Most gardeners know the frustration of clearing weeds from their garden and patio, only for them to reappear within days. According to Gardener's World, unless you regularly hoe annual weeds, hand-weed problem areas, and prepare soil thoroughly, you will be overwhelmed quickly. The rapid growth can overtake plants, fruits, and vegetables.
A Natural Alternative to Chemical Weedkillers
Many commercial weedkillers contain glyphosate, which must be handled carefully. As a result, gardeners are seeking natural alternatives. The Gardener's World team suggests using an often-discarded kitchen item: the water left over from boiling vegetables. They describe this method as "particularly useful" for paths and paving.
How to Use Boiling Vegetable Water
The experts explain: "Boiling water can kill weeds. This is a particularly useful technique on paths and paving, where you don't have to worry about nearby plants being affected. You can also use it on a group of weeds in a border, taking care not to pour it onto nearby plants that you want to keep. Save energy by using the water that you've just used for boiling vegetables."
This tip is ideal for paths, patios, paving, cracks in driveways, borders, and isolated patches of weeds. The team rates it as "very easy, convenient and cheap."
Other Natural Weedkillers
The team also shared several other cheap and convenient options for clearing weeds.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which can cause weeds to shrivel. It is suitable for paths, paving, pavements, and driveways. They recommend juicing five lemons or more if needed. For speed, use ready-squeezed lemon juice from a bottle.
Salt
Salt, or sodium chloride, is not good for the garden as it will kill other plants. However, it is useful for killing weeds on paths and paving, as long as the solution does not leach into nearby soil. The experts warn: "Salt can be very harmful to plants if applied in high enough doses, as it dehydrates them. Salt is not good for the garden, however, as it will also kill other plants and will ultimately affect the pH of the soil. For this reason, use on paving and paths only and make sure that the solution does not leach into nearby soil."
For this method to work, the salt must be dissolved in water. Use one part household table salt to two or three parts water. Do not use rock salt, sea salt, or Epsom salts. You can increase the strength of the solution if needed.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
The team shared that some councils are trialling vinegar (acetic acid) as a long-term solution for removing weeds in towns and cities. However, vinegar does not work well on its own, so it needs to be mixed with baking soda, salt, or lemon juice. Use one part baking soda, two parts white vinegar, and optional lemon juice to tackle young or annual weeds in paved areas. The verdict: "A cheap option, but it doesn't smell pleasant."
