Here's a question I've gotten from more than one reader: Can you use vinegar as a herbicide? The short answer is - yes. There are some ifs, ands and buts, but the bottom line is that household vinegar will kill many weeds. It may take more than one try and you'd have better luck with a stronger concentration of acetic acid, but it's an organic control worth trying. Here are some suggestions for using vinegar as to kill weeds..
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
Thanks I have always wanted to know this.
Boiling water has always been one of my favs I wonder if I could mix the two?
Tess
I would think adding water would dilute the effect of the vinegar, but hot vinegar might be something to try on stubborn weeds.
A reader posted a recipe on the Organic Gardening site which sounds interesting too. She adds salt and detergent.
does the vinegar kill the weeds and leave the flowers?
Diane, it will kill or damage all the plants it comes in contact with. It doesn’t know one plant from another, so be careful with it. It’s easy enough to spray it on weeds growing in walkways, but I wouldn’t use it in a garden bed.
Hot vinegar works on path/walk way weeds coming up in the cracks- but first I clean my coffee maker! I run a pot of straight vinegar thru my maker and then pour the vinegar on the weeds, I broke off most of the weed so the vinegar could really get in it!
What a great suggestion! Besides getting twice the use out of the vinegar, it will remind me to clean my poor over-used coffee maker. Thanks, Elle.