Recipe For Weed Killer Using Vinegar And Borax

Are you bothered by pesky weeds that cannot just go away? Using the recipe for weed killer using vinegar and borax, you can eradicate them. There are also other alternatives, including natural ways, to kill weeds.

Don’t let weeds ruin your garden or property. You can be in charge just using the best weed killer you can prepare yourself. We will look at many of them in this post. Let us dive in!

Can You Mix Borax And Vinegar To Kill Weeds?

Yes. Borax has a pH value of about 9.5, classified as very alkaline. Most plants and weeds require a pH of between 6-7.

When borax comes into contact with the weeds, they dry up. Borax will effectively kill weeds, but it is non-discriminative. It will kill just every plant that it comes into contact with.

Despite its effectiveness in killing weeds, you shouldn’t be overly dependent on borax. This chemical contains boron, which does not break down like other herbicides.

It will concentrate in your yard, lawn, or garden for a long time. The land will remain barren until all the boron dissipates.

Don’t use it repeatedly. Do not pollute the soil.

How To Make Weed Killer from Vinegar And Borax

Borax is only effective in killing weeds if it is used appropriately. You need to find all the ingredients to make the borax herbicide. Making the weed killer itself is a fast and straightforward process.

Ingredients

Borax is inexpensive and readily available at your nearby store. This chemical can be stored in a cool, dry place for many months.

But once used in making the weed killer, all should be sprayed. Scale down the ingredients to meet your specific requirement.

• A gallon of vinegar
• A cup of borax
• A tablespoonful of dish soap

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle that allows you to set the nozzle for spraying or streaming the weed killer. Stir the solution thoroughly until all borax is dissolved.

Once the herbicide is ready, apply it as appropriate. Just shoot a stream if you are spraying it to a small area. Set the nozzle to give you sprays for a large garden.

Warning

• Borax is a non-selective weed killer. It can’t tell what weeds are and what your flowers are. It will kill everything it gets into contact with.
• Apply borax weed killer with moderation. It can kill the soil, keeping it barren many months or years later.
• Use borax herbicide on a sunny day to enhance its effectiveness. The natural acid in the solution burns plants best in warm conditions.
• Borax can be poisonous. Use it away from children and pets, and do not spray it on your vegetables.
• Wear chemical-resistant rubber gloves when making and using borax herbicide to protect your skin from irritations.

9 Other Weed Killer Recipes You Can Make Yourself

The borax solution is one of the most-effective DIY weed killers. But it is not the only one. If you are worried about the long-term effects of using it, you can consider the following 9 alternatives:

• Using baking soda
• Using boiling water
• Using essential oil and vinegar
• Using lemon juice
• Using Listerine and water
• Using newspaper and cardboard
• Using rubbing alcohol
• Using salt and vinegar
• Using vodka

How effective are these borax alternatives, and how do you use them? Let us find more details in the following sections.

Using Baking Soda

Baking soda can keep your patio, driveway, or footpath weed-free. It can kill any weeds, including grasses.

This is also a simple method that requires just one ingredient, baking soda. This is also known as sodium bicarbonate and is available in nearby stores.

Sprinkle baking soda on areas where you want the weeds eradicated.

If you are bothered with pecky weeds growing between the pavement stones, just sweep baking soda between the joints and cracks.

Baking soda alters the pH, making the area inhospitable for the weeds.

Using Boiling Water

You don’t have to spend even a penny to remove pesky weeds with hot water. It is the most environmentally friendly weed killer.

However, hot water is not selective. Any plant that it touches can be severely affected. Since it is 100% natural, hot water can control weeds in vegetable gardens.

Boil water. You can use electric water heaters or boil water in any large cookware. Pour it on the weeds you want to kill.

You may need to do this repeatedly to completely eradicate the weeds. Hot water is effective on young herbaceous weeds.

Using Essential Oil and Vinegar

A mixture of essential oil and vinegar is an effective herbicide that you can use to kill weeds in any part of your property.

It, however, kills every plant that comes into contact with it. You, therefore, need to be careful when spraying it on your flower garden or vegetable garden.

Mix one tablespoonful of orange essential oil or clove essential oil with a cupful of white vinegar to make the herbicide solution. Once done, spray it on the weeds you want to eliminate and not any other plants.

Using Lemon Juice

Some of us like lemon juice for its bitterness. If you stock it, use it to kill weeds on your property. Many plants don’t tolerate the acidic nature of lemon juice, making it an effective herbicide.

