The Truth about DIY Vinegar Weed Killer

Does vinegar weed killer work?
I made a mixture of 1 Gallon vinegar, 1 cup of salt, and a tablespoon dishsoap.
My original conclusion was that this was a good weed killer. After more extensive testing, I have found that vinegar is NOT a good nor effective weed killer. I also look at some reports about the glysophate in Round-up. Does it cause Cancer? I also compare vinegar to round-up and weed b gone. See who wins!
Alley Picked Merchandise: simpletoncreat...

[@Feakre]

Thanks for the followup and for confirming that vinegar really is useless for proper weed killing. What it does is to look effective because it can quickly cause leaf browning. What it doesn't do is actually kill plants at the root level.

[@amck72]

Leaf browning means the leaf itself is dying so it`s not useless.

[@merryhunt9153]

You are right about pulling weeds, but when you pull them, you loosen the soil and make it easier than ever for buried weeds to germinate. I like to pull weeds and then sprinkle pre-emergent herbicide (such as Preen), which kills the next generation of weeds when they are still tiny. Neglected land such as that strip next to the garage will contain hundreds of weed seeds. You need to get rid of surface weeds then plant something which will blanket the surface.

[@kayo5291]

@@merryhunt9153 I let the weeds grow free in my raised beds this year. Some of them are really beautiful. Interestingly, I never had such happy tomatoes!!

[@CoRin-o4v]

The beauty of using Round-up is not its ability kill weeds forever. It was developed for farmers that needed a herbicide that would kill a weed without doing harm to the soil. In other words, a farmer would use it to wet the leaves of a weed which would absorb the herbicide through its cell structure to kill the weed's root. What herbicide which landed on the soil would evaporate and disappear from the soil within three days. This enabled the Farmer to replant his crop without harming the new crop.

[@anguslean4058]

You have to add liquid detergent soap ( dawn ) and also add salt to the vinegar. The salt adds acidity and the soap acts as a surfactant keeping the vinegar and salt on the plants. Over the counter vinegar will work this way But 20% or 30% vinegar works much faster You also want to add salt and liquid soap to that mixture for the same reasons.

[@Bob-d5j]

I saw another video that added borax to your mixture. That formula seemed to work pretty well. It’s worth a try as it’s not very expensive to make.

[@EdKrisiak]

I used vinegar at 45% and it definitely worked EXCEPT on poison ivy.

[@amck72]

So what did you use for poison ivy ?

[@BenThompson-o2j]

I am 81 years old, and I have been using Round Up all my life and I am not dead yet.

[@JohnSnow-vf8jo]

don't speak too soon.

[@jameswalker590]

It gets in the water and poisons the rest of us. You likely don't ingest it while using it.

[@Doofus171]

@@JohnSnow-vf8jo He simply poisoned the younger generations after him with a chemical that takes 50 years to self-eliminate.

[@Cloudbreak1969]

😂​@@JohnSnow-vf8jo

[@ramnik.khanna]

@Alley Picked, direct sunlight on and the moisture in the area where the vinegar concoction is sprayed on the weeds has a major effect on the results.

[@amck72]

Which is why is most likely didn`t get great results

[@patrickgreen7308]

I use vinegar full strength, mix a lot of salt and teaspoon of dish soap Working great

[@boogiegirl4276]

How long does the 30% vinegar solution last. I have used Round Up, and it lasted 4 months. Round Up kills weeds in an hour and is not affected by rain. Regardless, it lasts 4 months. 😅😅😅 In comparison, how long does the vinegar formula last?? I have been told to use 30% acidity vinegar, 2 TBS of Dawn dishwasher liquid & and a cup of salt. What is your formula?

[@johnbauer5298]

I have been using straight vinegar for 5 years and it kills all of my Florida weeds, no exceptions.

[@CarolGrimm-t8o]

I use straight white household vinegar to kill dandelions and other large weeds. I pour it in an empty peroxide bottle because it has a tiny hole and can be directed to the middle of the weed, killing it right down to the root. I also use it to kill weeds growing at the curb and coming through rocks. Works very good and very easy.

[@SunnyHyatt]

I live in Central Florida, so our weed season is long! I pour regular table salt between sidewalk and driveway cracks and between pavers around our pool. I do this about 2 times a year usually in March and July. We have rock around our landscaped beds. I use the 6 month Preen pre-emergent granules in those areas by March and reapply in August.

[@rtile9053]

The videos I saw were white vinegar, salt, and Dawn Liquid detergent, I mixed my own up without the salt because I forgot it.😂 I also used a lot more of the Dawn than they recommended. Sprayed it on my gravel driveway that was starting to look like a lawn and also in my backyard, and it killed almost everything. Granted a couple of applications we're used, but it worked! And I did it without the salt. So next time, I'll use the salt as well, and I'll be weed free. One thing I think that contributed to my success is that it has to have direct sunlight and warm temperature. And no rain for a few days.

[@user-py6jt8qz4u]

best if you use only blue dawn

[@rtile9053]

@@user-py6jt8qz4u It was

[@LarryRichelli]

How long does roundup remain in the soil, before one can plant again.

[@claudiamm7849]

I use vinegar to grow plants, soap kills bugs, bakingsoda kills fungus and some plants love salt. I live in arizona so rainy season short so just pull the weeds after rain yard is small and no chemicals on my yard You can make your own vinegar with natural fruit, veg, and sugar the more sugar the higher acidic. Well there is a benefit to sugar... who knew. Salt makes vinegar too.

[@sandrawalker2066]

Labor intensive have to pull out weeds and get out roots and dig out a layer dirt a foot deep apply salt and lay down a layer of gravel or pea stone to prevent weeds growing back

[@Doofus171]

You didnt use enough salt in the solution. Its not the vinegar that kills the weeds, its the salt. The salt and vinegar mixed together makes an metal etcher solution, adding dawn makes the solution enter the plant cells. The salt ratio should be 2 - 3 cups of salt for every 1 liter of liquid and the liquid should at least be more than half vinegar.

