How to Get Rid of Weeds Naturally

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By kossmore
User-Submitted Article

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Dandelion

Getting rid of weeds naturally and in an environmentally friendly way protects the wildlife in your yard from harsh chemicals. This tutorial will show you how to use every day items to kill and prevent weeds by using cardboard, newspapers, a shovel and even plastic sheeting.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Bleach
Cardboard
Newspaper
Plastic
Preen
Shovel
Vinegar
Weed torch

Step 1

Shovel

Digging helps if the area is small. If the weed has a seed head on it, carefully cut it off. Do not shake it too much so the seed head stays intact. Soften the soil with water the day before digging. Loosen the soil gently with a shovel before pulling out the weed. It is important to remove the entire weed root system, if any of it is left, they can continue to grow.
Step 2

Torch

You can also burn the weed with a weed torch. These work well but take a several minutes to burn each weed.
Step 3

Boiling Water

Pour boiling water on the weeds. This cooks them which in turns kills them.
Step 4

Vinegar

Vinegar and or household bleach straight from the bottle will kill weeds. This takes a few days to work. Be careful to apply only to the weeds, both will kill other plants as well.
Step 5

Newspaper

Cover the patch with a thick layer of newspaper. Lay six or more sheets thick over the weeds to block out the sun and air. This works very well and will last for at least two years before the newspaper decomposes. The layering works well and the paper lets the moisture drain through. You can apply several inches of topsoil directly over the newspaper then plant, add mulch. There may be new weeds starting in the topsoil but they can very easily be removed by pulling them out before they grow too big. Cardboard is another good weed blocker.
Step 6

If you have a larger patch of weeds, cover it with a plastic sheet for several days. The sun will beat down on them and cook the weeds. There still may be some weed seeds so either leave the plastic on for a few more days or apply Preen.