Killing weeds organically?

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by carolyninfl

vinegar

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

carolyn is right-i started using vinegar and it works...

if you have pesky ones in a small area,,,boiling water will kill it

Vinegar works.

Funny story, this winter my wife was germinating seeds and misting them daily. Unfortunately she put some vinegar in a similar spray bottle and left it near the grow table. One dose and EVERYTHING was dead. Fortunately, she had time to start a new batch.

[Colorado Rambler]

A 10-year old who get's paid 5 cents per weed. 10 cents if he pulls it up by the root.

[TheDragonslayer]

Super safe and not toxic and easy to use, boiling water. Works every time. Just set a tea kettle to boil and when it whistles, take it outside and pour on the weeds in the walkway, just do not use it on your lawn. Boiling water is also effective against ground wasps/yellow jackets, just boil a large pot of water and pour on the nest.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by TheDragonslayer

Super safe and not toxic and easy to use, boiling water. Works every time. Just set a tea kettle to boil and when it whistles, take it outside and pour on the weeds in the walkway, just do not use it on your lawn. Boiling water is also effective against ground wasps/yellow jackets, just boil a large pot of water and pour on the nest.

good post!! i've yet to try it,,,but the portable "steam cleaners" should work well too-

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

A 10-year old who get's paid 5 cents per weed. 10 cents if he pulls it up by the root.

perfect idea

[GregW]

I was one of the 10 year olds and got paid zip.

[TheDragonslayer]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

A 10-year old who get's paid 5 cents per weed. 10 cents if he pulls it up by the root.

I tried that, hired two neighbor kids to weed one of my beds. They broke my new hoe by using it like an ax, took forever to weed the bed, left early and a week later came back to see if I had any more work for them to do. I said that when they finished the work that I had already paid them for, I may have more work. They said they thought that maybe I could pay them to do more work before they finished the first job. I told them that that is not how it works, that they needed to finish the first job that they were paid for before I gave them more work. They never finished the first job and a few months later I caught one of them smashing my bushes with his skate board and when I confronted him, he said it was not him, yet I saw him do it and told him so. I had been finding big gaping holes in my bushes for over 6 months and could not figure out who was doing it. Both boys are now in the early 20's and are both unemployed and one is in trouble for stealing and selling an expensive bicycle. I hired them thinking that they would learn about hard work and earning money the honorable way, apparently it did not work. I blame the parents.

[Padgett2]

Most weeds are spread by seeds every year. So, at least keep the seed bearing tops whacked off if you don't have time to pull them up. Then, all you have to fret about are the seeds that blow over from the neighbors.

It's about impossible to have a weed--free garden. Mother Nature sees that ALL her children thrive when conditions are right. Mulch is about the only solution that really reduces the spot where the weeds can put down roots. We like pine straw. We have an acid type soil that azaleas and camilleas love. Pine straw helps this. It wouldn't be good in a rose garden.

I like Ortho Weed-B-Gon. I apply it full strength with a brush directly to things like poison ivy, and other weeds that resist a good pull. I think it would work very well on a footpath.

[OpenD]

Salting weeds can eventually poison surrounding ground. Weed-killers poison the environment.

Propane weed-burning torches are quick and efficient and leave no residue. You don't have to actually burn the weeds, just hit them long enough to wilt them does the trick.