A gardener has shared a simple homemade weed killer recipe using three common household ingredients that can banish weeds from patios and paving.
Three-Ingredient Weed Killer
Glen, who runs a site with 80 allotment plots, described the concoction as "effective" and "really cheap" in a video for his YouTube channel Veggie Patch Ideas. He demonstrated how it cleared patches of weeds from between the cracks in his block paving.
Glen said: "So, let's go through the ingredients first. You'll need a spray bottle, just an empty one. And these, you can pick up as cheap as chips, or you can just use a spray bottle that you already have. Just make sure it has that screw lid, and you're good to go. The next thing you need is washing-up liquid. Any will do - cheap, cheerful, whatever. And then table salt. And we all have these items in our house. The only thing you may need to buy is white vinegar. Now, this is distilled white vinegar, and this sits at around five per cent."
Glen explained that the difference between white vinegar and distilled is that the latter is slightly weaker, but claimed both worked and advised people to "go for the cheapest".
How to Make and Apply
He then set about demonstrating the method. First, he popped a small funnel into the top of the open spray bottle and poured in the entire bottle of vinegar, before adding a tablespoon and a half of salt. Glen added what he described as roughly the "same quantity" of washing-up liquid, stressing that you don't have to be "too accurate" and that it's only needed to help the mixture stick to the leaves. Simply reinsert the trigger into the bottle and give it a shake, making sure you're careful not to get any in your eyes.
Results After Three Days
Next, Glen demonstrated the effectiveness of his budget weed killer, starting with an "old nemesis", bindweed. He gave the patch a thorough spray, then returned three days later to find it had dried out and started turning brown. He said it's best to wait for a few dry days in a row before trying the weed killer, as rain will stop it from working. Glen also used it on his block paving, which he described as an "absolute mess". Weeds had sprouted between the cracks, so Glen gave them a good spray. When he returned a few days later, he found they had died back significantly, and the area looked much improved.
Alternative Natural Method from Alan Titchmarsh
It comes after Ground Force legend Alan Titchmarsh shared a natural technique to tackle weeds without chemicals or spending cash. He suggested all we need is a garden hoe and a spot of sunshine. In an online video, Alan said: "What you are trying to do with your Dutch hoe is separate the [weed] from its roots and that way it will cook once it's exposed to sunshine." He added: "Don't try and dig with the hoe. Remember, you're always skimming. The more of the weed root you can expose to the drying rays of the sun, the quicker they will die."
