Vinegar kills weeds . . .

[hiero2]

Originally Posted by missela

Thanks, kinkytoes . . . you are correct.

I've researched this, also made a call to county extension agent. The soil will NOT, as some posters claim, be permanently corrupted and made acidic. That's just not logical, actually.

If you spray - or even pour - vinegar directly on weeds or even grass, it's not leeching deeply enough into the soil, nor is the vinegar strong enough to make such drastic changes to the soil.

I've treated the entire small area of the lawn with vinegar - will wait for the weeds and grass to brown - then I'll run the cultivator over the ground, toss around some potting soil, throw in some seeds, and water.

Vinegar should be used in moderation - this isn't about pouring massive amounts into the lawn on a regular basis, but to equate old-fashioned, proven vinegar to the known, dangerous chemicals used in the over-the-counter weed killers is simply not logical or correct.

Water first to dilute any remaining acidity. Vinegar and ammonia are natural byproducts of natural processes, and as such, are typically temporary in their effect on a local biosphere. They break down into other stuff quickly. Watering will both dilute the acidity and hasten the breaking down of the vinegar into other stuff.

I would also suggest looking at corn gluten as a weed control. In some yards it works amazingly well. Google "Gardens Alive" for one provider. I think these days many garden places carry other brands. I had great results with it in a yard in Tennessee. Now I am in Massachusetts, and on this yard it does not seem to help. In TN, where it worked - it required twice yearly application for a couple of years to see the full benefit. But what I got was a great lawn, where I'd had a weedy patchy lawn before. Obviously, my soil up here has different issues - so who knows!