5 Ways to Naturally Win the Weed War

despinach Don't complain about portulaca oleracea; eat it! We, in Greece, add it to salad and it's delicious! Its greek name means "what makes you a man" because of all the good it does to the body!

Hugh Wolfe A pound of salt mixed with a gallon of vinigar and a bit of soap in a plastic, not metal, spray bottle will kill and sterilize the ground of anything... much less expensive than Roundup.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers Yes, despinach, portulaca is edible — I have a client that grows it in big pots on her deck! Many folks love dandelion greens, too.

The focus of this article is on non-chemical weed control.

Sheila Schmitz Would love to know how to prepare portulaca. It's all over my yard!

despinach @Sheila Schmitz: I mix purslane with tomato and cucumber, but it also tastes good with lettuce and carrots. Add some olive oil and vinegar (balsamic) and it's ready! Check these photos for inspiration! :-)

Melissa Paradis @hugh wolfe, i will have to try the vinegar with the salt and soap. i have tried plain vinegar to no avail.

one trick i learned while working on an organic farm in italy was to plant leaf lettuce seed in the garden to keep weeds down and the soil moist. put some of the seeds around bean seeds and other slower growing seeds. once the bean or other seeds start coming up, pull the lettuce and eat it, compost or feed to chickens. i also sprinkled lettuce seed into the crevices of a rock wall to outcompete the dandelions and mallow. seems to be doing the trick.

Beth We make a point of knowing which 'weeds' are edible. Then ones that are not get a simply spray of plain vinegar since we dont use toxins in the yard.

jwp24 Will the salt, vinegar, soap solution work to kill violets?

ddelora I've tried vinegar, soap, et al, to no avail. My solution - rubber mulch and Round Up in a $13 1 gallon sprayer. No back pain, kills the roots, and the rubber mulch doesn't attract bugs like wood mulch. Our 1/4 acre lot is almost weed free with little touch ups now and then.

We tried the "eco-friendly" way for YEARS, and found more and more weeds and a weekly, 1/2 day chore. We now only have to do a walk around once a month to stay on top of it. Thanks for the "natural" way...but no thanks.

zhuk despinach, how does portulaca sound in Greek please?

edgedale Using salt will build up in the soil and poison it and the run off will hurt the water ways. Plain vinegar works for me - a light spray on a sunny day.

csgcooke82 I've recently discovered that just plain boiling water works very effectively, and since it cools into plain water there is no buildup or contamination. I use an old but efficient eclectic kettle to heat the water, so it is even cheaper than buying vinegar in bulk.

Cathleen Vought Yikes! Excess salt in the soil is what caused Mesopotamian and Mayan culture to die out - in their case, it was from irrigation, but you DON'T want to put salt on your soil if you want to grow things there in the future!

mrsben Put it is this way 'if I were a Farmer I would starve to death' as a gardner I am not. In fact, I detest it, however I do admire those who are and take it seriously. (Give me my sewing machine or a paint 'n roller and I'm a happy lady.)

Back to the subject; I find when I do have to weed the areas that are with River Rock (no flowers) the easiest and best form of attack is the use of 'road salt'. Just a sprinkle watered down with some water, kills them dead. For those who may argue, not healthy for the environment; tell that to those living in the Great White North and see what response you will get back. I double dare you. :) Also, scalding water poured directly on weeds works wonders.

Very imformative article Jocelyn (thank you) and yes I also use some of the methods you suggested.

Footnote: FTR, the applicaton of herbicides (and insecticides) are restricted in our Province (State) so keeping ahead of destructive weeds( and insects) are an ongoing battle. If one finds something that works that is within Provincial guidelines, they use it.

despinach @zhuk: it sounds like "andrakla" (andras - άντρας is the man). It is also called "glistrida"...which means chatterbox, because it is said to make you so strong that you cannot stop talking! :-)

baha My hugest weeds are the seedlings of elm trees. They seed themselves absolutely everywhere--my potted plants are loaded! If it weren't for them, my weeding would be minimal. I guess I'll always be in touch with my garden!! As far as portulaca goes, my next door neighbor has it beginning in the back alley of his property. It is an area that is maintained by chemical use only--the strong survive when nothing else will and seem to become chemically resistant. Now, it's a case of both living next door to chemical use and noxious weeds. I might have to ask if I can garden there!

Leaf Green Productive Landscapes The BEST thing to do with "weeds" is to plant something else in it's place. Nature is always trying to evolve to forest (in most places other than the arid areas) so (as a weed is asimply a plant you didn't anticipate or want there) go with the flow and plant something you DO want there and block it out.

A weed is telling you something about the ground it's growing in. It's often a 'pioneer' plant that waits until it's favoured conditions appear before germinating - i.e. compacted, acidic, soil etc. We create these conditions then leave the earth bare.

To establish something else, simply place wet newspaper or cardboard down on top of it, add some compost a bit of straw mulch and plant right on top. Works great for that famous time money and energy sink : 'lawn' - grow something productive over that stuff! :)

tsudhonimh The problem with the vinegar/salt or plain salt "natural" solutions is that when they work, they leave the ground SALTED! High salt concentration is not good for the roots of any plants you actually want to grow there, and can stunt the bushes and trees in surrounding areas.

The cheapest weedkiller, for those times when you need to wipe out swathes of them, is the generic glyphosate concentrate sold at Walmart and some hardware stores. It makes a gallon of weedkiller for less than the cost of a gallon of vinegar.

rstaffey I have an issue with clover, blindweed and chickweed, at least I think thats what it is with those purple and white flowers. I have wanted a weed free green lawn forever, but cannot seem to get rid of these weeds. I have only tried the scotts stuff, I followed the directions, but nothing. I also have that bermuda grass that I would love to get rid of without spending thousands on a new lawn.

