15 Simple Ways to Kill Garden Weeds

Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil

Got stubborn weeds growing where you don’t want them? Here are 15 simple ways to kill garden weeds that you probably did not know about.

Some make use of simple pantry items that you already have, while methods are more unique.

The best thing about them is that they’re easy to implement and will finally get rid of stubborn weeds that won’t go away.

Simple Ways to Kill Garden Weeds

Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of the most useful things to have in your pantry. In addition to its various uses in the kitchen it also helps a lot in cleaning.

In the garden, it can kill bugs and is also safe way to prevent weeds and grass from growing between he cracks in the concrete.

All you need to do is sprinkle the baking soda in the cracks. This will make the environment unhospitable to weeds and grasses which keeps them from growing.

Pour Bleach Over Weeds

In addition to baking soda, you can likewise go with bleach. The biggest difference between the two is that bleach is not good for plants. As such, you don’t want to get it on foliage, grass or other plants in your garden, just the weeds.

This is also the reason why it is not a good idea to use dish soap with bleach when making natural pest repellents.

As such, you can get rid of weeds by pouring undiluted bleach on them. You can then pull them out within the next few days. The bleach will also prevent them from growing back.

Again, avoid getting bleach on other plants.

Landscape Fabric

If you have landscape fabric, you can use it in place of mulch or newspaper to block out the sunlight and starve the weeds. There are many kinds of fabric so you can use different options.

The goal is to use one that does not allow weeds to grow through it.

Physical Barriers

You can keep weeds from growing or getting pas certain areas by installing physical barriers like lawn edgings. These are cheap and simple to put together. Plus, they’re there for the long term.

Apply Vinegar

Vinegar is another natural weed killer you already have at home. You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

With white vinegar you need at least 5% acidity which is what most shelf brands contain. But, if you want it to work faster, you can go all the way up to 20% acidity.

All you need to do is spray the vinegar on the weeds.

Keep in mind that vinegar will kill anything that’s green. So, this includes your grass as well as plant foliage. Thus, you want to be very careful using it in your garden. Precision is very important here.

That said, if the weeds are growing away from other plants, spray away.

Newspaper

Another option to mulch is covering the weeds with newspaper. This looks a bit more awkward especially to your neighbors who may wonder, “what in the world are they doing there?”

Newspaper blocks out the sun quite effectively. It also reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to the soil. Both of these features prevent weeds from growing.

The more layers of newspapers you put down, the less light is able to get through. You’ll need to put something over the newspaper to keep it from getting blown away by the wind. Alternatively, wetting the newspaper also makes it heavier although, it will dry after a little while.

Borax

Borax is another thing you can apply. Again, you need to be careful with this because it is toxic to plants. As such, it works well for weeds coming out through cracks in the pavement. But, it is not a good idea to use it when the weeds are near other plants or grass.

To use borax to get rid of weeds, simply sprinkle borax on areas where the plants are about to come out. This will kill them and prevent more from growing.

Salt

Salt is another option you can use to kill weeds. You can use table salt but that can get quite costly if you have quite a bit of weeds. So a better option would be to pick up bags of discounted rock salt from stores as winter is about to end and use that instead.

This will save you money and you can use it to melt ice as well.

Spray Vodka

This can be a bit more costly depending on what kind of vodka you drink. Of course, you can use the cheap stuff as you’re not after the flavor or quality. Instead, it is the alcohol in the vodka that’s the active ingredient.

Simply mix an ounce of vodka with a few drops of dish soap. Then add 2 cups of water.

Place this in a spray bottle and apply on weeds.

The best time to spray this on weeds is during the afternoon when the sun is out. Direct sunlight will intensify its effects.

Pour Boiling Water

Boiling water is another option. But this is something you want to be careful with because of what the very hot water can do to your skin and plants.

As such, you want to be very precise and careful when pouring boiling water. The key is to get the weeds and avoid everything else.

Because of its nature, this is something I suggest leaving for very stubborn weeds.

Add Mulch

Like long grass, mulch reduces the amount of sunlight that weeds are able to get. This helps prevent them from growing as they normally would.

You can use leaves, pine needles, wood chips or straw just to name a few.

In addition to blocking the light, it also helps keep the soil cool and reduce the amount of moisture that evaporates from the ground.

Mow Them Down

The most effective way of getting rid of weeds is still the old fashioned way of pulling their heads off. Unfortunately, this can take a lot of effort especially if there are a lot of them.

So, you can use your mower to mow the weeds down.

Keep in mind that this does get rid of them but it does not remove those with perennial roots. As such, these will likely regrow.

Keep Grass Longer

Interestingly, the length of your grass also affects how weeds grow. To keep weeds from growing, keep grass at about 2 to 4 inches long.

The reason why longer grass reduces weeds is that like other plants, weeds need sunlight. And, the longer the grass around it, the harder it is for weed seeds to get enough sunlight they need to sprout.

Use WD-40

If you have stubborn weeds that just won’t go away, try spraying them with WD-40. The chemicals in WD-40 are toxic and will kill the weeds.

However, it is not an effective way to get rid of lots of weeds. Nor is it a good way for removing weeds with nearby plants.

Only Water Plants, Not the Weeds

One of the reasons why weeds grow with plants is because they get watered. Like other plants, weeds need sunlight, water and oxygen to grow.

And, in most cases, when we water our plants we cover entire areas which includes potential weeds.

A good way to avoid doing this is to use a soaker hose or drip irrigation where you can control where the water goes. This way, the plants get moisture while dehydrating the weeds.

Conclusion

There you have it! Try any one of these simple ways to get rid of garden weeds to finally get rid of the ugly and stubborn growth in your yard, driveway or other parts around your home.