# Cider Vinegar Weed Killer



## Homestead Gal (Nov 25, 2008)

We had a mild winter and a wet spring. With the heat wave we've had in VA, it is a perfect time to kill weeds! I use hard Apple Cider Vinegar. It works great!

The recipe is super simple, here is what you need:

A*ny size spray bottle with an adjustable sprayer nozzle.* Make sure the bottom of the siphon tube on the sprayer has a little screen cap. You need the screen cap to filer out the sediment that forms in the vinegar.

*Any size container of apple cider vinegar.* Set the vinegar out in the sun for a week or longer to harden it. Loosen the lid to allow gasses to escape from the container.

*Dish detergent* (I use a biodegradeable) Dish soap helps the vinegar "stick" to the leaves.

Pour your hard vinegar into the sprayer bottle, add 5 drops of dish soap. Replace the lid and rock the bottle a couple times to mix in the soap.

The best time to spray/kill is the hottest part of the day when temps are above 80 degrees. Weeds will start to wilt within an hour. I pick a hot day and spray several times throughout the day. Wet the entire leaf, and stem all the way to the ground. Adjust your spray to keep it more localized and not a mist to blow away.

Most weeds die within a day. I usually spray several times over a couple of days to make sure the plant doesn't send up new shoots. The key is to spray weeds when they are getting direct sunlight and when they are most stressed in the heat of the day. I have found that when I spray on cooler or cloudy days, the vinegar doesn't work as quickly. I have to respray 3 or 4 times as opposed to 2 or three on a hot, sunny day.

Also, I leave my "weedigar" jugs out in the sun all summer. I then have a good supply of hard apple cider ready to spray. Vinegar is cheap, several gallon will spray a lot of weeds and it is good for your soil. There are over 20 nutrients in vinegar plus, it won't harm your beneficial insects and soil bacteria.

Sooooo, getcha' some hard apple cider vinegar and go pickle some weeds!:2thumb:


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

Got a question - will white vinegar work also, or strictly ACV? Thanks - great tip!


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

I use straight white vinegar myself, about 50/50 with water.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I also read 50/50 and if the problem is really bad with weeds, a definite first app killer is add table salt; yep, table salt.


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## Homestead Gal (Nov 25, 2008)

I don't water the vinegar. The gal that told me this has been using Vinegar to kill weeds for years.
Not sure if the type of vinegar makes a difference.

Salt mixed with the vinegar will kill tough vegetation. I have used salt on hard to kill weeds and brush. Keep the spray on the plants. If you are planning on growing food where the weeds are, do not get the salt mixture on your soil. It can render it useless for growing food. It may kill the good bacteria that help feed your veggie plants.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

I found that using cheapie white vinegar, straight strength, sprayed on a CUT stalk of a weed will kill it usually overnight. Spraying on the cut stem allows the vinegar to ge absorbed down the stem to the root and kills those roots so the weed is gone forever. If I have a large patch of weeds I mow first the spray and all done!


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## Homestead Gal (Nov 25, 2008)

Absolutely! When you cut the weeds they die I lot quicker. I had some poke growing that over 5 ft tall. Already had small clusters of berries growing. I cut it off with a machete and then squirted the vinegar/soap down into the hollow stalk. It is amazing how fast the vinegar works! 

I am so grateful there is a natural alternative weed killer that doesn't ruin the soil or the helpful organisms that live in it.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I'm going to try this this weekend. The stickers in my yard are something awful and I've been struggling to get rid of them.


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