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Ditch the RoundUp : Good-bye Weeds & Grass with Vinegar!

If you’re looking for an easy and natural way to get rid of weeds in your garden, you might want to try using vinegar. Not only is it cheap and readily available, but it’s also an effective way to kill weeds without the use of harsh chemicals.

Why Vinegar Works

Vinegar contains acetic acid, which can dehydrate and kill weeds. When sprayed directly on the leaves of a weed, it can penetrate the plant’s protective layer and damage the cells, causing the plant to die. Of course, vinegar is not forever solution. Weeds can regrow, but in my experience it works well enough and the benefits are obvious.

How to Use Vinegar to Kill Weeds

Using vinegar to kill weeds is simple. To get started, I pulled out our garden sprayer and stocked up with 4 gallons of cheap store brand vinegar.  If you don’t have a sprayer you can pick up a 1 gallon or 2 gallon fairly cheap on Amazon.com.  Pour a gallon of vinegar in, pump and get to spraying, being sure to target the leaves.

You can also mix a little bit of dish soap in, if you like. A for conditions, I chose to do this on two dry, hot days.  Repeat the process if necessary.

Tips for Using Vinegar to Kill Weeds

Be sure to spray only where you want to kill the grass, the vinegar will kill everything you spray.  At the edges of your driveway be sure to spray in a straight line, unless you like zig-zagged edges.  You can see in the photo above where I sprayed just a few hours prior to snapping this photo.  The grass is already dying off and the edge is pretty clean.

  • Be careful when using vinegar around desirable plants as it can also kill them
  • Avoid spraying on a windy day as the wind can carry the vinegar to other plants
  • Use a higher concentration of vinegar for tougher weeds (like pickling vinegar or cleaning vinegar)
The photo below is after one day of progress and a half completed job. You can see clearly where I stopped.  The vinegar worked great and quite quickly.  I’m happy to be cleaning up our driveway naturally with a simply product.  It cost me about $8 in vinegar (we already had a sprayer).  If you buy a sprayer, it can be used again and again.  We’ve used ours for all sorts of projects around the house!
 
I did find that later on in the summer I needed to reapply (a few of the weeds were tough and tried to come back).  I am thrilled with the effectiveness of this method and am happy that it provides a non-toxic option for our property, and I don’t have to worry about what our children, vegetable garden (water run-off!), and animals are exposed to.
 
Vinegar is a simple, natural and effective way to kill weeds in your garden. So, next time you see unwanted weeds in your garden, I suggest giving a sprayer and a bottle of vinegar a try!
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