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The Garden FAQ Index |

What kind of weed killers should I use?

On one of the PBS garden shows, they used one or two onces of Gin and a few drops of dishwashing soap to a gallon of water. Mixed it up and said it would kill weeds. As most of us who taste the grape know, Gin is distilled from juniper berries which are supposed to be toxic to other green growning vegatation. I tried it, it did make the grass and weeds I sprayed a little sick looking (Hung over?), but it did not kill them. Maybe because I did not want to use some good Tan-Q, I used some of the generic stuff, real cheap.

I still think that this may have merit. Just not the right combo. I have used a little salt to get rid of thistles but I do not recommend that on a large scale, and this can be toxic to other plants. I have a water softener, and have noticed that even softend tap water is really not that great for some plants.

Ron Wenger
Aug 11, 1998

I use scalding hot water with good results. You have to be careful of your footing walking around the garden but it kills anything it touches and when it cools down it irrigates.

John Shedleski
Aug 10, 1998

Popular around my area near Perth, West Australia is small steam cleaners. As with hot water a blast of steam kills weeds. Some areas use tractor drawn steam generators for broadacre weed control. Works in gardens too provided you do not bake the plants you and the boss are trying to grow!

Graham Bell
Aug 17, 1998

Credit for information from the following sources: Denver Botanic Gardens, MSU Extension Office, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension