There are ways to keep a “green” chemical-free garden that uses household ingredients to kill weeds. They are easy to use as well as being budget-friendly. When doing your yard and garden weeding, keep these methods in mind.
Eco-Friendly Landscape
Having an eco-friendly landscape means that you are practicing policies that will not harm you, the earth, and the plants. Harsh pesticide and herbicide chemicals can leak into your earth, water and plants that eventually end up in you, your family, pets, and any animals you are raising to consume.
There are weed killing ingredients that you can make from products found in the home that do an awesome job, pennies to make, and non-toxic to you. Some of these solutions are basic common sense while others may surprise you.
Weed Killing In A Santa Cruz Landscape
You can practice the old fashion way of pulling weeds out of the ground. Remember not to put the weeds into the compost. Bagging and throwing them away or safely burning the unwanted plants are ways to discard them. Removing the whole plant including the taproot is the key to the success of the plant not growing back.
Some weeds you can control by removing the tops or flowers before they go to seed. If the plant is a perennial, they will come back, but removing the tops will slow down the spread of the seeds.
A nice three for one effort is using mulch. The mulch not only keeps the weeds down, but also helps retain water for the plant. Also, the mulch will eventually compost to add more soil around your plants. Make sure to use the correct pH material around the plants you are growing. You need about an inch deep of mulch around your plants for it to do the job properly.
This no brainer solution is awesome for those pesky weeds that are in hard to reach places. Boil water in a medium saucepan and pour the boiling water over the plant that needs to go. You will get instant results. Just make sure to take safeguards when using this technique.
If you have the problem of weeds growing in the cracks of your sidewalk or driveway, a simple solution is to use salt. By spreading salt into those cracks, the unwanted plants will not only die, but new plants will not grow there for as long as the area contains salt. Do not use his method around the plants you want to keep as it will kill them also.
Salt is a good way to create “plantless” borders along driveways and sidewalk where nothing will grow. Just less need for a weedeater, but expect brown borders where ever the salt is placed. Do not use this method if you plan to replant in this area.
Vinegar is another household product that is very effective at killing plants. The acid draws moisture out of the leaves of the plant and will destroy it within 24 hours. Unlike salt, the vinegar does not last as long, but will destroy anything it touches. This method works well for destroying large patches of unwanted plants when you want to grow later in that area.
The most powerful organic weed-killing mixture you can make is to combine a gallon of white distilled vinegar with a cup of salt and two tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap. Use a sunny, windless day to be sure it does not travel to the plants you want unharmed.
Rubbing Alcohol helps you when needing first aid but is deadly to plants if they come in contact with it. It works the same as vinegar, drawing moisture from the leaves, but has no lasting effect on the soil. For more stubborn or hardy plants, it may need a second treatment. Mix two tablespoons of alcohol to a quart of water to spray on the leaves.
All those of you who are not fond of mowing grass, you can just let the grass in your lawn do the work for you, By letting the grass crowd out the weeds with less mowing, your lawn may naturally do the job. If you let the grass go to seed before you mow in the spring, you can have a lush reseeded lawn the rest of the season.
Establishing a closely packed garden will discourage other plants from moving in due to lack of space to grow. You may have to do some weeding early on but close planting will pay off soon. Just like letting the grass grow in your yard, garden plants will do the work for you.
For those who are just starting a garden plot, livestock may be your quick fix. Goats or chickens can be borrowed to strip the plot of growth while providing organic fertilizer as well as aerating the soil. Just don’t put them around plants you want to grow because they can’t tell the difference.
Chemical-Free Garden
A chemical-free garden could be an edible garden, including the weeds. Before you discard the unwanted plants, you may want to check if they would make a good salad ingredient or tea. What you consider trash plants may have homeopathic properties that are traditionally known for healing or healthy nutrients. Take the time to do research before you toss out those “weeds”.
Santa Cruz Landscape
To have a beautiful landscape in Santa Cruz does not require the use of harsh and dangerous chemicals. Remember that what you put on plants and on the soil will end up in you, your family, neighbors, and the local wildlife. Happy gardening! For other useful information about landscaping check out this blog site.