So we had had these weeds/flowers/vines growing all over everything last Fall. You all probably remember a post about that. We don't like to use poisons and/or other chemicals if we don't have to (wasp spray being an exception to that rule, ha) so that leads us to looking for some sort of homemade remedy.
We did this last November and I took pictures but forgot to post it. So here is the end result.
Several of you mentioned vinegar in the comments for that post and so we used that as a starting point for researching ideas. We found a recipe that is vinegar, salt, water and dishwashing liquid.
The large batch recipe is:
1 gallon (4 quarts) White Vinegar
1 Cup Salt
1 Tbsp Liquid Dish Soap
This first time though, we were making a smaller batch to test it out so we cut everything in half:
2 quarts, 1/2 cup, 1/2 Tbsp.
Put the vinegar and salt into a bottle and shake it up to dissolve the salt. Then add the dish soap and swish it around. The dish soap helps it cling to leaves.
I put it into a spray bottle. I sprayed it pretty heavily (I wasn't sure how much to use) and did it when we first got to the farm and then once again when we left, just to be sure I was getting good coverage, ha.
Then we just had to wait...
Here it is before...
...and here it was a couple weeks later. DEAD! You can also see the flower bed below that, I sprayed it because it was becoming a weedbed and not a flowerbed.
Here is the garden cart that was covered up with the vines before...
...and here is is after. Dead.
We would give this homemade weed killer two thumbs up (SO FAR)! It has worked great though we've only really used it on this type of vine. Also a possibly important side note; we used "cleaning vinegar". It's sometimes harder to find cleaning vinegar but this type of vinegar has a 6% acidity instead of 5%. We read that even though this sounds like there is not much difference, it's actually 20% stronger. That could be why our blend was so effective. Whatever the reason, it worked like a charm and we don't have to worry about spraying our yard with something toxic.
We'll see how well it works moving forward with other uses around the yard and garden this Spring and Summer so fingers crossed.
Looks like it really done a fine job of getting that vine but do be careful when spraying around flower, veggie beds, etc. and don't spray on a windy day.
ReplyDeleteHave a Wonderful weekend.
We have 20% of rain for tomorrow and 70% for Sunday evening & going into Monday.
My roses and trees are beginning to bud out which is a good sign that Spring is on it's way. :}
Oh yes, only a calm day, ha. And we don't have that many weeds to deal with very often, thankfully. Yep, rain coming here too. One last cold blast I think next week though.
DeleteI worked with for a woman who was trying everything to get rid of weeds, like you, the nontoxic way. The one thing that she found that worked best (for her) was boiling hot water poured on the weeds. I tried it and it worked wonders! In the spring/summer/fall when weeds are growing and I have boiled water from cooking something, I carry the pan out to pour on the weeds. A way of reusing the water?🤔 Your way looks very effective too!
ReplyDeleteBoiling water, we've heard of that but never tried it. Might just do that next time too. And what a great way to reuse something from cooking dinner, will remember that. Thank you!
DeletePlease DON'T put salt on things you do not want. You are salting the yard and eventually nothing will grow. I know you are using a small amount. The vinegar will do the job. I just don't think there is ANY excuse to use salt as a weed killer. Use some boiling water first, then keep using the vinegar and alternate it with boiling water.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have had a problem with something tall like what you killed, I have gotten close to the ground and cut the few stems in the ground or some of many. There is really no need to kill the leaves so far up and so many. I cut the stems from wisteria that had grown around a pole ATT put in the ground. Well, when I cut it at the bottom, it was easy to kill the roots.
Will try it without the salt. Now remember, we are only using this spot on and mostly the stuff is sprayed on the leaves and seemed to work but yes, said can be bad for the planting area long term. I guess I didn't use too much because stuff is still growing back but I bet over time that could work to build up. Will remember that.
DeleteLooks like it worked pretty well. You can also get Agricultural grade vinegars up to 30% or 45%. In some settings a weed torch works pretty well too
ReplyDeleteJust be careful with that higher percentage of vinegar. It can burn your skin.
DeleteWe didn't know they had ag vinegar. I bet that stuff is crazy strong. And thanks Tomato Thymes, will remember that. So far this worked so we can use this and stay safe, ha. But we'll remember if we need something more powerful, the ag grade vinegars.
DeleteI've seen the torches but fire next to the house always make me nervous, I'd be the one to do it the wrong way, ha.
That really took care of all those invasive vines.
ReplyDeleteIn my local H-E-B, they have 9% vinegar. It’s used for some canning recipes, so that’s why they stock it.
I agree with Parsimony - I would not use salt because it can ruin your soil. So you might use the higher % vinegar instead to boost up the recipe.
9% instead of salt is a great idea. I'll look for that. Thank you!
DeleteLooks like you killed edible food, that looks like sweet potato vine with the gorgeous purple flowers. Great week ahead for you.
ReplyDeleteThankfully no sweet potato vines were harmed, ha. These are bindweeds, sometimes called "wild morning glories" (some just consider them actual morning glories but these were identified at our garden center as bindweed). They are distantly related to sweet potato so there is some similarity in appearance. Trust me, I've dug up so much of this stuff trying to get rid of it, no tubers that we could eat. As much as we love sweet potatoes, I'd let that stuff grow all over if we had something editable, ha. Weather is supposed to be nice but some rain possible and cold again. We'll see how it goes.
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