Does this DIY weed killer work?

[TheeKb]

Anyone had success burning larger areas and killing them off? Under safe conditions with implements and water on hand yada yada yada......

 

[scdeerslayer]

If you buy herbicide with surfactant you won't need to add anything like dawn. You should be careful when adding things like that anyway since it can lessen the effectiveness of the chemical.

As far as the original question, salt by itself will kill most anything if enough gets in the ground. I buy the 50lb stock salt bags at tractor supply for use in the ice cream churn and the bait tank. When I'm done churning ice cream I typically dump it over some undesirable plants. Sometimes I water it in, but sometimes I let the rain do that. I've gotten rid of a lot of plants that way, but something else will grow back where it was.

 

[smstonypoint]

Anyone had success burning larger areas and killing them off? Under safe conditions with implements and water on hand yada yada yada......

I contracted with the NC Forest Service to do a controlled burn on a 25-acre pine plantation tract in November of 2012 for the purpose of reducing the litter after a first thinning in 2008 and to kill hardwood undergrowth. The burn certainly controlled the weeds in the undergrowth, but they returned in the spring.

In my experience, it takes the intense and prolonged heat from a burn pile to prevent regrowth for more than a year.

Steve

 

[TheeKb]

I contracted with the NC Forest Service to do a controlled burn on a 25-acre pine plantation tract in November of 2012 for the purpose of reducing the litter after a first thinning in 2008 and to kill hardwood undergrowth. The burn certainly controlled the weeds in the undergrowth, but they returned in the spring.

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In my experience, it takes the intense and prolonged heat from a burn pile to prevent regrowth for more than a year.

Steve

Good info! Thx for helping me out Steve. U just saved me a lot of time.

 

[MossRoad]

I contracted with the NC Forest Service to do a controlled burn on a 25-acre pine plantation tract in November of 2012 for the purpose of reducing the litter after a first thinning in 2008 and to kill hardwood undergrowth. The burn certainly controlled the weeds in the undergrowth, but they returned in the spring.



In my experience, it takes the intense and prolonged heat from a burn pile to prevent regrowth for more than a year.

Steve

The DNR does field burns in our nearby state park at the end of winter to control the woody growth. The grass and weeds are back and green within weeks. Its almost strictly to control woody growth.

 

[MossRoad]

The dish soap is used as a wetting agent, not a sticking agent.

One note about salt as a weed killer, like epsom salt. Salt can't evaporate. So the only way its going to leave an area that its applied to is by flushing out with water. The more salt that accumulates in the soil, the harder it will be to get anything to grow in that area. So think about the area that you want to kill. Roundup breaks down. You can replant in that area. So, if you use roundup to clean driveway cracks, several weeks later, any new weed seeds that drop there will sprout and grow. Salts in cracks will help to make it more un-friendly for seeds once they sprout. Personally, I'd kill off the weeds in cracks with roundup and then put down some Preen in the cracks. Preen keeps seeds from germinating in the first place, so fewer weeds all summer.

 

[freedomlives]

There have been tests concerning vinegar. Higher concentrations work better. But it is important to bear in mind that while something like acetic acid has no long term affect, isn't a possible carcinogen (glyphosphate/round up is now listed as such by IARC), acetic acid in high concentrations presents an acute danger while applying it. Skin needs to be protected, eyes, even breathing while mixing it (I worked in a dark room where concentrated acetic acid is used in developing film and paper, and a breath of its vapors definitely clears the sinuses... btw, a photography supply house would be a source).
There is a company, I think in Georgia, marketing orange oil (d-limonene) (from citrus rinds) as a broad spectrum herbicide. Of course, you can just buy and mix the orange oil yourself. In lower concentrations it is also an insecticide, but you have to be careful not to spray it on plants when they are stressed if using it for that purpose. Orange oil is also a nice all around cleaning solvent, that decades of research haven't found any negative affect on human health from its use.

 

[lennyzx11]

Yes.... I use that mix quite often.
I use Gordon's Brush killer (from TSC), and add a few drops of Dawn for each gallon of mix.
The Dawn does nothing for the killing, but is a sticking agent, to make the killer chemical agent adhere to the leaves better.
It works well on poison ivy!
The nastiest mix, is the brush killer with diesel, instead of water.
It will absolutely kill ANYTHING & EVERYTHING!
Just remember: I did NOT suggest THAT mix!

Do you think this'll work on briars? I swear I can watch these things grow. Roundup doesn't work at all.

 

[skylarkguy]

Careful with the overuse of chemicals...selection happens.
Glyphosate-resistant Russian thistle found in Montana | Agweek

Glyphosate-resistant Tumbleweed Poses Problem for Oregon Farmers 3/16/217 - ProAg

 

[Looking4new]

I am going to try the vinegar and dawn trick, first. Then if I don't get good results with that I will be going with 35% Calcium Chloride.