When it comes to taking care of your plants and the garden in general, having an organic herbicide on hand can make all the difference. But, when buying one, do you know what you have to pay attention to?
You might even want to make your own homemade organic weed killer. How about we help you achieve it? Pay attention because we tell you everything.
What should you look for when choosing an organic herbicide
Opting for an organic herbicide can be a good option to kill weeds while protecting the environment. But sometimes they are not effective, not because they are bad products, but because you have chosen an herbicide that is not suitable for what you want to eliminate.
That is why, When buying an organic herbicide, you should take into account the following:
weeds
Yes, weeds are easy to identify, but did you know that there are two types?
On one side you have the broadleaf weeds. Examples of them are clover or poppy. And for these herbs there are selective herbicides. This means that, when you throw it out, they will only act on them and not on the rest of the plants that may be around them.
On the other hand you have the narrow blade. They are grasses, like grass, and a total herbicide would have to be applied to get rid of them completely.
herbicide type
Another point to take into account is that there are several classifications according to the action or residuality of these herbicides.
In the first case, you could run into systemics (which are absorbed by the roots to kill the plant from the inside); and the superficial or contact ones, which kill from the outside in.
In the second case, you would have those with a residual effect, that is, they stay where you apply them; and without that effect. We recommend the second ones because that way you can plant whatever you want.
How to make homemade organic herbicide
If you do not want to buy an organic herbicide and do it at home in a natural way and you know for sure that it does not have any chemical product, you should know that you can do it. In fact, It is very easy to get and also with elements that you will have in your kitchen and with which you will not have a problem (on the contrary, they will benefit your plants).
Here we are going to leave you several options so that you have a choice.
Bicarbonate
We start with baking soda, which is one of the ingredients that you can use for your plants without any problem. And its application is quite easy, because you don’t have to mix it with anything, just you have to sprinkle it on the soil of the plants to serve as a herbicide and so there are no weeds that can grow there.
Of course, you may wonder if it is harmful to your plants, but the truth is that it is not. In most cases you will not have any problems.
Vinegar
Although this ecological herbicide made with vinegar is recommended more for young plants, the truth is that you can apply it to any of them. To get it, you will need the following: vinegar, soap (neutral, if possible), lemon juice.
You have to mix it all well and let it sit for a few hours so that everything is combined before using it. Then you just have to apply it on the ground and You will have controlled the growth of weeds.
But it’s not the only thing you’re going to get. actually too you will have a powerful element against bacteria and fungi. The problem is that it will kill both the bad guys and the good guys, so you have to be careful.
A trick to make this homemade organic herbicide more effective is to use a vinegar with a high acidity, because that will make it much more useful.
Sal
Did you know that salt can also serve as a herbicide? So that’s it. Try mixing two cups of water for one of salt (we recommend coarse salt but if you don’t have it available you can use the normal salt you use at home). Put everything in a saucepan and heat it until it boils. When it does, the salt will already have evaporated and you will only have to let it cool.
Once it is at room temperature you can use it to water your plants. Yes indeed, be careful because the salt in the earth can change the conditions of this which will generate problems with some more delicate plants.
Alcohol
We continue giving you ideas of organic herbicides, in this case with alcohol. As with baking soda, in this case you don’t have to mix it with anything, just take alcohol and spray it, but not on the ground but on the leaves of the weeds. In a matter of days you will see that it ends up deteriorating and losing.
Boiling water
Imagine that you have an area in your garden full of weeds and no matter how much you cut them, they keep appearing. The best thing would be to kill the roots, right? Well, that’s what you can do if you use boiling water.
You have to bring the water to a boil and, without waiting for it to cool down, you must pour it over the plants. The excessive heat of the water will cause even the roots to die, which implies that they will not grow back.
But he has a problem. And it is that, if nearby there are plants or roots of others that you do want, you can face the loss of these because they can get sick or die from using this method.
Cornmeal
The last homemade organic herbicide that we propose is the following: you have to take cornmeal and throw it on the land where the weeds grow. Before you do, make sure you’ve ripped them off so you have a better chance of success.
The downside is that this method makes the soil infertile. In other words, nothing will grow there. Therefore, you have to think carefully if it is the best thing to do or if you have to try other methods.
Do you know of any other organic herbicide that is suitable for keeping weeds at bay? Tell us about it in the comments.
