5 DIY Ways to Kill Weeds Naturally

Weeds are probably the most annoying thing in the entire world.

As a landscaping company that creates beautiful properties all over Connecticut, weeds are the one thing that can take the wind right out of your sail.

For homeowners with a yard filled with weeds, we recommend hiring professionals to remove them for you — but if you only have a few here and there and want to give it a shot yourself first, then here is our advice to you:

1) Roll Up Your Sleeves

Grab your trusty little trowel shovel, a pair of garden gloves, a can of elbow grease, and it’s time to get to work! In order to remove a weed from your yard, you need to remove all of it — right down to the root.

The best way to dig one up is with a trowel because it has a sharp point that can pierce through the dirt and soil to get to the root of the weed. Once the weed has been loosened via the trowel, pull it out using your trusty gardening gloves.

2) Add Mulch to Your Property

The reason weeds spread is because seeds are scattered throughout your lawn (in various ways) and then those seeds come in contact with the soil where they will end up growing into more weeds.

A way to prevent some areas of your property from developing weeds is to add mulch to these select areas. This mulch will act as a barrier between the weed seeds and the soil beneath. As an added bonus, mulch will block sunlight from your soil which will prevent weed seeds that are currently in the soil.

3) White Vinegar (AKA Old Reliable)

This household item can be used for almost any household maintenance task, including killing weeds. However, you have to be careful when applying vinegar to weeds, as it can also kill nearby plants. So apply this vinegar carefully with a spray bottle or brush.

Vinegar will do most of its damage on sunny days because the sun is what activates the vinegar to start killing the weeds. Also, check the weather forecast to make sure it won’t rain in the next 24 hours.

4) A Kettle of Pre-Tea

Throw a pot of water on the stove and let it boil. Take your kettle, throw on some close-toed shoes, and walk outside to where the weeds are. Begin pouring this boiling water directly onto the weeds you want to remove.

After pouring boiling water on weeds, they should die within the next few days and you can pull them out with no problem. Although, tougher perennial weeds that come back year after year may need to be covered in the scalding hot water a few times before they die.

5) Salt in the Wound

This last technique can do some damage to your lawn so be careful where you apply it. But for those brave enough to try, grab your everyday table salt and place some at the base of the weed.

After you continuously water this weed (or after the next few rainfalls), the soil will absorb the salt and become unable to support plant life for a few months. You only want to try this where there are select weeds AWAY from the lawn, like if there’s a weed growing through the mulch or concrete.

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Weeds can cover even the most perfect of lawns, so always be on the lookout!

When weeds do begin to take over your property, simple DIY techniques might not be enough to remove them all. If they’re not enough, make sure you have our number stored in your phone (203-762-5167) and we can take care of those pesky weeds for you!