If you’re looking for a homemade herbicide for garden weeds, there are a few options that can work, especially for young weeds. Keep in mind that homemade herbicides are non-selective—they can damage or kill desirable plants too.
Simple vinegar herbicide
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon (about 3.8 L) white vinegar (5% acetic acid)
- 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
Instructions:
- Mix the vinegar and dish soap in a spray bottle or garden sprayer.
- Spray directly onto the leaves of weeds on a dry, sunny day.
- Avoid spraying nearby flowers, vegetables, or lawn grass.
The dish soap helps the vinegar stick to the leaves. This works best on young annual weeds. Deep-rooted or perennial weeds may regrow and require repeated treatment or physical removal.
Boiling water
Pouring boiling water directly onto weeds growing in cracks in sidewalks or driveways can also kill them. Be careful to avoid splashing yourself or nearby plants.
Things to avoid
- Adding salt can make the soil unsuitable for growing plants for a long time and may spread beyond the treated area.
- Homemade herbicides are generally less effective on established perennial weeds than commercial products or manual removal.
For long-term weed control, combining mulch, hand-pulling, and timely treatment of young weeds is usually the most effective approach. If you’re trying to control a particular weed, let me know its name or where it’s growing, and I can suggest the best method.
