Homemade Weed Killers

The more laid back gardeners amongst us who refrain from a bit of good old fashioned weeding may be tempted to to reach for a bottle of Roundup. However these products contain harmful chemicals which are damaging to the environment and bad for you too! So why not try making your very own murderous concoctions using simple everyday ingredients from your cupboards. They are all very effective methods and eco-friendly. Of course you could always just learn to love that annoyingly indestructible dandelion which keeps reappearing on your patio. Our obsession for neat and immaculate gardens has sadly had a huge impact on our British wildlife. Nature is often chaotic and untidy - but beautiful and fascinating too! Consider having a small patch in your garden where weeds can grow in peace. But if you really can't bring yourself to live in harmony with docks and dandelions try the following:

Hot Water

For an instant result pour boiling hot water directly on weeds to cook them on the spot. Even stubborn weeds cant survive a scalding and will be shrivelled and brown the following day. To avoid using a lot of electricity why not use the boiling water leftover after cooking.

Vinegar or Salt

Cheap cooking salt is effective for patios or driveways, pour directly into the cracks for best effects and water a little. Remember that large amounts of salt will make soil unsuitable for any plants, not just weeds. This makes salt the most effective method for preventing weeds from returning. Adding only small pinches of salt should dilute to safe levels within a few rainfalls. Vinegar works too and can be added to a spray bottle diluted with some water.

Newspaper

Newspaper/tarpaulin/black bin liners can all be used to cover weeds, blocking out the light. The weeds will eventually die although this method takes longer than others. Good for weeds within plant borders where the other methods would kill everything.

Hand Sanitiser

Rubbing alcohol, sold in small bottles for killing germs on your hands, can also be rubbed onto the leaves of weeds to dehydrate them. Again good for when you don't want to harm surrounding plants by treating the soil.

Washing up liquid

Not a weed killer by itself but is useful as a gel to adhere other ingredients to the leaves of weeds. Try mixing in salt or hand sanitiser and painting on to weeds.

Ground Cover

Weeds will pop up wherever there is opportunity and no competition for resources. Try covering bare patches with plants that like to spread such as heather and various alpines. Alternatively cover borders with bark which will block out light. 

Please remember that most methods are not selective - protect surrounding plants when applying!

Garden Snails

This handsome chap was so rudely awoken when i spotted him snoozing on a giant Allium leaf. The latin name for a garden snail is Helix Aspersa, and did you know they have a top speed of 1.3cm per second? Mucus produced by snails protects their soft body from harm and even allows them to cross a razor blade unscathed. Snail Mucus is supposedly the next big thing in skincare due to it containing collagen, antibodies and other such "good stuff". As much as i like them i won't be slapping snail mucus on my face any time soon!

I am so awfully fond of them because i had a pet African land snail as a child - so this one won't be taking a flying lesson over into the neighbours garden today. Apparently they can live up to 20 years and have strong homing instincts; imagine how many times you have lobbed that same snail over the fence!

The Mouse Hotel

At easter i went home to my parents farmhouse, although as it happens i wasn't the only visitor. I had been well informed of the recent invasion of tiny squeaking and pattering feet in one of the outbuildings. Being where our 3 pet rabbits are kept, the constant supply of food and fresh hay must have been just too tempting in comparison with the damp of the surrounding field. 

As i entered the barn, i was met by a host of beady black eyes and oversized ears from just about every surface, nook and cranny. The numerous field mice froze and inspected me suspiciously, like they expected me to come bearing dinner, before continuing to scuttle about anamused. I couldn't quite believe my eyes as i counted at least two dozen at once (my mum tells me there are now four generations of mice.) Of course she is quite to blame for providing them with a comfy carboard box and extra tit-bits every evening at 8 o'clock. Inadvertantly creating Morebattle's very own five star mouse hotel.

I made this little film of them to show you, although the lighting is not great. They very much enjoyed the galaxy chocolate bar stuck down with ample marmalade (the first time i tried the little thieves just carried off the chocolate within mere seconds)

We decided to half the population so i made a second "mouse house" at the bottom of the garden using old flower pots and heaped grass cuttings. I scooped up a dozen or so in a cardboard box and set off to release them into the great wilderness. However i fear they legged it back to the barn and their cosy box well before i even made it up the garden.