As a professional landscaper with over a decade of experience, I know one thing more than any other when it comes to lawn and garden care.
To put it simply, weeding is a pain!
Now, a lot of people turn to herbicides to control weeds, however I never felt comfortable using it, so I searched for alternative methods.
Here’s the deal, with the recently revealed evidence on the dangers of Roundup exposure which were revealed in court last August, it would seem that finding herbicide free weed control methods would be a wise idea.
That is why I have taken my experience, and years of research to provide you with the very best methods and tips you can use to control, and even eliminate weeds from your gardens, sidewalks and driveway.
Herbicide Free Weeding Methods
Method 1: Use a Hoe
In the modern era hand tools take a back set in our collective conscious, however when it comes to weeding there is truly no modern alternative to the hoe. Now, I’m not talking about the cheap garden hoe that you often find at your local Home Depot or Lowes. No, in fact there are some amazing hoes which are very effective and largely unused. My favorite is the Dutch Hoe.
The Dutch Hoe
The Dutch hoe is somewhat similar to what most people know as a hoe, but it’s much better. In fact the Dutch hoe is much more effective at cutting deep into the soil, and removing swafts of weeds relatively easily. This hoe has a sharper blade, which can be more effectively thrust into the soil, rather than attempting to chopping downward which in my experience is ineffective.
Pro Tip! The dutch hoe should be used while walking backwards, and cutting the weeds in front of you. This method prevents weeds from being re-planted as you walk over and push weeds back into the soil, essentially replanting them.
Method 2: Use a Torch
Now, this has to be my favorite method for controlling weeds. There are pretty inexpensive torches designed specifically for killing weeds, and boy are they fun to use! Torches such as those made by Red Dragon, are an amazing way to kill weeds without exposing you, your pets, your children or lawn to potentially harmful chemicals.
With just a quick pass weeds will meet their doom. Just a short burst is all you need and the weeds are dead. But it gets better, the best part about this method is that it will sterilize seeds as well. This means that both the seeds in the plant, and any seeds on the ground you may have passed over will more than likely never germinate.
Warning!
There is a catch however, though weeding with a torch can be fun, it is still a fire hazard, and should be used with caution. Also you won’t be able to get right up to your plants using this method, as you will risk burning the plants that you want to keep.
However, when it comes to hard landscapes like sidewalks and driveways, a torch sure beats hours on your knees!
Method 3: Use an Organic Herbicide
Here’s the deal, There are a lot for organic herbicides on the market. Many of them truly don’t work well, but there are a few that do. There are two fertilizer types that I trust and rely on.
Organic Herbicide Type 1: Vinegar Based Herbicides
There are a few brands of herbicides which use a vinegar base. Unfortunately, i have never had luck with straight white vinegar that you can find at the grocery store.. However there are stronger vinegars on the market intended for killing weeds. Unlike the vinegars available in the grocery store, these vinegars contain 30% or more vinegar which is very effective at killing weeds. There are a number of these vinegars available and they can be easily be applied with a standard pump sprayer.
Organic Herbicide Type 2: Citric Acid Herbicides
These herbicides are essentially the same as vinegar in that they are both acid based, but these herbicides instead use a strong concentration of citric acid. This type of herbicide is applied in the same manner as those which are vinegar based.
Bonus Organic Herbicide Recipe
I once had this client with a huge pebble driveway, and they wanted it weed free year round. Neither one of us were comfortable using Roundup, so I would do it by hand a few times a year. Needless to say it was painful on my knees (yes, I know about knee pads but I’m stubborn). But I came by one day and saw that all of the weeds were dead. I simply assumed he just used Roundup because I saw the sprayer by the door, and not one weed was standing.
However, when I asked him about it he told me an old man at the nursery gave him a recipe for a homemade herbicide. This was the recipe that he shared, and it is simple, cheap and effective:
- Distilled White Vinegar 5% (2 Gallons)
- Epsom Salt (2 Cups)
- Dish Soap (1 Cup)
All you have to do is mix these up and put them in a pump sprayer. If its a one gallon pump sprayer, just split the recipe in half. Normally 5% vinegar wouldn’t do the trick, but with the epsom salt it makes it stronger. Furthermore the soap acts as a surfactant to spread out the vinegar and salt to coat the entire plant. Within 24 hours your weeds will be withered and dead.
Best of all, this recipe is much safer to use around your plants than other organic herbicides, because it mostly affect only the plants which have been directly sprayed.
Method 4: Prevent Future Weeds
Now that you have eliminated all the weeds from your gardens or sidewalks, use these two methods to prevent future outbreaks.
Weed Prevention Method 1: Mulch
Most people don’t know this, but mulch is much more than an aesthetic venture. Mulching prevents future weeds by choking them out before they grow. And the few that do pop up are easily removed as they are in a less dense medium which doesn’t allow the plant to become fully established.
Weed Prevention Method 2: Use Corn Gluten
Of course mulching wont work in your sidewalks and driveways, but there is another simple solution. Corn Gluten.
Corn gluten acts as a pre-emergent herbicide by stopping seeds from germinating in the first place. This simple method is largely overworked, it is a little messy, but it saves a lot of time.
Weed Prevention Method 3: Use Ground Covers
If mulch isn’t your thing, you can always incorporate groundcovers into your landscape design! Vinca or myrtle, and pachysandra are two great options for ground covers.
In Conclusion
So, as you can see there are many methods to eliminate and control weeds in your lawn and garden without synthetic chemicals. These methods are great for improving your landscape, and burning a few calories. Feel free to share them with your friends and family, I hope you have learned something useful.
In order to know more about ways you can control weeds and that too, without any harm, please check pestwiki.com.
Author Bio:
Douglas Dedrick is a professional landscaper and a writer in the fields of natural health, agriculture, and law. You can find more of his writing at HealingLaw.com