DIY Nontoxic Weed Killer

By Erin Sheehan

Weeds overrun our property in June and July. All around the garden fence and in the driveway cracks, weeds grow out of control. We spend hours pulling them, and a day or two later we’re right back where we started. We don’t like to use Round-up or things like it so Jim did a little research online for non-toxic weed remedies.

First Jim read that straight-up vinegar will kill weeds when applied directly to the foliage. I don’t know if any of you have tried this but it did not work for us. The weeds grew unabated after repeated vinegar applications. Back to the drawing board. Jim then found this recipe:

Homemade Weed Killer

1 gallon white vinegar
2 cups Epsom Salts
1/4 cup Dawn dish soap

Put all ingredients into a sprayer and thoroughly soak plants on a warm, sunny day. Be careful to use this on a day when you don’t expect rain for at least 24 hours.

It worked! Nearly all of the weeds died within a day or two of application. So we get to save our knees and backs from weeding and don’t harm the environment.

The ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store. We found a sale on vinegar and really stocked up. You may find BJs or Costco has the lowest prices for the vinegar.

Let me know if you try this recipe and how you make out. I hope you are happy with your results!