This is where Lola, my dog, hangs out when I’m gardening.  This area tends to get lots of weeds which are unattractive.  To get rid of them I have to hand pull (hard work) or spray with something like RoundUp (poison).  I don’t like spraying poison around my vegetable garden and I also don’t want Lola laying on poisoned bark, so when I came across this natural homemade recipe for killing weeds, I had to give it a try.  There are just three ingredients:  distilled white vinegar, salt and dishwashing liquid, all items which you probably already have in your pantry. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which effectively kills weeds and other plants.  The soap attacks the outer protective layer of the plant and salt kills the weeds and absorbs into the ground, preventing all plant growth so this solution is only good in areas you don’t want to replant, like driveway cracks and barked or pebbled areas.

Combine the three ingredients in a spray bottle and voila! you have a non-toxic weedbuster.   I sprayed my weeds on a warm day, since it is more effective on hot, sunny days than on drizzly or foggy days.  Check out my results!

DAY 1:  I SATURATED THE WEEDS WITH MY NON-TOXIC MIXTURE.

DAY 2:  WEEDS ARE NOTICEABLY YELLOW/BROWN AND WILTED.

DAY 5:  WEEDS CONTINUE TO DISINTIGRATE AND HAVE NOT TRIED TO GROW BACK.  I CAN NOW EASILY REMOVE WHAT IS LEFT OF THEM WITH A RAKE OR COVER OVER WITH FRESH NEW BARK.

VERDICT:  SAME OR BETTER RESULTS AS WITH ROUNDUP BUT WAY BETTER FOR MY GARDEN AND THE ENVIRONMENT (AND LOLA).

And one more cute dog photo just for fun…