DIY: Natural Weed-Be-Gone

Ingredients:

• 1 Gallon Vinegar
• 2 Cups Epson Salt
• 1/4 Cup Dawn Dish Soap (Blue Original) OR Vegetable Oil

Instructions:
Mix all together in a handy weed sprayer or cut down the amounts and put in a smaller spray bottle.

It will kill anything you spray on it.  Just mix and spray in the morning after the dew has evaporated.  Walk away, it may take a couple applications an BE CAREFUL, it will kill plants that you DO WANT!

Cheaper than anything you can buy and you don't have to use chemicals like Round-Up again.

Explanations: 

1. Vinegar – This is the main ingredient and the core and base of any natural weed killing recipe.  What you actually add to your vinegar will determine the amount of increase of performance. The reason why this works is that white distilled vinegar that you can buy at nearly any store for household use contains 3-5% acetic acid.  What is acetic acid? Well, it is a desiccant and this means it removes moisture.  So, when you spray it on weeds and plants, the water in the leaves is drawn and the “above ground” foliage dies off.  In some plants, it may reach the root, but not as often as we would hope.  Also, vinegar may not really work for some weeds and plants that have a waxy coating or other natural barrier on them.   However, it is still your primary and main ingredient – that’s a good thing because it is cheap too!

So now the other ingredients that you add to this base is what is going to take this to the next level.

2. Salt – Salt is another very effective component and complement to a natural weed killing recipe.  Regular ol’ salt of any kind is based on sodium chloride (most every salt except epsom) is easy to find and cheap. Salt, like vinegar, is also a desiccant, so it too will dry out the leaves, stems and potentially get to the roots of the weed/plant. Basically by combining it with vinegar, you make the solution “extra strength.”

3. Oil – Oil is the secret ingredient. Oil can be used directly or found within soaps containing a high concentration of oil; soap is the most popular oil form used in homemade weed killers. Oils break down the waxy coatings or other natural barriers that many weeds and plants produce to protect their leaves. By breaking this down, you give a straight shot for the vinegar and salt to do it’s job. In addition, oils and soaps break the tension water on surfaces, which allows for the mixture to stay on the plant and not “run off” like just vinegar or vinegar/salt will do, again giving more ability for the vinegar and salt to penetrate and kill the weeds before slipping off the surface.

As mentioned, you can use oil directly or you can use certain soaps as most are oil based.  From my research, the best soap to use is the classic blue Dawn dish soap – the “grease” cutting power in this dish soap is most effective.  Using dish soaps that contain extra ingredients or that are moisturizing will not be very effective as they provide a coating. So it really needs to be the classic blue dawn.  You can also use vegetable/canola oils and even coconut oil. If you choose the coconut oil however, you will need to heat to liquefy it and use it immediately.

Source:  thethriftycouple.com