I can’t lie, this year I have really let my garden grow wild, as all being well I was planning to move house in summer (which is finally only weeks away).
This is very unlike me because I see my garden as another room of my house and I would probably class gardening as one of my very few un-cool hobbies – is it weird I count down the days until my favourite hot pink lilies burst into life every spring?
In fact, I might be the only under 30-year-old to get more excited about RHS Chelsea Flower Show every year instead of Love Island, and I will take a trip to the garden centre over an afternoon of co*cktails any day.
But lately I couldn’t stand just how much the weeds had been creeping up through my decking and from under my neighbour’s wall and fence – not to mention the dreaded thistles making an appearance.
Weeds really do spoil a garden (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest)
After previously writing about this less than 80p per litre weed killer recommended by experts at The Plastic Centre, I thought you know what, let’s give this a go.
Not only is it incredibly affordable (as I don’t want to be spending any money on a garden that I will be leaving behind soon) but there is no nasty chemicals involved and I knew I had all the products in my kitchen.
I also completely forgot I needed a pet-friendly weed killer as this is the first full summer with my dog, so this method I came across which I thought would be useful for other green-fingered humans seemed to be just what I was looking for too.
How to make pet-friendly and non-toxic weed killer
The method is incredibly simple to make, you need cooking salt (40p from Ocado), washing-up liquid (55p from Asda) and distilled vinegar (35p from Tesco).
Got these items in your cupboards? You could make a quick homemade weed killer (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest)
You then put 30ml of salt, 500ml of vinegar and a tablespoon of washing-up liquid in a pressurised sprayer (I used a random spray bottle I had in my gardening box), give it a good shake and you’re good to go.
Now I will admit I didn’t use the exact products mentioned above, but it’s sort of all the same at the end of the day, isn’t it?
I also didn’t make the exact amount which would normally work out at less than 80p litre according to the experts, as I only really have one main patch of weeds (for now) and didn’t want any waste.
The method claims to make weeds wilt within 24 hours and completely dry them out within 48 hours as long as it’s done on a dry day – and do you know what? It sort of worked.
What do you think of this before and after shot of the pesky garden weeds? (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest)
Does vinegar and salt kill weeds permanently?
Once I got over the awful smell (the strong soapy vinegar did make me hold my breathe), I soaked the targeted weeds fromleaves toroots. It was as easy as that.
I then left themovernight and when I checked after work the next day, they had actually wilted.
Yet for now, that’s all that has happened and it’s been almost 48 hours so far. At a push I might say they are half dead.
Granted there was some rain after 24 hours which has probably ruined my experiment.
How to Get Rid of These Common Garden Pests
In short, I recommend tryingthis weed killer you can makeat homeif you’re not in a rush for a weed-free garden anytime soon.
Obviously, it has huge perks as you probably have all the products needed in your cupboards, it’s not harmful unlike other industrial weed killers and it’s pretty cheap too.
Recommended reading:
- How to clean your garden furniture without breaking the bank with 30p hack
- How to get rid of garden patio moss using 35p kitchen cupboard staple
My crucial advice is to make sure you try this when no rain is forecast for a couple of days, so the weeds can properly dry out.
I would also avoid spraying this near any other plants or flowers you don’t want to kill.
But does it get rid of weeds forever? Probably, although you might be waiting until next summer.
