Homemade Organic
Herbicide
Using organic herbicides to control weeds makes good sense environmentally, and using homemade organic herbicides makes good sense economically. When it comes to battling weeds organically, creativity and persistence are equally important. Weed control can be effectively accomplished with substances and tools that you probably have at home or that you can easily buy at low cost. Does this Spark an idea?
Vinegar
One of the most powerful post-emergent organic herbicides is vinegar. The stronger the acidity of your vinegar, the more effective its herbicidal effect. Vinegar from the grocery store can be at 10 percent or higher, or horticultural vinegar with an acidity of 20 percent, can be used without dilution as non-selective herbicides.
One gallon of straight vinegar can be mixed with one ounce of orange oil and liquid soap to provide a more powerful punch. In "Texas Gardening the Natural Way," Howard Garrett recommends spraying vinegar and vinegar-based products during hot or warm weather for the best effect.
Borax
The folklore surrounding borax's use as an homemade organic herbicide for ground ivy is scientifically based, according to research published by the Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service. To treat 1,000 square feet of lawn, Iowa State University recommends using 10 ounces of borax dissolved in 4 ounces of water, then diluted in 2.5 gallons of water. Spray ground ivy liberally, avoiding lawn and ornamental plants wherever possible.
High-Pressure Water
Water is an effective herbicide when it is sprayed at high pressure to physically destroy weeds from garden paths and driveways. Regular pressure-washing of weeds in those locations will shred the foliage from the stems and roots, and eventually the plants will die.
Allelopathy
If you are an organic gardener, you probably use cover crops to enhance your soil's health. According to "The Henry Doubleday Research Association Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening," allelopathy is the practice of using certain plants that produce toxic substances to inhibit the growth of other plants. Buckwheat and grazing rye are two cover crops that, when tilled into the soil as green manure, release a chemical as they decompose that inhibits the germination of small seeds.
An added advantage of using cover crops in that way is that they provide organic matter as they decompose. It is also safe to plant young plants into soils where allelopathic matter is decomposing, using the foliage as a weed-suppressing mulch.
Mulches or Covers
A powerful weapon in an organic gardener's arsenal against weeds is the ability to exclude sunlight from the soil around garden plants. Use black plastic garbage bags, tarps or mulches of lawn clippings, straw or chipped bark to suppress weeds in gardens and around plants (organic mulches such as wood chips and pine straw can affect the pH of the soil, however, so use in moderation).
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