Controlling Weeds - Naturally

Weeds are still coming up everywhere in gardens, but particularly in between cracks of sidewalks, driveways and patios. It’s easy for these annoying weeds to get ahead of you. Speaking from personal experience, if I don’t get out there every couple weeks or so, those darn weeds get a jumpstart on me.

The most popular method of controlling weeds is to douse them with a synthetic herbicide, such as RoundUp or Finale. But I prefer more natural methods of weed control whenever I can.

In a past column, I wrote about how something as simple as an old flathead screwdriver or putty knife can go a long way toward keeping these pesty weeds under control. Simply scrape the weeds out of cracks in the driveway, sidewalk and patio. What could be simpler than that?

If this mechanical method seems too tedious, try a blast from a homemade concoction. I’ve written about my inexpensive sulphate of ammonia weed-killing recipe in the past, too. Simply make a slurry seal of a few tablespoons (or handfuls, it really doesn’t matter) of sulphate of ammonia in water. As you probably know, sulphate of ammonia is usually used to fertilize the landscape, but – like anything else – if you use it in excess, it’s not good. The high nitrogen content in sulphate of ammonia will kill things rather easily when overused.

But there are other homemade concoctions, too. Try a blast of vinegar, for example. You can use vinegar full strength, sprayed from a plastic spray bottle. Another great weed killer is boiling water, which kills not only the weeds above ground, but also seeds waiting to germinate.

Alcohol is another good weed killer. No, I’m not recommending you waste good booze on weeds (or cheap booze for that matter). Mix a few tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to a quart of water and spray.

A strong dose of dishwashing soap mixed at a rate of five tablespoons per quart of water works wonders on weeds, especially when it’s applied on a really hot day.

Dishwashing soap, used at a lesser rate of a tablespoon per gallon, can also be used as a natural method of control on soft-bodied insects like aphids on roses. On a different vein of natural pest control, you can even buy live ladybugs or praying mantis egg cases to distribute in your garden. Some nurseries will periodically sells ladybugs and mantis eggs. However, you can also order them by mail from natpest.co.com over the Internet. Cost is $7.40 plus shipping for

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