try to add the soap. Thanks for the info!
...and try Apple Cider Vinegar instead of white...I had much better luck with ACV :) Oh my gosh, drink Roundup??? NOOOOOOOO! Keep the deer at bay with manure tea, it's saved my front gardens this summer!
This will kill anything you spray it on! So yes, be careful around any plant you wish to keep.
Will this work on English Ivy? I have been trying for a couple of years to get rid of the ivy that surrounds my property and has pulled down a fence, gazebo and trellis. Nothing has worked not even injecting Round up concentrate.
Joanne, this works well but for something like English Ivy that's well established in the garden...vinegar is no match I'm afraid!
RobBob add salt to the mixture for the driveway
darn! I've been trying to get rid of it since we bought our house 9 years ago. Nothing has been working and I hate how invasive it is.
I just use plain old white vinegar on my weeds and it works fine:) No soap or ACV. Keep it off grass or anything else you don't want to kill.
I read this recipe on another site, mixed up a batch today and sprayed most of my yard because most of it is weeds! Now I read your blog and your says NO DAWN! Wondering why? the other site said specifically to use Dawn and that's what I did! Hope I wont regret it!
the best and safest way to keep deer at bay is by putting hair on the ground. go to a local salon to get some cut hair. my parents swear by this - and they have tons of deer in the area - and the deer HATE the hair for some reason. it works wonders!
I have problems with snails and slugs, I just tried ACV soap and salt. I found that it killed the slugs instantly it also seemed to kill the spiders and ants that happened to be in my garden. I hope it works, the flower beds were a mess when I bought my house 10 years ago and I have had Zero luck with round up pulling and every other crack pot method I could find. Last year we put a black tarp the flower beds and we still had weeds when we pulled it off yesterday. I hope that this will work as I live in mid-western Ontario, temps are still a cool.
I also would like to know why we can not use Dawn dish soap. I have also seen this recipe where it specifically says to use Dawn.
RebeccaApril 25, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Dawn contains a degreaser which is unnecessary in this kind of application. Just a simple dish soap will do, I used a liquid dish soap by Method but you can use what you have in the house...should work great too!
I think you may be wrong about the type of soap. Another similar recipe I've seen says that the soap strips the weed of its natural protective oils so using a soap with a degreaser makes sense. I tried it last night with a recipe of 1/2 gallon apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, 1/2 tsp dawn liquid dish soap and this morning all the weeds i sprayed were yellow and wilted. It was cool and cloudy when I sprayed.
What about placing a clear container/bin over the sprayed weed or unwanted plant. It will act like a mini greenhouse and you might have to put a board/brick on top if its particularly windy.
someone just told me on Facebook to sprinkle salt in the middle of the thistle and it will kill it all the way down to the root? I have not tried this but I will. I have been fighting with thistles for years on the side of my house.
my dad used to put a shallow pan of beer out and the slugs would go into it and die. He wasn't much of a gardener but I remember this working many times over the years.
overnight
Yeah It can kill weed. I tried but it's really not that effective as compare to other brand chemical. But yeah by for some time it works.
Question: I live in Florida. I just had a contractor use a sod cutter and remove all the weeds and whatever grass I had left before I install my new irrigation pipes. Although, the sod cutter did a marvelous job, there are still staggered weeds throughout. Do you think if I use the vinegar and dish soap throughout my entire front and side yards to kill the remaining weeds/grass before I re-sod that it will damage the soil or ph balance when I go to re-sod the entire area? Or, if I used this concoction, I need to wait a week or 10-days before re-sodding? I don't want to try this recipe and have it kill my $900 worth of new sod. Anyone had any experience with using the vinegar and soap over such a large area and re-sodded afterwards?
Vinegar is acid... most detergents, liquid or powder, are alkaline. In closer to equal amounts, they would neutralize one another and be ineffective. Using only a smidgen of detergent within the vinegar would lessen this effect.
I found out something interesting. A few people have mentioned that white vinegar either does or doesn't work for them. On Facebook recently I found out that many brands of white vinegar are actually made from a non-food source (something petroleum based, from memory). Apparently there is no requirement for this to be on the label. Your best bet is to ask the manufacturer what the vinegar is derived from. So I was thinking - perhaps the source of the white vinegar might impact on how effective it is. Also, apple cider vinegar can only come from apples, and it seems to work. So perhaps the ineffective white vinegar might come from the non-food source. I was given a news link which confirmed the statement made. Will have to track it down...
The soap coats the foliage - it's an important ingredient to the mix.
Id love to see that article :)
http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/your-vinegar-may-be-made-from-petroleum-products/
and
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/08/is_that_right_vinegar_can_come.html
Sorry you will have to copy those into your browsers, as I'm not sure how to turn them into hyperlinks on this site.
Although I just went to the Heinz site and it says its white and apple cider vinegars are only ever made from corn and apples... I wonder whether it's organic corn or whether it's possibly Monsanto?
Here's another. Scary. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074550.htm
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home