Vinegar is known as a cheap and effective herbicide. Although vinegar has been shown to have good results, the reality is that it does not work equally well on all the weeds that you may find in the garden. Vinegar will be effective depending on the type of weed you have, how old it is, and the concentration of acetic acid in the vinegar.
Kitchen vinegar is a solution that has 5% acetic acid, but there are other solutions with stronger concentrations such as 15%, 20% and up to 30% and they are also commercially available and work well for kill weeds, but they should always be used with care, as just as they can burn plants, they can damage your skin and eyes.
All concentrations of acetic acid, including household vinegar, should cause weeds to brown, dry out, and die in about 24 hours. But you should keep in mind that sometimes the roots are often not completely killed and can reappear within a few weeks. That is why you should make sure that you have sufficient concentration so that the weeds do not grow back. Discover in this article all the details about vinegar, acetic acid, and weeds.
Acetic acid and vinegar
Acetic acid is created by the fermentation of alcohol and kitchen vinegar has a 5% solution of acetic acid from the fermentation of plant products such as grapes and apples. There are strong concentrations of acetic acid available even if they have been created synthetically. Any vinegar contains acetic acid , but not all acetic acid is vinegar.
If the acetic acid in the product is created by distillation or freezing – evaporation from plant sources, such as kitchen vinegar or stronger concentrations – it can be sold for home canning and can be considered an organic product.
Vinegar in the soil or dirt
Vinegar being an acid can lower the pH of the soil a bit, although it is a temporary effect. Acetic acid that breaks down quickly in water can be washed off and will not have too negative an impact, as any residue can disappear after the first watering or the rain.
How to use acetic acid as a herbicide
Vinegar is not labeled for use as a herbicide or as a pesticide, so it is not easy to find people who recommend its use. However, you can experiment to see results, as kitchen vinegar works well on younger weeds . Many people have proven its effectiveness.
It is as easy as spraying directly on the weeds and treating them by completely wetting them but without dripping. Do not spray the plants with if it looks like it is going to rain or if you are going to water, because then you will be making the acetic acid do nothing because it will disappear completely.
You should also avoid spraying any herbicide on windy days to prevent the product from falling on other plants that you do not want to kill. You can also pour vinegar on weeds that grow between your garden tiles, on the sidewalk in your house, or anywhere weeds shouldn’t come out. If they recover and are born again, you will have to spray them a couple of times every two days until you finish them off completely.
Remember that if you use a vinegar with a higher concentrate you should use it very carefully and also protect your eyes and skin. Another option is to use commercial herbicides that you know on the market.
