Earth Day- A "Green" Garden Weed Killer

In honor of earth day, I’d like to make an “organic” solution suggestion to weed control in your flowerbeds and gardens (note- I did not say to use it on your lawn). I have heard this suggestion a few times from neighbors, clients, and my wife. Below you will find some notes and resources on how to use vinegar as a weed control.

What is vinegar? According to The Vinegar Institute’s site: http://www.versatilevinegar.org/faqs.html, “Vinegar can be made from any fruit, or from any material containing sugar.” It is “is made by two distinct biological processes, both the result of the action of harmless microorganisms (yeast and “Acetobacter”) that turn sugars (carbohydrates) into acetic acid”. In other words- vinegar is a vary organic material. It is also relatively inexpensive ($5.00-$10.00 or so dependent on size of container). The organic material and inexpensive cost makes vinegar a great option for being “green” with the weed control in your garden or flower beds.

According to the Garden Counselor site: http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-care.com/home-made-weed-killer.html: vinegar is basically stated as something that can be used to kill plants in general. The ingredient in vinegar “removes moisture. When sprayed on plant foliage, the water in the leaves is drawn out, and the top growth of the plant is killed” and “Full strength vinegar, not diluted with water, will be strongest”. The trick would be to only apply the vinegar to the weeds in a garden and not to get too close to the good plants. It is also good to point out that “Some plants may be more resistant to absorbing it. Leaves with a waxy or hairy covering may absorb less of the solution and suffer less damage. Some plants may die above ground, but send up new growth from the root.”

In other words- vinegar will have its advantages and disadvantages. I know my wife will be trying it out in our vegetable garden this year to avoid going out and picking so many of the tiny starts of spreading weeds. Why don’t you give it a try and post here how it turned out for you?

Happy Earth Day! See you around soon with all this nice weather!