Horticultural Vinegar or pet safe weed killer

puddy

I want to get rid of weeds and grass which is growing between blocks in our patio. No matter how hard I try I cannot pull them up and the space between the stones is too narrow to get a scraping tool into.

We have 2 cats and a dog and I cant keep the cats in, even if I could just about keep the dog in, by letting him wee out the front.

So I found a recipe for home made weed killer using vinegar, but its for 20% vinegar which I cant seem to find anywhere.

Does anyone know where I can get this or other pet safe weed killers

cootambear

puddy wrote: »

I want to get rid of weeds and grass which is growing between blocks in our patio. No matter how hard I try I cannot pull them up and the space between the stones is too narrow to get a scraping tool into.

We have 2 cats and a dog and I cant keep the cats in, even if I could just about keep the dog in, by letting him wee out the front.

So I found a recipe for home made weed killer using vinegar, but its for 20% vinegar which I cant seem to find anywhere.

Does anyone know where I can get this or other pet safe weed killers

I`m guessing that 20% vinegar means vinegar watered down? ie you get a pint of vinegar and add 4 pints of water to it?

vinegar is water, acetic acid, flavouring and colouring

you would be better sourcing pure acetic acid and dissolving it in water to the required strength, much cheaper

edit to say, i tried it on my dandelions, didnt work, then i tried bleach, didnt work, now i either cover them with a basket to deprive them of sun, or eat them

lollipopsarah

For the weeds, just get a cheap bag of salt and poor it between the cracks on a dry day, in a few days the weeds will be dead.
It hasn't killed the grass though, so it's the old back ache job and a scraper I think.
xx

heirloom

I use boiling water and salt about 1 cup of salt to 5cups of water and pour on plants as soon as its boiled,takes about 2 to 3 applications over 3 days but it kills everything.you can get a kilo of salt for under a quid and it definately works,my patio is littered with the burnt out remains of dandelions and grass. Salt also dissipates naturally after a week and becomes harmless unlike commercial weedkillers that are all toxic to the enviroment, you, your pets and your kids

puddy

cootambear wrote: »

I`m guessing that 20% vinegar means vinegar watered down? ie you get a pint of vinegar and add 4 pints of water to it?

vinegar is water, acetic acid, flavouring and colouring

you would be better sourcing pure acetic acid and dissolving it in water to the required strength, much cheaper

edit to say, i tried it on my dandelions, didnt work, then i tried bleach, didnt work, now i either cover them with a basket to deprive them of sun, or eat them

no, the vinegar you buy in shops is 5%. 20% vinegar is industrial strength it seems that you can buy this stuff in america but i cannot find it anywhere in the uk

the acetic acid is what i need but you cant find it

ds1980

glyphosphate weedkiller is the only way. keep pets indoors for a few hours while you spray. you dont need to if you ask me (i never have) if you want to be on safe side. GUidance is when it is dry which on a hot day is only a few minutes.

officeguru

I've got a lot of salt that was specifically for ice, snow etc, that didn't materialize last winter so I was thinking of using that for keeping down the weeds as the salt stuff is starting to dissolve.

heirloom

ds1980 wrote: »

glyphosphate weedkiller is the only way. keep pets indoors for a few hours while you spray. you dont need to if you ask me (i never have) if you want to be on safe side. GUidance is when it is dry which on a hot day is only a few minutes.

Your mad! google glysophate+ danger=290.000 hits, it's a highly toxic poison and recent studies have shown the extreme damage it is doing to our ecosystem. Do some research!! salt or vinegar take a bit longer but work just as well and don't poison the world. By using glysophate you, and your family, become a chemical guinea pig for the agro chem companies and their relentless pursuit of profit and complete disregard for nature. But hey it's easy! Spray it once and it kills everything, of course it does it's one of the most potent and dangerous chemicals you'll ever willingly expose yourself too. You poison your land, me I'll spend a bit longer and use harmless salt. Sure it may take a day or 2 longer but thats a price I'm prepared to pay.

Farway

[QUOTE=heirloom;53513069But_hey_it's_easy!_Spray_it_once_and_it_kills_everything,_of_course_it_does_it's_one_of_the_most_potent_and_dangerous_chemicals_you'll_ever_willingly_expose_yourself_too._You_poison_your_land,_me_I'll_spend_a_bit_longer_and_use_harmless_salt._Sure_it_may_take_a_day_or_2_longer_but_thats_a_price_I'm_prepared_to_pay.[/QUOTE]

And you sir are a green eco warrior, I and many others will continue to rightly ignore you

Salt is not harmless BTW, Take your own tip, Google "salt poison" and you will get 17,800,000 hits, which I think trumps you

heirloom

The vast majority of those links are in regard to salt poisoning in humans by excessive intake. All the world oceans are salt water so how exactly is it poisonous? The worlds oceans are teeming with life in water that if your drank would make you ill but it's not poisonous or toxic. Replace the oceans salt water with glysophate and see whats left alive... Nothing, it will kill everything. Go poison yourself mate I couldn't care less

cootambear

heirloom wrote: »

Your mad! google glysophate+ danger=290.000 hits, it's a highly toxic poison and recent studies have shown the extreme damage it is doing to our ecosystem. Do some research!! salt or vinegar take a bit longer but work just as well and don't poison the world. By using glysophate you, and your family, become a chemical guinea pig for the agro chem companies and their relentless pursuit of profit and complete disregard for nature. But hey it's easy! Spray it once and it kills everything, of course it does it's one of the most potent and dangerous chemicals you'll ever willingly expose yourself too. You poison your land, me I'll spend a bit longer and use harmless salt. Sure it may take a day or 2 longer but thats a price I'm prepared to pay.

woah friend

I dont know much about glysophate but I doubt it will destroy life on earth

didnt invaders in the past `sow their fields with salt` to deny the opposing societies a chance to recover and fight them back?

salt is a chemical you know, `organic` or not