If you’re looking for a way to get rid of pesky weeds in your yard without harming your beloved pets, making your own homemade weed killer is a great solution.
Many store-bought herbicides contain toxic chemicals like glyphosate that can be dangerous if ingested by animals. Luckily, whipping up a pet-safe weed killer using common household ingredients is easy and effective.
Why Make Your Own Pet-Friendly Weed Killer?
Some products contain glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer in humans (ref) and can be toxic to pets if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Homemade solutions use natural ingredients that are much safer.
In addition, making your own weed killer costs pennies per application, saving you money in the long run, especially if you have a large yard to maintain.
Another advantage of mixing your own formula is the ability to customize the potency to tackle tougher weeds or dilute it for use in more sensitive areas. You can also add ingredients to boost effectiveness.
Key Ingredients for DIY Weed Killer
To make a pet-safe weed killer, you’ll need:
- White vinegar: The acetic acid in vinegar burns foliage on contact and works best in warm, sunny conditions. Higher concentrations (10-20%) work fastest, but household white vinegar (5%) can still get the job done with repeated applications.
- Salt: Regular table salt or Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) will dehydrate leaves and can keep weeds from re-sprouting. However, it can build up in the soil over time, so use judiciously to avoid long-term damage to nearby grass and plants.
- Dish soap: A few drops of liquid dish soap act as a surfactant to help the vinegar and salt solution adhere to weed leaves for maximum impact. Choose a natural, biodegradable soap without extra additives.
- Optional add-ins: For extra potency, you can include other acidic ingredients like lemon juice or citrus oil. Some recipes also call for essential oils, like clove or peppermint.
Step-by-Step Mixing & Application Instructions
Assemble your ingredients and follow these simple steps:
- Combine 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of salt, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap in a large spray bottle. (Adjust the amount if you need a smaller batch.)
- Secure the spray top and shake vigorously until the salt fully dissolves.
- On a warm, sunny day between 11am-2pm, thoroughly douse the leaves of each weed you want to eliminate. Take care to avoid spraying grass or other desirable vegetation.
- Wait 2-3 days and re-apply the solution if needed. Stubborn weeds may take a few treatments to wither completely.
- Rinse away any accidental overspray on surrounding plant life with clean water.
Tips for Effective Use & Precautions
While this homemade weed killer is safer for pets than chemical herbicides, there are still some best practices to keep in mind:
- Spot-spray weeds individually rather than spraying large swaths of ground. This minimizes salt accumulation in your soil.
- Don’t apply before expected rain or your sprinkler schedule. Moisture will rinse away the weed-killing mixture before it can work.
- Monitor the treatment area and re-apply only when necessary to avoid overuse.
- Wear gloves to prevent skin irritation, and don’t breathe in the spray.
- Keep pets and children out of the treatment zone until the liquid has dried completely.
- Don’t allow pets to ingest dead weed debris.
- Make a fresh batch of solution each time rather than storing extras, as the salt may corrode your spray bottle.
Limitations & When to Try Other Methods
A vinegar-based homemade herbicide works best on newly sprouted, shallow-rooted weeds.
For larger, well-established weeds, it may cause the leaves to shrivel but likely won’t penetrate deep enough to kill the root system permanently. You may need to hand-pull them post-treatment.
This spray will harm any grass, flowers, or shrubs it touches, so only use it for spot treatment of weeds in sidewalk cracks, along fence lines, and in gravel or mulch beds.
A Pet-Safe Solution for a Weed-Free Yard
Making your own pet-safe weed killer with vinegar, salt and soap is a cheap, easy way to tackle weeds without risking harm to your furry friends. Remember, it’s most effective against small, annual weeds and should be used carefully to avoid damaging other plants.
Incorporate this DIY solution into your regular yard maintenance for occasional spot control as part of an overall strategy for a lush, weed-free lawn that’s safe for the whole family.
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.