What Kills Weeds Permanently | How to Get Rid of Weeds Forever
Having weeds that are hard to control can be tiring, especially those that grow where you don’t want them, such as in cracks on the walkways, between pavers, gravel on the patio, and many more. Knowing what kills weeds permanently will relieve you of the stress of buying herbicides month after month.
One of the best homemade methods of killing weeds permanently is using undiluted bleach on plants where you don’t want them. Such as plants that grow in crevices on the driveway, cracks between the walkway, between pavers, sidewalks, or gravel.
Apply this solution to weeds and let it sit for 2 to 3 days before you can manually uproot or leave them to decompose. Bleach will kill the existing weeds and prevent new ones from growing, making it suitable to remove weeds in your home permanently.
However, there are many other ways of getting rid of weeds in your home aside from using bleach, such as using chemicals and other easy DIY. Getting rid of weeds around the home is one of the homeowner’s many problems, and it can be resolved by knowing what kills these weeds permanently.
The various ways shared in this article are simple DIY ways of getting rid of weeds permanently to have a clean and organized outdoor area. Knowing these simple methods will save you some bucks, and stress and you won’t have to worry about weeds anymore.
Table of Contents
What Kills Weeds Permanently
1. Bleach
Bleach is a powerful and potent chemical that can kill different plants where you don’t want them. What makes bleach the best for this purpose is that it eliminates these plants or weeds and stops them from growing in that area soon.
It does this by increasing the soil pH level, which kills the weeds and the microorganism responsible for successful plant growth. With this, you will not have any weeds or plants around the area until it is corrected.
For better effectiveness, you can add a few drops of dishwashing soap to the solution; this will make it stick to the plants. You can as well mix your beach with other solutions for more effective results.
However, this solution is not to be used as your regular herbicides, as it can be dangerous to you or your pets if a proper measure is not put in place and when they get on to other plants you want to keep ponds or natural waterways. So, you have to be very careful when applying this solution around home.
This makes bleach the best solution for getting rid of weeds permanently in your home, especially in areas such as between the pavers’ cracks, between the walkways, or sidewalks.
2. Chemical
Looking for what kills weeds permanently? There are some chemicals that are ideal for getting rid of weeds from your home and preventing new ones from sprouting for up to a year.
These herbicides work by killing weeds to the root, making them suitable where you don’t want anything to grow, such as on driveways, on the patio, on gravel, and on sidewalks around your home. Also, this herbicide is rainproof in 30 minutes with a visible result in 12 hours.
Our recommended chemical is the Roundup-Ready-to-use Max control. This herbicide comes with a sprayer making it easy to use. There is no need for mixing, and it can be used out of the box; this herbicide can cover up to 400 sq feet of area. Without much ado, this is one of the easiest ways of killing and preventing weeds from growing around the home.
3. Vinegar
Suppose the weeds around your home are tough; you can go for concentrated horticultural vinegar that comes with 20% acetic acid. This is ideal for eliminating stubborn grass and weeds you have around your home.
Vinegar works by dehydrating the grass or weeds you intend to kill. You can add a teaspoon or two dish soaps to a gallon of vinegar for the best result using either the basic home vinegar or the concentrated horticultural vinegar.
This will allow the solution to stick to the weed or grass; also, applying this solution on a sunny day will make it more effective. If, after applying the vinegar, it rains unexpectedly, you will need to apply another round of vinegar.
Using vinegar on weeds will not cause the same damage as bleach. Making it suitable for controlling the weed. When you have your solution ready, you can apply it to plants or weeds you want to kill with a spray.
4. Using Salt
Using salt is another simple way of getting rid of plants around your home. This method has been in use for thousands of years and has proven effective. Salt will also prevent the plant from growing in the area it is applied, but it won’t take long like bleach.
This method can be applied in two different ways for better effectiveness. You can put salt on the plant you want to kill and allow it to dissolve or mix it with water and apply it to weeds. When mixing, you will want to mix one part of water with three-part of salt.
Leave the salt for 10 minutes to dissolve; then you can now apply it to weeds and areas you don’t want plants to grow. However, you have to be careful when applying to prevent contact with the plant you intend to keep. Also, this solution is not to be used on your lawn.
5. Boiling Water
One of the most economical ways of getting rid of plants is by burning them up. Scalding hot water will kill any grass or weeds it touches. If you have a small area where weeds are growing, such as between pavers and walkways, this method is ideal.
To do this, fill your kettle with water and allow it to boil, after which you can now pour on the plants you want to kill. This method is not completely effective as this plant may not stay dead for long.
6. Using Cardboard or Newspaper
When you stop a plant from receiving sunshine and water, with time, the plant will die. This is the intention behind using newspapers and cardboard to eliminate weeds. When you lay this paper around the plant, they break down into their carbon nature and enrich your soil while hindering the weeds’ growth.
To do this, you need to create a minimum of 4 layers or seven layers with the newspaper and wet it down thoroughly to keep it in place. If you are using cardboard, you can use a minimum of two cardboard pieces or four cardboard pieces to create the layer.
The next thing is to cover this layer you have created with mulch and form another layer with the paper and mulch. When doing this, avoid using the coloring pages, so you don’t contaminate your soil with the ink from the paper.
This process will kill weeds around the area from lack of sunlight, and the carbon will prevent new ones from sprouting.
How to Prevent Weeds from Growing Around Your Home
Prevention is one of the best methods to prevent the growth of weeds around your home. Preventing weeds’ growth will help you avert the stress of wanting to kill weeds from time to time.
However, this process can be difficult, but it will save you a lot of time in the future when done properly. Some of the processes include
- Using weeds to control sand in the space between pavers and driveways
- New sprouting weeds should be controlled as fast as possible.
- Use quality weeds fabric barrier under pavers and driveways.
- Mulch or cover bare soil around your home as weeds can easily colonize them.
- Grow plants closely to give weeds limited space.
All these methods will help prevent weeds from growing around your home. However, killing existing weeds with the methods listed above will help you more, Since preventing them can be tricky.
Homemade Weed Killer Recipe
Some of the various recipes listed above can be mixed to produce an effective herbicide for getting rid of grass and weeds around your home. The combination of these various solutions will kill weeds permanently around the home. Here is how to make a homemade weed killer.
This makes it suitable for use in areas where you don’t want anything to grow, such as gravels, cracks between the walkway, driveway, sidewalk, and many are you don’t intend to nature any living plant. To create this powerful homemade herbicide, you need the following recipe
- Salt
- vinegar or bleach (anyone you can get)
- Dish soap
- Spraying bottle
Producing A Natural Weed Killer
- You can either use the vinegar like that or heat it in a pot or pan until it is hot but not boiling.
- Add some salt and shake well to ensure it is properly mixed, or add the salt to the heated vinegar and stir to dissolve. Allow the mixture to cool so that it can be handled.
- Add Some dish soap to the solution and pour it into a sprayer.
Both methods are effective in getting rid of grass and weeds in areas you don’t want them. Spray this solution on a hot day and ensure you saturate the stem and the root for effective results.
Always use this solution away from plants you don’t want to kill and keep pets and children away from the area after use. Also, When using this solution, you have to be careful to avoid contact with your body and skin, which may cause some health issues.
