By Felicia, on March 29th, 2013
With Spring here and summer around the corner, the outdoor projects are ready to be tackled. At my house, we have already had our first round of battling the ants. In a continued effort to look towards natural remedies, I did a bit of research on controlling garden pests without spending a fortune on chemicals that could damage my plants and my health.
Some of the weedkillers are:
Boiling Water – Yep, that’s right. Plain old H2O can be used as an extremely effective weed killer. As a matter of fact, boiling water is more effective than many of your store bought weed killers in wiping out unwanted vegetation. Easy-peasy to do. Put a kettle of tap water on the stove and heat till boiling, then pour on the weeds you wish to kill.You are effectively cooking the plant in the ground. Boiling water is a great way to clear out vegetation on a wholesale basis, like driveways and sidewalks. But be warned, boiling water is not selective. It will cook and instantly kill any plant that it comes in contact with and this includes underground roots of nearby plants.
Vinegar – Vinegar is a great organic homemade weed killer. Either white or cider vinegar will work. The acetic acid in the vinegar works to kill the leaves on the plant but not the root. Vinegar will kill back (kill the leaves but not the root) any plant but works best on young plants because they do not have enough energy stored in the roots to regrow their leaves. If vinegar is applied to more established weeds enough times, the plant will eventually deplete its stored energy reserves and die.
Newspaper – If murdering your weeds with chemicals is not your style, you can always smother them. Laying down a layer of newspaper at least 4 sheets thick (the more the better) will go a long way towards killing the weeds underneath. The weeds that are already there will die from lack of sun and the weed seeds will not be able to sprout because they are not getting any sun to start with. (1)
Vinegar is a great all round garden tool. It stops ants, cats and slugs! (2)
When fertilizing keep these things in mind:
Crushed eggshells worked well into the soil make a wonderful fertilizer. Terrific for gardens and houseplants, they aerate the soil, too.
Bury some used coffee grounds in your garden to provide much-needed acid to the soil that has a high alkaline content. You’ll notice much greener greens!
Fish tank water is loaded with nutrients. Use it for gardens and houseplants.
Plants love starch, so save the water each time you boil noodles or other pasta. Just make sure to let the water cool down first.
Dampened newspapers placed on the ground around plants will help keep the soil moist and hold weeds at bay. Wet the newspapers well — you need the weight of the water to hold them down — then sprinkle lightly with soil. The papers are biodegradable, so they will eventually dissolve.(3)
These remedies are easy and accessible. They a cost effective too. I hope these tips and websites are as helpful to you as they will be for me!
Sources and Resources:
(1)http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2oki65/:agxeG6WH:c@2k3Gjn/www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/05/7-deadly-homemade-weed-killers.html/
(2) http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2dhm6a/:1L46wGgJE:Y.3WBKD4/www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=6/
(3) http://www.tipsonhealthyliving.com/green-living/24-no-fuss-all-natural-gardening-tips
http://www.greenhousecatalog.com/natural-gardening