Homemade Vinegar Weedkiller

Household vinegar has been shown to kill weeds in their first two weeks of life.

Weeds have plagued gardeners and farmers since the first garden was planted. Many substances have been used in an attempt to kill weeds, but when dealing with fruits and vegetables, are these substances safe to ingest? Organic herbicides have been growing in popularity, but a household product commonly used in prepared foods has been proven effective as well.

USDA-Tested

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) tested different concentrations of vinegar on a number of common weeds in an attempt to determine its effectiveness in killing them. A solution containing 5 percent vinegar--the same concentration as most commercial food-grade vinegars--was shown to kill weeds in their first two weeks of existence. Stronger concentrations, such as 20 percent vinegar, had an 85 to 100 percent success rate at killing weeds at any stage of growth. The weeds the mixtures were tested against were common lamb's quarters, giant foxtail, velvetleaf, smooth pigweed and Canada thistle.

Practical Application

It's difficult to find vinegar in a concentration higher than 5 percent, though many organic garden supply stores (such as Maestro-gro.com) are now selling 20 percent vinegar mixtures by the gallon. However, if used before weeds progress to stages that are more immune to lower concentrations of vinegar, both white and apple cider household vinegars can be sprayed directly onto the leaves of weeds with a very high rate of success and very low chance of contaminating fruits and vegetables.

Household Weed-killing Concoction

An easy household mixture containing 1 qt. of white or apple cider vinegar and 4 tbsps. of lemon juice seems to create just the right combination of acids to be very effective against young weeds. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spot-spray weeds directly on the leaves. The best time to spray is during the heat of the day. Be careful not to spray plants you don't want to kill. For more information, search for "vinegar weedkiller" online or visit an organic gardening store.

References

• USDA: Spray Weeds With Vinegar?
• Natural Homemade Vinegar Weedkiller Recipe