After experimenting with several different formulas for organic weed spray, I’m sharing the one that’s worked best for me! Super easy with only three simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
We moved to our house two summers ago and have been fighting an uphill battle with our yard from day one. We had an accepted contract on the house in March but didn’t close on it until June and unfortunately the previous owners didn’t maintain the landscaping that spring. So when we pulled up to our new house for the first time since seeing it under snow in March, my first thought of how much I loved all of the blooming hydrangeas was quickly followed by the realization that everything was so overgrown that you couldn’t even make your way along our front walk:
A bid from a landscaper to get everything trimmed and weeded was…$1500. So there went our big brainstorm of hiring the job out. My husband and I have worked on our yard a ton since that first summer to get it back into shape and the biggest challenge has been combating the weeds. We have well water which makes me worry about using harsh chemicals like Roundup to get the job done. So over the past two years I’ve experimented with several different formulas for organic weed spray and thought I’d share the one that’s worked best for me. (post includes affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here})
The formula is actually super simple – it requires only three ingredients that you probably already have on-hand: white vinegar, table salt, and liquid dishwashing soap. The vinegar/salt solution is what actually kills the weeds and the dishwashing soap is what helps the solution adhere to the leaves of the weed. Here are the simple directions for making your own organic weed spray (note: salt in the soil can keep plants from growing in that spot for some time – both weeds and other plants – so it’s not an ideal spray for gardening):
- Fill an empty 32 oz. spray bottle most of the way with white vinegar
- Add 1/4 cup table salt and stir until dissolved.
- Mix in 2 teaspoons of liquid dishwashing soap (I use Dawn)
- Shake well
It works best when you spray the weeds on a sunny day when there’s no rain in the forecast for a few days. Now I’m not going to pretend that this organic mixture works just as well as Roundup because it doesn’t. It takes longer for the weeds to die and more stubborn weeds sometimes require a second spray but it does work on most weeds and definitely gives me some piece of mind about chemicals getting into our drinking water. I also like that I don’t have to worry about my girls and our dog and their exposure to harmful chemicals when playing outside.
And while we’re talking weeds, I’ll share my other weed fighting tool that I bought since moving here and seriously couldn’t live without. It’s Fiskar’s Uproot Weed and Root Remover and I love it because it’s made to use while standing up (and it’s fun – even my girls don’t mind doing a little weeding with it). It has four stainless steel claws arranged in a circle that you push down into the ground around the weed:
Then you step on the foot rest, lean the weeder back, and it pulls up the weed, root and all!
You can then just push the eject mechanism on the handle and the pulled weed is ejected from the tool. Sooo much better than kneeling or bending down for hours to weed! For the weeding around our house, I use this tool for bigger weeds like dandelions and then spray the smaller weeds with my organic weed spray.
So as you can see, lots of fun stuff has been happening at our house this week. #not. I’m hoping to wrap up the bulk of our pre-mulching prep work by the end of the weekend and get back to working on some of the inside projects that I’ve got planned (and am pretty excited about!). Enjoy your weekend!
we have some terrible weeds- i pinned this and plan to try it out!
Hopefully it will work well of you! Like I said, it’s not as good as Round-up but it’s still gotten the job done around here!
Well I needed that weed remover yesterday as I spent 3 hours thinning existing perennials and weeding and now my back is killing me! I have to get that pronto, thanks!
I have to try this. Have you tried baking soda too? you just sprinkle them on the weeds, the problem is, you’ll have white patches on your garden for a while. 😉
I did try that Vel but had the same issue you mentioned – I didn’t like having all that white in my beds!
Thanks for the weed tips! I have an endless supply in my yard. Makes me wonder what we were thinking when we put in so many planting areas. Does that weed tool really work? I will buy it in a heartbeat if it does what it says. Dandelion roots grow so deep that it looks too good to be true.
We have the same weed remover tool and it works great … particularly on weeds in the lawn. I carry around a small bucket and drop the pulled up weeds into it..
We feel the same way Lauren – we were so thrilled when we bought this house that it had so much beautiful landscaping and now it’s become the bane of our existence 🙂 Truly it does work – I’m really picky about what I recommend. It actually works best for weeds with big roots like dandelions. Where it doesn’t do as well is plants with super thin roots like clover because it needs something to grab on to- we have to spray that. I think you would like it! You can also read the Amazon reviews – there are 1,000+ of them!
