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Make Your Own Nontoxic Weed Killer

May 20, 2014 By Kara 32 Comments

Make Your Own Nontoxic Weed Killer

Ever wonder how to make your own nontoxic weed killer?  Looking for an alternative to nasty toxic chemicals?  

Roundup has to be the number one item purchased by homeowners across America.  I’m not going to go into the details of the toxicity of Roundup, you can read all about it here in an article by Dr Mercola.

According to a study conducted by Thomas Tworkoski, the following essential oils proved effective when used to kill weeds (in the study it is referred to as “causing injury”:

  1. Clove 
  2. Summer Savory
  3. Cinnamon
  4. Red Thyme

The study determined that a concentration of 5-10% was enough to successfully injure the weeds.  Vinegar is also known to be effective for killing weeds.  The combination of clove essential oil and vinegar is very powerful.  If you make this solution, please keep in mind that you DO NOT want to spray this on the good bugs or the good plants in your yard!  Some plants that you may want to eradicate are actually edible, medicinal, or very important for bees.

Print
Make Your Own Nontoxic Weed Killer

Ingredients

  • 24 oz empty spray bottle
  • 20 oz vinegar
  • 20 drops Clove essential oil
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Drop pinch of salt into the spray bottle.
  2. Add 20 drops of Clove essential oil, aiming it toward the salt (this helps the oil to disperse in the liquid).
  3. Add the vinegar.
  4. Screw cap on and shake well.
3.1
https://www.lifesanity.com/make-your-own-nontoxic-weed-killer/
Copyright Life Sanity, LLC

I hope this helps you!  Do you want to learn more about essential oils?  Join me in my exclusive Facebook group Life Sanity Natural Living!  Also, you can signup for my Newsletter.  For those of you interested in signing up with a wholesale account after reading this post, follow this link to purchase your Premium Starter Kit to save 24% on your essential oils!  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I would love for you to join me on my journey to a healthier, toxic free life!  

DIY Weed Killer

Filed Under: DIY with Essential Oils

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    June 8, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Is it okay for this to get on the plants in the garden? I’m trying to understand how to spray the weeds, but avoid the plants next to them. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 10, 2014 at 5:51 am

      Sarah, NO! This works well but it does not discriminate. It will kill your plants in the garden!

      Reply
      • Jackie says

        July 8, 2015 at 4:07 am

        if I don’t have the oil can I use the cloves I use for cooking?

        Reply
        • Kara says

          July 29, 2015 at 4:23 am

          The actual cloves might not be potent enough. Essential Oils are extremely potent. One drop of peppermint essential oil for example, equals 26 cups of peppermint tea!

          Reply
    • Chris says

      May 30, 2015 at 7:45 pm

      To keep spray from plants either cut bottom out of a large juice container and cover weeds then spray weeds through the funnel you have made
      OR
      Cover plants with plastic bags and spray weeds carefully, when you move the plastic to another site make sure the outside of the bag is on outside so you do not contaminate and kill your plants. I have also used strips of flexible perspex and clipped it with large bull dog clips to hold it together

      REMEMBER DO NOT INHALE ANY TYPE OF SPRAY.

      Reply
    • DonieMartin says

      May 31, 2015 at 1:01 pm

      When I use weed kill where only certain plants need to be killed instead of spraying I put the weed killer in a paint roller pan and use a paint roller to apply the killer, remember if you walk through the walk through it will b the bottom of your shoes and transfer to where you walk

      Reply
  2. Amanda Lopes says

    June 16, 2014 at 8:05 am

    This is a great suggestion, and I plan to try it out this weekend on the weeds that I was just lamenting having to pull up. I was not able to tag you for some odd reason on Facebook, but I wanted to notify you that I shared this post on my Facebook page Refocus On Being. Thanks for the great posts, I always enjoy reading your blog and other pages 🙂

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 20, 2014 at 9:37 pm

      Thanks Amanda!

      Reply
  3. Brittany says

    August 4, 2014 at 10:12 am

    How long should I wait after weed killing to plant new plants?

    Reply
    • Kara says

      August 5, 2014 at 1:27 pm

      Once the weed is dead go ahead and plant!

      Reply
  4. katie says

    August 17, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Does one application do the job or should I spray multiple times? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kara says

      August 18, 2014 at 7:19 pm

      Just one application should do the trick!

      Reply
  5. Karen says

    April 23, 2015 at 6:05 am

    Could you use thieves since it includes both clove and cinnamon? I don’t have clove.

    Reply
    • Kara says

      April 28, 2015 at 9:32 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  6. julia says

    May 5, 2015 at 12:01 am

    Will it kill thistles?

    Reply
    • Kara says

      May 16, 2015 at 8:37 am

      I’d give it a try!

      Reply
  7. Brittany says

    May 11, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    How long should I wait after spraying to plant plants?

    Reply
  8. Jessie says

    May 15, 2015 at 7:27 am

    What type of spray bottle did you use? Wouldn’t the oil start eating thru the plastic of a plastic spray bottle? Did you just mix enough for what you didn’t for the day?

    Reply
    • Kara says

      May 16, 2015 at 8:30 am

      I’ve used glass or plastic. It really just depends on how quickly you’ll be using it. I mix it up and use the whole bottle immediately.

      Reply
  9. AUDREY says

    May 30, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    will this spray kill the worms in my garden,and other beneficial insects

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:59 am

      I didn’t have that problem. 🙂

      Reply
  10. m says

    May 30, 2015 at 7:14 pm

    Looking for Natural weed killers to use inside a raised bed vegetable garden. Also info on companion planting flowers and vegetables, herbs to repel pests. So far I have Borage, French Marigold, and Peppermint to repel. Plus all are useful as food/oil. Newbie gardener. Wish me luck! Looking forward to learning from you. Pinterest generated an email link to you.

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    May 30, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    Will this work if brushed on the leaves of obnoxious plants using a foam paint brush? I have runaway ground cover plants invading my flower beds and can’t seem to get rid of them without killing the whole flower garden. Can’t spray due to proximity of flowers and shrubs.

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:59 am

      Yes! I’ve done that.

      Reply
  12. Patty says

    May 31, 2015 at 6:25 am

    Does it work on poison ivy and poison oak?

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:58 am

      I didn’t try but I would think so.

      Reply
  13. Barb says

    May 31, 2015 at 9:38 am

    What kind of vinger di I need to use? They have varies of vinger. Thanks

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:58 am

      Distilled white vinegar.

      Reply
  14. Connie says

    June 1, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    I’m not too sure about using this even NEAR my plants; however, I have a patio made of 4 x 4 inch tiles
    and a walkway made with 12 x 12 inch tiles and I have an awful time keeping the weeds from growing in between the tiles. I can’t wait to try this on those two areas!

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:57 am

      Let us know how it goes!

      Reply
  15. Eileen says

    June 4, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    will it kill grasses?

    Reply
    • Kara says

      June 8, 2015 at 11:57 am

      We didn’t spray it on the lawn, only on the weeds in the beds. 🙂

      Reply

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About The Author

Kara grew up in Massachusetts. After attending college at the University of Minnesota and serving six years in the US Navy, she and her husband moved to Waxhaw, NC. Kara has run businesses of her own and now homeschools her 5-year old twins. She started living a healthier natural lifestyle in 2008. Kara currently blogs about her journey to a more natural, self-sustaining life by eating real food, gardening, and making her own cleaning and personal care products.

Disclaimer

The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

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