Five natural ways to remove weeds from your garden

By Rishabh Raj

May 31, 2023

07:30 pm

What's the story

Weeds are nothing short of a nightmare for gardeners. They are like uninvited guests stealing space and nutrients from your plants.

However, you don't need fancy weeding tools to get rid of them.

You can use things you already have at home and get rid of these unwelcome intruders naturally.

Here are five simple ways to kill weeds naturally.

Landscaping material

Weeds, like other plants, need sunlight and air to grow. But you can stop their growth using newspapers!

Put down 10 layers of wet newspaper, then cover it with one to two inches of mulch.

This smothers existing weeds and stops new ones from growing.

If weeds appear in the mulch, add more newspaper and mulch layers.

Over time the newspaper will decompose.

Root killer

Get rid of those lawn weeds by using vinegar. Just any vinegar will not do the job.

Get horticultural vinegar, which is stronger than regular white vinegar.

Pour it into a spray bottle and target the weeds directly.

Be careful not to spray on grass or other plants you want to keep.

Vinegar kills the roots, so aim carefully for the best results.

Growth resistance

Stop weed seeds from growing by using corn gluten meal, also known as cornmeal.

Sprinkle it on your soil to stop new weeds from forming.

Remember, it won't remove existing weeds. Corn gluten meal only affects the germination of weed seeds, not the plants already growing.

Many gardeners often sprinkle it during summer to prevent the growth of winter annual weeds.

Salt

You can use salt to mess with a weed's roots and disrupt its water balance.

Start with a diluted solution of 1:2 salt to water in a spray bottle. This targets the roots without harming nearby plants and soil too much.

If that doesn't work, make a stronger solution. But be careful, salt can harm your soil.

Manual labor

If nothing else works, you can simply pull out each weed in your garden.

Manually remove weeds from your garden, either by pulling them out with your hands or using a tool.

It works well for smaller gardening areas. However, hand weeding requires time and may strain your back due to repeated bending.