How to Kill Weeds

How to kill weeds is probably the main question many new gardeners have. It seems like there is a never-ending battle between you and all the plants that you don’t want to be growing in your garden.

Garden Pests

Pulling weeds is an effective and organic way to get rid of weeds, but it is also the most time-consuming process for killing off garden plant pests.

The good thing about pulling weeds by hand is that you know when you have pulled the weed out roots and all, it won’t be coming back. Spending a lot of time in your garden pulling weeds also helps you get to know your plants, so you can spot and control pests or other problems with your plants.

If you don’t feel like pulling weeds but don’t want to use a lot of chemicals on your garden, there are some other organic options:

• Boiling water: It is said that pouring boiling water on weeds will kill the weeds as well as the seeds. Just be careful not to get any on you, or on the plants that you want to keep!
• Mulch: Not only can mulch help prevent weeds from growing in the first place, mulching can smother and kill existing weeds. Two or three inches of mulch will eliminate weeds and help hold water in your garden's soil.
• Soapy water: Another method is adding about five tablespoons of liquid dish soap to four cups of water. Mix it up, put it in a spray bottle and spray on the weeds, preferably on hot days.
• Alcohol spray: You can do the exact same thing with four cups of water and between one and five tablespoons of alcohol, depending on the stubbornness of the weeds.
• Vinegar: Undiluted vinegar is a great choice for killing weeds. Put it in a spray bottle and use on weeds, being careful not to spray your plants, because it can kill them, too.

If you’re looking for how to kill weeds before they sprout, try cornmeal gluten. It’s a great pre-emergent herbicide that also adds nitrogen to the soil. This is a particularly good choice for lawns because it won’t hurt the existing grass.

Maybe you’re not interested in organic methods of weed control. One important thing to remember when using chemical weed killing options is that these chemicals kill other plants, too, so you have to be very careful in how you use them.

Products such as Roundup and Ortho Weed-B-Gon are probably the most popular chemical means for getting rid of weeds. They are effective and kill the roots as well as the top growth. The products also often contain a pre-emergent killer so that they kill the next round of weeds as well and can keep you weed-free for several months.

If you are just looking to kill weeds in your yard, you probably don’t care that much about whether the method you choose is organic. Using chemical herbicides is fine, just make sure you follow the package directions, be careful not to hit plants that you want to keep alive, and keep children and pets off the lawn for a couple of days or longer after using the chemicals.

If you’re looking for a weed control option in your vegetable garden, you might want to try some of the organic methods first, especially if it is late in the season and you’re about to start harvesting foods. Herbicide residue isn’t very nutritious.

Of course there is one final method of dealing with weeds you might not have considered: eating them. There are actually many edible weeds that are a great addition to your salad bowl or stir-fry.

Do a little research to determine if the weeds you’re trying to get rid of are edible, and then give them a try. You might just find that you don’t want to get rid of them after all.

Looking for more tips for successful gardening? Check out the following slideshows:

Gardening Pests

Types of Fertilizers

Types of Soil

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• Fungus
• Lawn Care Tips for the Fall
• Ants
• Garden Pest Control
• What is Mulch