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Dealing with Weeds?
Ditch the Roundup for these herbicide alternatives!
Don’t:
Do:
- Dig up what you can
- Try vinegar solutions
Vinegar products are a contact herbicide – they work most effectively on the above-ground leafy parts of annual weeds, and don’t work well at all on the roots. Part of the reason for this is vinegar products break down fairly rapidly in soil. With appropriate application, vinegar products should not affect soil pH for longer than a few days. It is still best to avoid spraying vinegar products in areas where amphibians might be hiding, as contact with high-concentration acids can harm them.
Consider spraying with 20% - 30% vinegar available at a hardware store (if the normal 5% vinegar doesn’t work). Put in a quart spray bottle using gloves and goggles, and add 2 tsp liquid dish detergent (Dawn works well). Apply on a sunny day to weeds between pavers of stone walkway, on driveways, and in other small areas. Respray in two weeks if needed.
- Smother weeds
In your garden closely space plants (see recommended distances) and use a mulch to deprive weeds of places to grow. In the case of a stone walkway, put landscaping cloth down before placing stones. You can also smother weeds by covering with cardboard and then mulch.
- Rent a goat to eat the invasives
Goats eat most weeds and invasive plants. There are companies that rent goats specifically to clear areas of weeds and invasive plants.
- Plant aggressive native plants
Once an area is clear of weeds/invasives consider planting the area with aggressive native plants such as hay-scented fern or goldenrod, these plants can outcompete weeds and invasive plants.
A quick internet search will give you a lot more information.
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