Content
It's no secret to most gardeners that vinegar can be used as an herbicide. In addition, it is a completely environmental product. Some people use it alone or in combination with other ingredients. Such substances only enhance the effect of the drug on weed vegetation. Products based on it are great for gardeners who try not to use chemicals on their site. In this article we will look at how to cook weed killers from vinegar with your own hands.
Properties of vinegar
Vinegar is an environmentally friendly substance that decomposes quite easily. Chemical herbicides can remain in the soil for a long time, which negatively affects the quality of the crops grown. Calling such a substance a herbicide is not entirely correct, since these preparations usually have a chemical composition. Vinegar, unlike them, is a natural substance. It is completely safe to use, but at the same time can perfectly fight weeds.
To successfully remove weeds from your site, you must use the prepared preparation correctly. The fact is that it equally affects both weeds and grass and other plants. You cannot randomly spray the area with it.Thus, crops and flowers can be harmed.
Many people find it convenient to spray plants from a regular spray bottle. A pump sprayer will also work. Thus, you can treat areas near the road, on sidewalks and in other places where you do not need to worry about other plants.
In addition, the effect of the substance is slightly enhanced in the sun. To ensure that the product only affects unwanted plants, you can apply the product with a brush directly to the weeds themselves. Among the wide variety of vinegars, gardeners most often choose apple cider vinegar. Use the product in the form of an aqueous solution with an acid level of 5%.
For the destruction of weeds, this indicator may not be enough. To remove weeds from the site, the acidity must be 18% or more. Remember, an effective weed control product must have a high level of acidity. Many gardeners prefer to use white vinegar, but any available vinegar will do.
Preparation options
Next, we will look at the most common recipes for weeds:
- Vinegar as an independent remedy. An undiluted substance with an acidity level of at least 18% is excellent for removing weeds from your area.
- Vinegar with soap. You can use both liquid soap and dish soap. To prepare the product, you need to combine 1 liter of vinegar and 10 ml of liquid soap. Soap makes application of the herbicide easier and more effective.Such a solution is used not only to control weeds, but also for preventive measures against pests.
- A mixture of vinegar, soap and salt. To prepare such a herbicide, mix 3 liters of vinegar, a quarter cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap. All components are thoroughly mixed and the weeds are sprayed.
- Vinegar with citric acid. This herbicide consists of 1 liter of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of citric acid. The acid should be completely diluted in vinegar and the weed treatment can be used.
- Vinegar with essential oil. Orange and clove essential oils are suitable for preparing herbicide. One tablespoon of oil is diluted in 1 liter of vinegar. Next, we remove unwanted plants with this product.
How to use vinegar for weeds
To use such materials, a regular watering can or plastic bottle with a sprayer is suitable. If the area is not very clogged, you can use a brush. Each individual plant is lubricated with it. This method is more effective, since the substance acts directly on the weed. When spraying, there is a high probability of missing some plants or distributing the solution incorrectly.
In order for the use of the material to really help get rid of weeds and not harm crops, you must adhere to the following rules:
- remember that such materials can affect absolutely all plants. Apply or spray only to plants that need to be removed;
- When preparing preparations, strictly observe the proportions;
- the drug should not get into the soil. In everyday life it is often used as a disinfectant. It is truly capable of killing various bacteria, germs and mold. But the quality of the soil may suffer from such strong material. The fact is that the soil contains not only bad, but also beneficial microorganisms and bacteria.
- It is also necessary to monitor the quality and composition of the liquid soap used to prepare the product. Substances such as phosphates and phenols are not permitted for use. In addition, the soap should not contain bleach or sodium hypochlorite. These substances are toxic and can harm the environment.
Other Applications
Every housewife is familiar with this material. Controlling unwanted plants is just one area where this product will be useful. Before chemical cleaning products came into use, vinegar was used in almost every home.
It has already been said above that it is an excellent insecticide. Using vinegar, you can get rid of most pests in your area. For example, it perfectly fights cockroaches, bedbugs and lice. Many housewives use it to fight fungi that are very afraid of acid. To use the substance for these purposes, a liquid with an acidity of at least 9% is suitable.
Some housewives use it when cleaning their home. It can be used to clean surfaces from various contaminants. It not only perfectly removes stains, but also acts as a disinfectant.To prevent the smell of vinegar from lingering in the air, you should thoroughly wipe the surfaces after cleaning.
But most often this substance is used in cooking. It is a wonderful seasoning. It is often added to marinades for vegetables and mushrooms. It is difficult to imagine canning cucumbers and tomatoes without this ingredient.
Conclusion
As you can see, vinegar is a universal remedy both in the household and in the kitchen, as well as in the garden. Recently, many gardeners have been using traditional methods to control weeds. Vinegar against weeds fights almost all types of such plants. This is an environmentally friendly product that does not contain any chemicals. But still, it has extraordinary power and is able to remove even the most annoying plants. Preparations based on it are very easy to prepare with your own hands from available materials. With such an assistant, your garden will always remain clean and not clogged. This article showed how to fight weeds using proven traditional methods.