Vivian Rase Plain vinegar has NEVER worked for me. I experimented on my own and found that plain boiling water is the best weed killer and leaves nothing behind.
Another option is simply to cover the weeds. For larger weeds or ones with deep roots I place an overturned clay pot saucer over the weed. For even larger weeds or a larger area I use an overturned black garbage can or black plastc. I've even used a small child's wading pool for certain areas. The idea is to deprive the weeds of sunlight. For a double whammy, I've used boiling water coupled with an overturned saucer/pot/garbage can. The heat stays longer and cooks those bad boys.
You want to pour the hot water over the plant and soak the root. Once you have your yard under control it only takes a few kettles of boiling water a week to keep your yard weed free.

av8ricks Another non-chemical option is a weed flamer (aka weed dragon or weed torch). I use mine to singe weeds in the driveway and curb. Like others have said before, get 'em small. The weeds with deep tap roots usually take a couple times to kill but I have found this a quick way to get scattered weeds without damaging soil/worms. For me, it was quicker and easier than waiting for water to boil.

doublesmom How about a section on rabbit proof plants, or at least plants that are less attractive to rabbits. The weeds are easier to control than the rabbits.

av8ricks @doublesmom - My Huskies REALLY like rabbits. Rabbits tend not to stay around my place very long. Maybe you could dog sit for someone with a dog that has strong hunting instincts? Another option if your garden is already fenced in is to pin chicken wire flat to the ground along the fence to discourage digging under to get in. Good luck.

twokaren2 Plain household vinegar will not work. It is the higher concentrate vinegar sold at garden/home centers that you need. It is not nearly as inexpensive as what is sold at the grocery, though.

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design Good article Joceyln! Some other tips to suppress weed growth...mulch, mulch, mulch around your plants! Mulch helps to smother out weeds, suppress weed growth and retains moisture in the soil. Many mulch types are available and include wood chips, compost, grass clippings, and gravel, to name a few. And use drip irrigation to direct water just to the plants you want to water vs. spray which tends to water areas beyond where desired and can promote weed growth. These techniques are very effective here in Calif. and in climates with wet Winters dry Summers. Sheet mulching is another wonderful layered technique, i.e. placing cardboard on top of weeds to smother them, suppress new growth, while improving soil life. Here's a great link for this technique. http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=398

Stone & Land, LLC I thought it was so funny because last year there was a bumper crop of portulaca around here. I just learned it was edible, so it was nice to chew on the problem. My kids liked it too ( don't tell my wife, food comes from the grocery store don't you know ), just rinsed and ate like any other green.

Judy On my first day living in Florida, in my new back yard, I saw a big weed growing in my grass. I grabbed it hard,right in the middle to yank it and boy did I get a surprise! It was a very healthy stinging nettle! My whole palm was full of microscopic nettle barbs and it burned like fire for 2 days. Needless to say, I learned FAST how to ID stinging nettle.

Vivian Rase @judy....oh you poor thing. I cant imagine your pain as I live in florida and just brushing against them causes a severe and persistent stinging much less grabbing them. ouch!

tgordo49 I wish they'd shown the NAMES of the weeds that are in the pictures. Especially what's the one they're attacking with the hori-hori knife in the first shot? I have that stuff all over here in Mass.!

Ruth Thanks for the article, Jocelyn. Many weeds are edible; the gardener could have free greens before many others are ready to eat.
Houzzers, please don't use Roundup or other noxious chemicals in your garden or at all. (Google Roundup and its manufacturer, Monsanto)
Cardboard does work very well suppressing weeds and the earthworm like it too.
Let's have wonderful, healthy gardens.

Pat Bernard Design, Inc. Good start to weed control Jocelyn. I would add that a soil test will also help in identifying soil issues which, once addressed, could help with controlling certain weeds. Mulching helps prevent weeds, keeps the soil cool and retain moisture.

In my practice I use vinegar to remove sod and to remove weeds from patios, walkways and driveways. The trick is to apply it during the hottest part of the day and when it is sunny. I will not plant in that area for several weeks and only after a few good rains. Since it is a non-selective herbicide I do not use it around plants choosing to hand pull weeds in those areas. Commercial vinegar is expensive but effective for large areas. I buy regular vinegar since I also use it to clean around the house. Using salt is a very bad idea.

The attached image shows a lawn 1 hour after we applied vinegar to open the bedline.

donnarwhite Buy a portable blow torch with a long stem and burn those weeds. Works especially well for patios, between bricks, cracks in the driveway etc.

sclawson Lamb's ear, pennyroyal, peppermint, spearmint, sweet Annie are all plants that WILL become pests in your garden, guaranteed.

Sheila Schmitz tgordo, the top photo is purslane, I believe. In some regions, it's a prized edible! http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html

despinach Sheila is right! The top photo is definitely purslane!

TuffGirl Builders I have been engaging the poison sumac for two years and it looks like I am finally getting the upper hand by vigorous weeding by hand, covered in heavy gloves and long sleeves of course. My challenge is finding plants to take their place as I live on a steep hill in a heavily wooded area with little sunlight. Some areas of earth are leached dry or the soil us traveling to the foot of the retaining wall. I have started placing compost in the leached area s and there looks like improvement. So far the area is Poison sumac free along with a few stragglers of a different variety. This article was informative as was the comments. Thank you for sharing everyone!