How can I get rid of weeds naturally?

Question

I want to get rid of them, but without chemicals.

Answer 1

It depends on the particulars of your situation. If you want to target individual weeds, dig or pull them if you can, and try to get rid of them before they go to seed. If they have a deep taproot or are otherwise difficult to pull out, you can get herbicidal soaps which are acceptable for use even if a garden is certified organic. Check out the website for Gardens Alive, which has natural, non-chemical solutions to many garden and household problems.

If you want to clear a large area of weeds, there are a couple of other non-chemical approaches. I am currently preparing an uncultivated, weed-infested area to become a small scale fruit orchard. I am cutting the weeds, invasive blackberry vines, etc., down to the ground with a string trimmer. Then I rake all the debris away and cover the ground with sections of newspaper. Just lay entire sections in an overlapping pattern so the ground is completely covered in newsprint of at least 6 to 8 pages deep. Water the newspaper to hold it down, and you will need to put something on it to hold it down at first (boards, bricks, rocks, branches, leaves, bark chips, grass clippings.... the possibilities are endless.) The layers of newspaper prevent weeds from receiving light, so they cannot photosynthesize and they are smothered out. Also, any weed seeds that manage to germinate beneath the newspapers will also die out because they cannot receive any sunlight. If you want to plant something in the area, you can just cut a hole through the newspaper and put in your plant.

There are also landscape fabrics that work the same way : letting water through but preventing the weeds beneath from receiving the sunlight. The beauty of using newspaper, though, is that you can recycle something you would otherwise discard, and you don't have to buy anything. (If you don't subscribe to a newspaper, friends or family would no doubt be glad to give you theirs.) The newspapers slowly decompose, but a layer of 8 pages of newspaper will usually last at least a year. By the end of that time, at least 95% of all the weeds and weed seeds that were beneath it are history.

Using natural methods is not usually a quick fix, but the time and effort makes it possible to avoid toxic chemicals which can harm our children, pets, birds and wildlife, etc. It's worth it.

Answer 2

Pull 'em, of course! Rototil. Cover with black plastic, or a heavy mulch of straw, grass clippings, bark dust, pine needles, etc. Torch 'em. Here's a recipe for Dandelion Spray: 1 gallon white vinegar, 2 cups salt and 3 to 5 drops liquid dishwashing soap. Mix and put in a spray bottle. Spray the whole plant. Repeat in a few days if necessary. Or just use straight vinegar. You can also till the area and plant a cover crop of buckwheat (don't let it go to seed) real thick. It will smother a lot of weeds. Then till it in. Good luck!
P.S. There is NO real easy way that I know of. The best trick is: NEVER LET ANY WEEDS GO TO SEED!!

Answer 3

Best thing to do is pull them up by the roots yr after yr and make sure they are thrown in a black garbage sack if you are not throwing them in a dumpster right away..you do the same for goathead stickers after about 2 yrs of this weeding they wont grow again but the wind will blow seeds and such in your yard and then bam new weeds.

Answer 4

Hey Kryptoph…

Depends on whether the weeds are annuals or perennials. Annuals,,, keep cutting them down until it freezes so they can’t propagate. Perennials are tougher,, they are designed to survive even if just part of the roots are left underground. About anything you use, (boiling water,, etc) will burn down the tops but the roots will survive and be back the next year. There’s a good reason they’re called “weeds” they can “survive” for 20 years or more as a seed just waiting for the optimal time to sprout and grow!!

Answer 5

You can remove them with a good old fashioned pull. Remember a weed is just a plan growing in an unwanted spot.

Answer 6

spend 15 minutes a day pulling them and before you know it you have to actually search for weeds to pull (if you want to keep them under control of course) and bonus it doesn't cost anything

Answer 7

Just plain table salt will get rid of some.

Answer 8

Cheap solution, if the smell doesn't bother you, is good old Heinz, or whatever vinegar. Just pour it on.

Answer 9

Boiling water is the best solution. Be aware that anything in the immediate vincity will be killed also.

Answer 10

pour boiling water on them--will take about 3 days for them to wither & die