Ask Kitty
Hello Everyone,
We are halfway through our “dreaming of gardening” month and while sorting letters, I found I have several from folks requesting safe weed killing information. So, here are my thoughts on the topic. You can never start too early on getting the weeds out!
Dear Would-be-weed-killers,
Here are a few great weed killer ideas that are completely organic/natural.
The easiest way is to put a 3 inch layer of mulch over the weeds. Don’t skimp. The mulch locks out the sunlight and weakens the weeds so they don’t have the strength to push through and grow.
Another good choice is walnut sawdust. It contains juglone, which is toxic to plants. It’s good for areas without other plants such as pathways and along buildings.
Next, let’s bring your tea kettle to a boil, because boiling water poured directly onto a weed will kill the weed without harming anything else in your yard. Now that we have boiled some weeds, let’s pickle a few weeds. Take straight vinegar (white works best) and a paint brush and paint the leaves of the weeds you want gone. Be very careful because the vinegar will wither any plant it comes in contact with.
Those are the best, easiest and most natural. There are recipes that call for salt but I don’t use them. Salt travels too easily through the soil and will kill everything near where the salt is placed.
So, despite the snow on the ground now, we are ready to battle those pesky weeds when they come!
Happy waiting-for-the-weeds,
Kitty
