Homemade Weedkiller

uncommonadvice

Hi,

I flicked through my trusty copy of the Tightwad Gazette but unfortunately I noted there was no recipe for making your own Weedkiller. Does anyone know how to do it?

amcluesent

Just get some Ammonium Sulphamate sold as a 'compost accelerator'.

savemoney

White Vinegar kills some weeds

http://www.better-lawn-care.com/vinegar-weed-killer.html


How Vinegar Works as a Weed Killer
The acetic acid in vinegar is the active ingredient. When applied to plant foliage, the acetic acid destroys cell membranes causing plant tissues to dry out. Acetic acid does not move through the plant so only the foliage of treated weeds are killed, the roots are not affected.

Vinegar-based herbicides are contact and non-selective, which means any plant foliage that is sprayed will be damaged. These products can be used to kill weeds growing in patios, walkways, driveways and landscape beds. If used in lawn areas, carefully apply to weed foliage or surrounding grass will be damaged.

Tips for best results: Apply vinegar on hot, sunny days. It works best on young (less than 3 weeks old) and rapidly growing weeds.

uncommonadvice

Vinegar isn't too cheap though - I take it I would be watering it down?

peter_the_piper

Salt works if you don't want to grow anything there afterwards. Probably best to buy the real thing on safety grounds.

annie123

uncommonadvice wrote: »

Vinegar isn't too cheap though -

sainsburys basic vinegar 13p for 568ml

Sambucus_Nigra

What sort of weeds are you talking about? Most can be killed by hoeing and leaving them to die on the surface of the soil. Others are better dug out. So it depends really - what you are trying to actually do.

The best weedkiller is to starve them of light - by mulching with cardboard.

uncommonadvice

General garden weeds - nothing special.

GreenTricky

Yeh I go for salt on paths, super cheap in morrisons

Sambucus_Nigra

uncommonadvice wrote: »

General garden weeds - nothing special.

ie you don't know. Just hoe them off. Simpler, cleaner, cheaper and you can put the hoeings into the compost bin.

Yorkie1

The reason you won't find anything such as you request, is because it's illegal to use anything as a herbicide which isn't licensed for that purpose. Ammonium sulphamate, which was mentioned earlier in this thread, for example, was delicensed for weedkiller purposes some years ago.