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Weeds are a problem in almost every single garden. If we don’t fight them, they can reliably destroy our crops and ornamental plants. Most often we fight them with artificial products from the store, or simply by laboriously pulling weeds from the ground.
Our grandmothers already knew that the strongest fighters against weeds are right in our kitchen, in the common ingredients we use every day. Moreover, these are methods we can use without worrying about our health, the quality of the plants and their future fruits. Here they are:
Best weed eliminator for the sidewalk
Mix 4 liters of vinegar with 250 g of salt and 1 teaspoon of dish soap (you can also use eco-friendly dish soap). Mix this solution in a spray bottle and spray directly onto the weeds. They wilt after application of this solution. It’s simple, but tested last year and very effective – it’s excellent for weeds and grass that overgrow your sidewalk or decorative stones. We had this problem on the terrace too and this remedy killed the weeds immediately. I just collected the wilted pieces into a bucket.
Newspapers
Newspapers are a perfect mulch and weed killer. Just cover the soil you want to get rid of weeds from with them. It is essentially the same effect you achieve with purchased non-woven textile.
Straw – enemy of weeds and perfect for other plants
Many gardeners recommend growing vegetables directly in straw, but there is also a simpler solution. Just sprinkle straw on the soil after planting vegetables or flowers. You will stop weed growth and additionally, when it breaks down, it fertilizes the soil.
Boiling water – cheap, quick and time-tested solution
This solution is suitable where you want to destroy only the weeds but do not want to harm other crops. It is therefore ideal for eliminating weeds, for example in paving or on the terrace. Just pour a pot of boiling water directly onto the weeds. This will reliably eradicate them.
Cornmeal – where you sprinkle it, weeds will no longer grow
Even if you don’t use it in the kitchen, if you have the opportunity nearby to buy cornmeal at a good price, or find a package past its expiry, this is an excellent tip on how to use it. We’ve already written that cornmeal is excellent in the fight against slugs. However, it can also be used differently, in the fight against weeds. Just scatter it on the places you want to be weed-free. Corn gluten works as an organic herbicide, but with the difference that it does not contain any toxic chemicals. This option works best as a preventive measure. Sprinkle it on places where you have pulled weeds and no more will grow.
Mechanical barriers
They were already used when building gardens in ancient history. You essentially create a bed filled with substrate for the plants that is situated above the ground. This mechanically separates them from weeds.
Baking soda or Borax
Borate salt or Borax is excellent for eliminating weeds, but do not use it near flowers and vegetables so that borax does not damage them as well. Sprinkle borax directly on the places where weeds grow. Baking soda works similarly.
Don’t give it a chance
One of the simplest ways to weaken weeds is to plant as many of the plants you want in the garden as possible and thus occupy the soil. Then beneficial plants and weeds simply exchange roles – the plants will start to smother the weeds and drain their vitality.
