organic weed control
family,  Health,  homes

6 Organic Weed Control Methods to Make Your Life Easier

Weed control is something any home owner is faced with. Those nasty weeds seem to pop up out of nowhere and be fully grown overnight. So how can we control weeds without poisoning the environment? It’s easier than you might think. These organic methods are all effective, and they will not harm the environment.

organic weed control
weed growing through crack in concrete pavement

[tweetthis]Weed control is something every home owner faces. Here are some ways to get rid of weeds organically.[/tweetthis]

Organic Weed Control Kills the Weeds, Not the Environment

Organic weed control is always your best option. Not only will it protect the environment, it will protect you. When traditional weed control methods are used, the chemicals used to kill the weeds eventually make their way into the soil. From there, they can make their way into the water table and then into our drinking water. Organic methods get rid of weeds without contaminating any part of our environment, or harming people.

[tweetthis]Organic weed control methods get rid of weeds without contaminating any part of our environment.[/tweetthis]

Stop Them Before They Start

One of the best weed control solutions in flower beds is to lay down a thick layer of newspaper around your plant and then cover it with mulch. The thick barrier of the newspaper will prevent weed growth, and because newspaper is made with wood pulp, it’s 100% biodegradable.

Grass Mulch

Grass mulch is another fantastic organic weed control method. When you mow your lawn, simply use a catch bag to collect the clippings. After that, mulch your flower or vegetable beds with a heavy layer of mulch – 2 to 3 inches is best. Just be careful to leave a 1 inch space around the base of your plants.

Grass mulching does double duty. The thick layer prevents sunlight from getting to the weeds, and the intense heat that results from the grass breaking down further promotes weed death.

Boiling Water

In the event that your mulching and barrier methods don’t deter all weeds – and they never do – use boiling water to kill weeds. Simply boil up a pot of water and douse the offending leafy interlopers. This works best in flower or vegetable gardens in between plants, as the boiling water will also kill your grass.

Rock Salt

This is a great organic weed control option to use as a perimeter barrier along beds. Sprinkle rock salt along the edge of your flower or vegetable beds to make a perimeter barrier to keep creeping weeds out. Be careful, as salting the earth will make it barren for an extended period of time.

Vinegar

Vinegar, the old standby. This is a great organic weed control agent. Simply fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray down the weeds you find. This works especially well for weeds like dandelions, which have a long, deep taproot and are difficult to pull.

Cornmeal

Corn gluten prevents seeds from germinating. This makes it perfect for pro-active weed control. Simply sprinkle it liberally around your garden and flower beds to prevent any weed seeds from sprouting to begin with. Be aware that corn gluten will prevent ANY seed from germinating. If you use it in your vegetable garden, be sure that all of your seed has sprouted and grown into a plant at least 6 inches tall.

You Don’t Have to be the Toxic Avenger

Many people incorrectly believe that they need chemicals and poisons to get rid of weeds. That’s simply untrue. Any of the organic weed control methods I’ve given here will make weed control a breeze, and many of them can be used in conjunction with one another for an even more effective battle plan. Give these organic methods a try before busting out the weed spray. Many of these options are very effective. Good luck battling those pesky weeds.

If you try one of these options and it works for you please come back and let me know the results.

Do you have an organic weed control method I haven’t mentioned here?

19 Comments

  • Robin masshole mommy

    I will be sure to check some of these out. I have used boiling water to kill poison ivy before 🙂

  • Alli

    I hate using chemicals of any kind in my yard and flower beds. I always use newspaper to spread around my plants before mulching. These are all great, organic ways to control weeds.

    • Paula

      Excellent Alli. I actually didn’t know about the newspaper trick before researching this post so what a great side effect of writing a post!! LOL.

  • Jeannette

    I had no idea that boiling water kills weeds! We just bought a new house and it’s amazing but the yard has been neglected. I’m going to have to try some of these ideas out!

  • Mary

    I love this list. Thank you. I never knew about cornmeal, I will be giving it a try. I use to do the boiling water method until California’s water issue!

  • Megan Elford

    We’ve been using chemicals all these years – I had no idea about using these things to kill weeds! Hubby will be so happy when I tell him we can use boiling water and rock salt. It’s the perfect way to get rid of the weeds without using dangerous chemicals.

  • Michele

    This is amazing and I am so glad you posted these ways to safely rid your garden of weeds without poisoning the ground or the ground water!

  • stefany

    Thank you so much for this! I have weeds overtaking my driveway and have tried a number of things that didn’t work. I will be trying these now!

  • CHANELLE

    I agree, I much prefer to use organic remedies than spray a bunch of chemicals around the house, especially since I have children. I’m going to try pouring vinegar on the weeds right in front of my door step.

  • Susan Quackenbush

    We are constantly battling weeds in our garden and don’t want to use pesticides because of our pets and such. This is a fantastic alternative! Thank you for the tips! 🙂

  • Angelic Sinova

    Right now we use the old and true Vinegar to help kill weeds but I definitely need to check out the other options. Nothing’s worst that pesky weeds in front of your house <3

  • Angelic Sinova

    Right now we use the old and true Vinegar to help kill weeds but I definitely need to check out the other options. Nothing’s worst that pesky weeds in front of your house <3 <3

  • Ann Bacciaglia

    I need to try a few of these methods in my yard. Having pets i do not want to use any chemicals.