Chemical-Free and Safe Weed Killer Alternatives

Keeping weeds at bay in your garden can be a time-consuming task. Weeds can quickly take over your garden beds if they are not treated and removed. And even when you do remove weeds, you might find more in their place the next day.

Many years ago, gardeners and homeowners wouldn’t think twice about spraying copious amounts of chemicals on their garden beds to keep them weed-free. But, did you know that there are actually many quick and effective chemical-free alternatives?

Boiling water

By far, the easiest and quickest way to kill weeds! Cold and warm water will not harm plants or weeds – boiling water kills them fast. And it kills not only the weed but also any seeds that lay dormant in the soil. The heat destroys the plant and root tissue, causing instant shock.

Just keep in mind that boiling water will kill ANY plant, so be sure to keep it away from plants you want to keep.

Vinegar and Salt

Vinegar and salt is another great alternative, but like boiling water, this solution will kill other plants as well. For best results, fill a bucket with vinegar and add a cup of salt. Stir. Adding around a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid will help to solution stick to the weeds. Fill up a spray bottle and spray over the weeds. 

Vinegar won’t kill the seeds in the soil so you might find that new weeds could pop up fairly quickly and be careful not to get too much salt on the soil as this can stop anything growing in that spot.

Pull them out

Probably the most time consuming and tedious way to remove weeds without using chemicals is pulling them out by hand. But it is effective!

To make the job easier, pull weeds when the soil is wet. For weeds with shallow roots hold the plant by its stem and pull gently. For those with deeper roots you can use a small hoe to dig in the soil around the stem to loosen the soil, then get a firm grasp of the stem and pull. 

Keeping weeds at bay

Once you’ve removed the weeds, there are a few different alternatives to keep weeds at bay and have your garden looking weed-free for many months to come.

• Mulch

Mulch is an excellent way of keeping pesky weeds at bay. Remove all existing weeds and spread a thick layer of mulch over the garden bed. Mulch will also help prevent any weed seeds beneath the surface germinating and reduce the weeds that pop up. 

• Weed mats

Similar to mulch, a weed mat will prevent weeds from sprouting.

• Plant other plants

Crowd the garden bed with other plants leaving no room for weeds to grow.

The friendly and knowledgeable team at Kennedy’s Garden Supplies are always on hand to advise on the best plants to plant, and we also stock a range of spray bottles to help you keep your garden beds under control.