How to Kill Dandelions With Vinegar
Dandelions are persistent and hard to get rid of, partly because they have a long taproot that can go down a foot into the soil, making them difficult to uproot. If any of the root remains in the soil, a new dandelion plant will grow from it. Chemical weed killers can destroy the entire plant, from surface foliage to root, but may leave toxic residue in the soil. Vinegar kills dandelions with repeated applications, and is far less harmful to the environment. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
-
1
Heat vinegar before you apply it to dandelions. Vinegar is a mild acid that kills weeds, and boiling water also kills weeds, so boiling vinegar will work better than cool vinegar or hot water.
-
2
Add salt to the vinegar for a stronger weed-killing mixture. Combine 1 pound of salt and 1 gallon of white table vinegar (5-percent acetic acid). Stir to completely dissolve the salt. Add a surfactant, such as dish soap (1 tsp.) and use in a spray bottle to spray on dandelion leaves, or a syringe to inject into the crown of the plant. Repeat as necessary.
-
-
3
Increase the strength of the vinegar before applying it to dandelions by boiling off some of the water. White table vinegar has an acetic acid content of 5 percent, which boils at about 100.6 degrees Celsius (213 degrees Fahrenheit), but pure acetic acid boils at 118.1 C (244.5 F). Since water has a lower boiling point than acetic acid, if you boil table vinegar at temperatures below the acetic acid boiling point, it will evaporate some of the water, leaving a stronger concentration of acetic acid. Use caution when handling this stronger solution: do not breathe it in, and remember that the acid is now too strong to be edible.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Vinegar can dissolve concrete, so take care when attempting removal of dandelions in sidewalk cracks: instead use plain boiling water.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
More Like This
Comments
-
My plan of attack!