Saturate the entire plant, especially around the stem section. If it is resistant, mix one-part lemon juice and one-part white vinegar to make a more aggressive DIY weed killer.

You can add one tablespoonful of cooking oil or any other carrier oil to enhance the potency of the solution.   

Using Listerine and Water

Listerine is an oral care product that can also kill weeds. If you buy it, keep it out of reach for children under 12 years old because of poisoning.

It should never be swallowed, even if used for the intended purpose.

Mix one cup of Listerine and one gallon of warm water. Spray the solution onto your pecky weeds. Another benefit of using this product to control weeds is that it wards off aphids.  

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Using Newspaper and Cardboard

Newspaper or cardboard can be used to kill weeds. The principle is simple. Green plants require sunlight to make their food for growth through photosynthesis.

By blocking the light, weeds will literally starve to death.

Newspaper or cardboard is used as a mulching matter, covering the weeds on the ground. It is the most effective and eco-friendly method of killing weeds in your vegetable garden.

They also help conserve soil moisture because they shield direct heat from the sun that causes evaporation.

Using Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol kills weeds by dehydrating them to death. It is more effective during the dry season when soil moisture is limited. So, plants will never get enough to replace their moisture content.

To make a rubbing alcohol herbicide, mix two tablespoonfuls of rubbing alcohol and one-quarter gallons of water.

Pour the solution into the spray bottle and spray it on the weeds. This is also a non-selective herbicide. Don’t spray plants you don’t intend to kill.

Using Salt and Vinegar

Salt and vinegar are a DIY homemade weed killer that can be used any time of the year. To make it, you will need one liter of white vinegar, three Spoonfuls of salt, and three large Spoonfuls of washing-up liquid.

Add the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well to dissolve the salt. Once done, spray it on the weeds.

Salt and vinegar solution kills weeds indiscriminately. It can also alter the soil pH to be more acidic.

You, therefore, have to be careful when using it. If you want the best result, use it on a dry, sunny day, and apply it in the morning. It needs a long contact time.

Using Vodka

Did you know that vodka can kill weeds? Now you do! This is the last alternative we will discuss and is the simplest of all. Just spray vodka on the weeds on a sunny day.

The heat from the sun aids in vodka’s action to burn and kill weeds. As with many other homemade herbicides, vodka will kill any plant in your garden that it touches.

Some Of The Best Natural Weed Killers

Herbicides have long-term effects on the soil. Most approaches can also cause food poisoning.

To avoid all that, you can opt for natural weed killers. There are several ways of eradicating weeds from your garden without chemicals, including the following:

Use A Torch

A propane torch can kill weeds. Just clear the garden or lawn from debris and slowly pass the lighting torch near the root zones or leaves of the weeds.

The heat from the flame will evaporate the moisture content of the plants, killing them in an instant.

Using a propane torch to kill weeds is effective but time-consuming. The flame has to pass over every weed.

Pull Them Including Stem And Roots

Pulling weeds from the ground will uproot them. With exposed roots and no moisture uptake, weeds die.

It might be an energy-intensive exercise, but the results are worth it. Your flower or vegetable garden will be weed-free, and you don’t have to worry about poisoning.

Mulching

You can use dry grass or leaves to cover the weeds in your garden. Mulches block sunlight, making the weeds beneath die.

This method may be effective but is only suitable for just gardens. Mulching materials can become eyesores if used to kill weeds on the driveways or lawns.

Lawn Mower

A lawnmower does not kill weeds but interferes with their growth. It is preferred for controlling grasses on the lawn by cutting them to the ground level.

If you are an environmentalist, this method may not be green. Lawnmowers emit greenhouse gasses because they use fossil fuels.

Use Ground Cover Plants

Ground cover plants can also control weeds. Like mulching, the foliage of these plants covers the ground.

And without sunlight, no weed can grow underneath. You can consider the following plants for the purpose:

• Canadian anemone
• Candytuft
• Creeping Phlox
• Creeping Thyme
• Deadnettle
• Hosta
• Horned Violet

Pro Tips To Be Safe & Successful When Using Weed Killer

• If using borax, apply it in spring
• Wear chemical-resistant rubber gloves when handling herbicides
• Apply herbicides when you focus that there will be no rain for the next 24 hours
• Choose when the wind is calm when spraying herbicides
• Keep herbicides away from children and pets. They are also not appropriate for controlling weeds in vegetable gardens.

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Conclusion

You can kill weeds using borax. But if you don’t like it, you have other options. Make any homemade herbicide described in this article.

And if you are anti-chemical, try natural ways. Either way, you will eradicate weeds from your property.

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