Homemade weed killers such as white vinegar, dish soap, salt, and even boiling water, can also wipe out weeds down to the root. On the other hand, no homemade weed killer acts as a selective herbicide. All of these remedies will keep the surrounding grass as well, requiring some TLC for the patch of grass after the fact. Here are some methods for using a DIY weed killer.
Combine four-parts white vinegar and one-part water and spray the solution on the leaves, stem, and the roots of the weed.
Combine three parts vinegar and one part dish soap with a tablespoon of salt. Spray on the plant and the remaining roots.
Carefully pour boiling water either on a fully grown weed or the remaining roots after mechanical removal.
Allow the solution or water to sit undisturbed for several hours before attempting to remove the weed.
3. Nurture a Lush Lawn
When weeds pop up again and again in your grass, it's likely a sign of poor lawn health. Weeds often thrive in soil with low nutrients, poor drainage, or areas that are highly compacted. Others weeds hold when the grass itself begins to fail, leaving space for them to spread out and fill in the gaps.
Test Your Soil
Perform soil nutrient and soil pH test to ensure your lawn contains the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as well as the right pH to absorb ongoing nutrients. You can also Order a soil perc test to analyze how well your soil drains moisture. Keep an eye out for areas of pooling water, signs of mold, or pest problems related to poor drainage.
Mow with Consistency
Cut your lawn on a regular schedule and at a height that encourages healthy growth. On average, never cut more than one-third of the grass blade's height.
Strengthen Each Season
Follow a set lawn maintenance schedule that includes proper fertilization, aeration, and thatch removal depending on where you live and the variety of grass in your lawn.
4. Apply a Pre-Emergent Treatment
Pre-emergent weed control products are some of the best solutions for killing weeds in your lawn without harming the grass itself. These treatments tackle the seeds before they germinate and begin growing in the spring and fall.
Corn Gluten
Corn gluten meal prevents many types of undesired plants from growing, like crabgrass, dandelions, chickweed seeds, and more.
Generously scatter the corn gluten meal over the soil, using roughly 10 pounds per 500 square feet.
Lightly water your yard so the corn gluten meal sticks to the weed seeds.
Repeat the process in both early spring and summer to handle different types of weeds.
Mulch
Mulch can also smother specific weed-prone areas from producing weeds, such as flower beds beside your lawn. Mulch keeps soil and plant roots cool, prevents frost accumulation in winter, and helps beautifully tie together your entire garden bed or landscape.
Buy shredded or chipped bark from your local home improvement store.
Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around your plants to prevent sunlight from getting through to the weeds, leaving a small gap at the base of the plants. (If you put the mulch too close, it can cause the plant to retain too much moisture and rot.)
Landscape Fabric
If you're laying down new grass seed or planting a fresh garden bed beside your lawn, landscape fabric can keep weeds from germinating and taking root. Buy a high-quality fabric and avoid plastic products since plastic won’t allow moisture to reach the plants that need it.
Pull up any weeds before laying down the fabric.
Secure the sheet with landscape fabric staples. Use one staple for every 10 feet of fabric.
Plant any flowers or grasses you want in your yard. For flowers that have already bloomed, carefully cut out the fabric around the base of the plant.
Place mulch over the entire sheet of fabric.
Synthetic Pre-Emergents
Chemical pre-emergents may not check the eco-friendly box, but some target ultra-specific weeds before they take off. You will find them in either granular or liquid form in both selective and non-selective combinations.
Always wear protective gloves, goggles, and a mask when applying chemical herbicides.
Follow the instructions on the herbicide container for the application's timing, distribution, and follow-up steps.
In most cases, you will need to keep your grass clear for at least 24 hours.
5. Remove Overgrown Weeds With Sheet Mulching
If you're comfortable reseeding your lawn from scratch, sheet mulching is a natural process to reset your soil. The process is time and labor-intensive, but it is a way to skip the broad-spectrum herbicides.
Remove the largest, most overgrown weeds as well as all invasive species with a stand-up weeding tool.
Mow your lawn and the weeds to the lowest setting possible.
Water the area thoroughly to reach one-and-a-half inches into the ground.
Lay down a barrier of either newspaper or cardboard, removing the areas that surround trees and shrubs.
Cover the barrier with a layer of compost and about six inches of organic mulch.
Water the area once more and then leave the two layers to sit for between four and six months.