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Vinegar Weed Killer:
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Vinegar is a natural product, usually derived from grain, apples or grapes. It is distilled through a fermentation process. The vinegar you buy is typically labeled at 5% acidity. This means it contains 5% acetic acid, the active ingredient.| VINEGAR-- | --SALT-- | --SOAP-- | --WATER-- | --OTHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gallon | 1 cup | 1 tbsp | none | none |
| 1 gallon | 1 cup | 1 shot | qty?, warm | none |
| 1 gallon | 1 lb. | 1 tbsp | none | none |
| 1 gallon | none | 1 tsp | none | orange oil |
| 4 cups | 1/4 cup | 2 tsp | none | none |
| 1 cup | none | ½ cup | 2/3 quart | none |
| 2 parts | none | 1 part | 2 parts | none |
| 1 tbsp | none | 1 tsp | 1 gal, hot | none |
| 1 tbsp | 1 tsp | none | 1 qt., hot | 1 tbsp gin |
| 1 oz | none | 1 oz | 1 quart | 1 oz. gin |
| 1 gallon | none | none | none | none |
| 1 gallon | none | 1 oz | none | none |
What do you think? Do you want to try them all?
The differences in concentration for each ingredient, and the combination of mixes, make you wonder! Are any of them a good idea?
If you would like to know exactly what these different ingredients do, take a moment to read What To Expect From Home Made Weed Killer. A few of the cautions mentioned will help you narrow down this list of recipes for vinegar weed killer.
Some of the combinations seemed too weak and probably wouldn’t work, while others were too wacky to even try. I decided to try the last two on the list, to find out what full strength vinegar as a weed killer could accomplish.
Sampling With Vinegar Weed Killer
I have plenty of weeds in one area of my yard that is not landscaped, so I did not have to worry about over-spray that might kill good plants.
I sprayed weeds with full strength vinegar; with full strength vinegar plus soap; and with soap and water only, just for comparison.
Here are my results:
Using Full Strength Vinegar And Soap
- The soap added was dishwashing soap, 1 oz per gallon.
- The weeds died best and fastest with full strength vinegar and soap, compared to the two other groups.
- Weeds in full sun for several hours died faster than weeds that were in shade an hour after spraying. This reflects how the plant requires more moisture in the sun.
- All the weeds appeared completely dead 24 hours later.
- About half of the broadleaf weeds died completely, including young dandelions. (No older dandelions, which have a large taproot, were sprayed.) One week after spraying, the other weeds were showing new growth. (As an example, see the photo of oxalis below on left.)
- Three days after spraying, crabgrass weeds were showing new growth appearing from the base of the plant, and about 60-70% of them recovered. The younger crabgrass plants were more likely to die. (Photo on right, crabgrass one week after spraying.)
- A patch of Bermuda grass under one area of heavy weeds turned brown, but eventually recovered.
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| Oxalis, a broadleaf weed, starting to regrow one week after being sprayed with a vinegar weed killer. | Crabgrass also starting to regrow, at about 5 days after being sprayed. |
Using Only Full Strength Vinegar As A Weed Killer
- The vinegar spray without the soap was not as effective as vinegar with soap. It was even obvious while spraying that the plain vinegar was not readily staying on the leaves of the weeds, especially not on crabgrass.
- Not as many of the broadleaf weeds died, and all were slower to show symptoms. Those that survived were quicker to recover. Control was about half compared to the spray with soap.
- The crabgrass also recovered more quickly than in the first batch.
Soap And Water Only
- Dishwashing soap was used at 2 oz per gallon.
- The soapy water alone had no apparent impact at that concentration on weeds or grass.
- The soap aids the effectiveness of the vinegar but does nothing on its own (at that rate).
I used a small sprayer, 1 ½ quart size, that pumps up pressure. This puts out a smaller, softer spray pattern than my larger tank sprayer. It allowed me to confine the spray to the desired area much better.
I also sprayed some weeds in ground cover and had a little bit of overspray. The ground cover died where it was hit, but it is the spreading kind and has filled back in.
The conclusion appears to be that a vinegar weed killer can be effective on some weeds, in some situations. However, consider the following information before you decide to try it.
More Facts About Using A Vinegar Weed Killer
Vinegar won’t move through the plant to kill the root, like some chemical sprays will do. The root may die anyway, depending on the variety of weed, and how mature it is. Young weeds may not have sufficient reserves to put out new growth. The older weeds that grow back would be weaker, and many should die with a repeat application of the vinegar weed killer.
If you have a large area to spray, and would prefer to avoid multiple applications, a reasonable alternative would be Round-up, or the generic alternatives. It can kill root and all in one spraying. Like the vinegar weed killer, it is non-selective. I don’t find these glyphosate products to be a bad choice, and some of the criticism of them is not valid.
Some plants are not as susceptible to vinegar. A waxy coating or a “hairy” (fuzzy) surface may interfere with the absorption of the vinegar. This is the type that would suffer more by adding the soap to a vinegar weed killer recipe.
Vinegar applied to the soil as a full strength drench could kill the root directly. This is not recommended, since roots from good plants could also be affected. Also, the effects on soil microorganisms is unclear. They might die, or move out of the area, or become inactive temporarily. This would reduce soil fertility.
Vinegar would lower the pH of the soil, making it more acidic. This could be good if your soil is alkaline, not so good if it is already acidic.
Disclaimer
Anyone desiring to use a vinegar weed killer should be aware that the results they get will be quite unpredictable. It would be wise to try sampling before using any formula on a broad scale.
Vinegar weed killer can be found in a few commercial products, but they have to meet certain regulatory guidelines before they can recommend using vinegar as an herbicide. This is for consumer protection.
Don’t blindly accept the recommendation of anyone on the internet, or other sources, saying vinegar weed killer is safe, natural and effective. We just don’t know that. There are so many variables. Use your best judgment.
Those are the basic factors that should help you decide if it is a good idea to use a vinegar weed killer in your situation.
Do check out these other articles if you have not already done so.
Go to What To Expect From A Home Made Weed Killer.
Go to Lawn Weeds general info page.
Use this search function to look throughout this Lawn Care Site for any topic of your choice.
Go to Home Page of Lawn Care from Vinegar Weed KIller