I purchased the fiskar weed tool when I read this last week! I promptly ordered it on amazon, received in 2 days! It’s an amazing tool, saving my back! Thanks Kris!
Yes that tool is great!!! Of course if the root is 20 ft long it won’t get it all the 1st time, but you go always put the wee killer in the hole.
We have the same weed remover tool and I love it! So mich easier than crawling around on my hands and knees in the yard digging out weeds. Thanks for the recipe for the weed killer! I will definitely try it.
Thanks Patti.
I will order one today!
Funny that you have the same one and love it to! So much better than all that bending over!
This is awesome! I’ve heard about vinegar killing weeds but I never actually tried it to see the results. I might just give it a try.
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Okay I have been weeding in all my free time and my back is killing me – I need that tool!!!! Your garden with the trellis, even in it’s overgrown state, is so beautiful, it’s like something out of the Secret Garden! You’ll have to do a garden tour on the blog someday soon……your patio area is gorgeous too! How nice to inherit mature plantings, but I feel your pain on the overgrowth – we have been trying to tame our overgrown gardens for 5 years. This year we did hire some big guns to pull out bushes and do a big spring clean up – and now there are 10 yards of mulch waiting in the driveway for me to spread! HA that might be there until August at the rate I’m going!
Thanks..I’m always looking for natural products.
This brings back memories of my childhood and my dad paying us to pull weeds (I think I had similar boots!). It will be so great when you are finished had have that great sense of satisfaction!
I did just salt and water and if worked. A bit slow but did the job.
Will this solution effect plants growing in your garden? I have plants in the garden that have a lot of weeds in and around the plants also the garden is surrounded by devils grass
Brady, I’m not certain since I’ve never tried it but I think it would likely kill your plants since I’ve used it effectively to kill grass. I’ve never found anything I’m comfortable with using in my garden and just hand pull the weeds, even though it’s such a pain!
I made and sprayed this on about 5 days ago. It is definitely working! The weeds are all dying. I love using natural products that work!
I’m glad you found it works well too! I’ve had the same experience – it’s not as quick as sprays like Round-up but worth the wait to be using something organic!
Just a tid bit of info. Dawn is no where close to being organic. At best, I would say this is less toxic than commercial insecticides. However, coming from a true blue organic farmer I can whole heartedly tell you your mixture is not organic. Mother Earth News has wonderful tips on organic gardening. If you’re interested in true organic gardening there are lots of resources out there for you! Good luck and happy gardening!
Is there Anything that vinegar won’t do? ???? I’m guessing that Apple Cider Vinegar will work too, dunno? Do you? Either way, I plan on mixing up a bath this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
I know, vinegar is the best! I’ve never tried apple cider vinegar so I’m not sure about that!
BTW. I meant Batch not Bath. ???? LOL!
Does anyone know how the weed and feed products work. Spray it on and the weeds die, but not the grass., it feeds the grass. How do they do that? I use it twice a year, it works.
In many cases the grasses will also die. Remember, salt changes the soils PH balance. If your lawn grass is very sensitive to that change, you need to be careful. I have used a quick alternative. But, it depends on just how tough and willing you are. Any size from a kitchen blow torch (for that creme brulee) to my full size jewelry blow torch can be used without killing your lawn. Fire that puppy up and walk around zapping into the center of the weed. you assault big time. Now come back next day or so and go for the deep rooted ones, using a claw type hand tool. Superficial weeds are done with the burn. It’s FUN too!!! Gives you that sense of power over those stubborn suckers. FYI…Wear safety face, eye and hand gear (always practice safety). And wear heavy duty shoes just in case your feet get to close to the flame. It’s very pinpoint directional, but, accidents can happen. My motto “Hope for the best, but, always have a plan for the worst”.
Do you use the spray to kill weeds in your lawn or does the spray kill the grass as well?
Thank you,
It will kill the grass as well so I don’t use it on my lawn.
Yes, it does take patience and consistent persistence with organic lawn products. BUT…..I can promise you one thing….If I use salt, vinegar and Dawn on my weeds…only one thing will happen. Slowly and surely those weeds will die. If I pack RoundUp on my back for fast, immediate results…….I WILL EVENTUALLY COME OUT WITH …CANCER!!!! Ask those folks out there receiving the $millions in payouts from the lawsuits and class action suit filed by the ROUNDUP using CANCER VICTIMS!!!!
Using Dawn makes it not Organic…..