[@amck72]

So pretty much I would need about 7 cups of salt for every gallon of liquid (in this case the vinegar).

[@3847CAK]

The dish soap is actually an adherence.

[@Joe-Skier]

I live in Montana and have all sorts of weeds. 30% vinegar kills all if them. Im wondering if your vinegar was truly 30%

[@quirkygreece]

Does the PH of the soil make a difference? Or the general composition of the soil?

[@ianschulze1461]

I agree with vinegar working on some weeds, but not others. I’ve used the 20 or 30% vinegar and it works where I need it to.

[@CalmNCurious]

Will vinegar kill weeds without salt. I'm afraid that my grass will not grow if I use that much salt.

[@lynnd627]

having watched your first video recommending vinegar, now with this position, shouldn't you delete that video? since it doesn't work

[@mryan4452]

He prob makes money from these videos. I'd imagine he prefers to make money and have misleading videos out there, rather than not make money and have accurate quality videos.

[@beneficialmeditations4832]

I work at a church, and used 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup of salt & 1 table spoon of dawn dish liquid, but I refuse to use anything that could harm the animals next door (they have 2 doggies I bring slim jim's to) Churches don't make as much money as the media would have you brainwashed into... and no we don't wanna hurt the neighbors fur babies either! I have been pretty happy with the vinegar results, and the dogs still bark at me when I first get there, but no one is getting hurt me or the dogs

[@lunallena5594]

Thanks for the recipe. What type of vinegar do you use (regular distilled vinegar 5%, 30% or 45%)?

[@beneficialmeditations4832]

@@lunallena5594 White Vinegar

[@beneficialmeditations4832]

@@lunallena5594 grocery store food grade distilled vinegar... if I can't use it on myself, I can't use it near the neighbors fur babies

[@beneficialmeditations4832]

@@lunallena5594 trick is to keep an eye on the weather... it has to be a day that's like 80 degrees no chance of rain... Since I do alot of landscaping there I am always watching the weather patterns, to see whats going on, because if it gets diluted instead of cooking the pesky weeds you can't win

[@lunallena5594]

@beneficialmeditations4832 Thank you very, very much for the details!! I live in an HOA that is picky about lawns, and I also don't want to hurt our environment. Appreciate your help!!

[@lakerdigital]

He was using a spray bottle to administer the 30% vinegar concoction. I don't think he applied enough. You need to use a pump or electric sprayer so you can apply enough.

[@germanshepherddoglover6162]

He needed to add a little dawn dish soap in order for the vinegar to stick to the weeds and do the job too.

[@cowcountry7007]

If you have 40 acres to spray, ya gotta go to the heavy hitters.

[@kayo5291]

Roundup - no, never. Weeds are not THAT bad.

[@kayo5291]

@samm.460 No I don’t, actually.

[@kayo5291]

@samm.460 There are things I can’t control. Scary. Still saying “never” to roundup.

[@amck72]

You should see the poison ivy marks on my arms

[@kayo5291]

@@amck72 I’ll bet! My arm got it bad last spring, weeping blisters and pus. Gross! I pulled the PI out after that. Are you saying you use roundup on it?

[@sandy7m]

I put down road salt or table salt. Sprinkle over weeds a couple of times over a week. Obliterates weeds down to the roots. Cheep as chips

[@SunnyHyatt]

If I had an area like yours between a garage and a fence, I would spread rock salt! That would work all season long!

[@allenletizia321]

Roundup I have well water try to stay away from using it . Far as pulling them up is clover spread out hard to pull up. Then you have nut grass say do not pull them cause come back even more less you get the nut out . Tubes spread out even more. Wait until fall and plug it all up try get grass seed in . Scratch all up also lose soil . Thanks

[@stevewilkins5418]

Use all chemicals wisely. All have risk and benefits. Protect yourself. We all use chemicals everyday.

[@hangdogit]

Anyone using 45% Vinegar - the fumes are horrible so use outside only - and wind helps. Or a respirator.

[@AprilOuellette-bs5zi]

The vinegar didn't work here. It actually made it bigger. It actually thrived on the vinegar

[@MushtaqAhmad-jg3bn]

Please can you use disl

[@givemethemusicd]

You gotta add salt and soap to the vinegar my dude.

[@AlleyPicked]

I did use soap and salt. I called it a "vinegar concoction" and it was written on the bottle I sprayed.

[@andy_k8930]

Hi I made my homemade weed killer using rock salt white vinegar the salt doesn't dissolve very fast Is there anything I can do to get it to dissolve faster?

[@keefsmiff]

Boiling hot water when you mix and use while still hot

[@MC7791]

I pulled out the weeds, sprayed a weed killer and some came back. I got the roots out the first time. Now what?

[@AlleyPicked]

Welcome to the world of weeds. Some always come back. In the 3 sections on my video where I sprayed, I have weeds also. I believe I read on a round-up bottle, "guaranteed to last for 3 months" :-(

[@mustelina]

Seeds. This is why total eradication only occurs over several reproductive cycles

[@eternalricemuncher]

I think its absolutely nuts that people are putting soap and vinegar into the soil saying it will save insects. Making the soil filled with acidic liquid

[@derekk2708]

Brought to you by ' Bayer'.

[@barbaravanerp4598]

I’m going to do vinegar mixture and then torch

[@BOYNAVARRO-c2v]

Use 100 % vinegar

[@tommcgivern8020]

Why did it work the first time?

[@AlleyPicked]

On some weeds, it kills the foilage but not the roots. I didn't wait long enough to see that some of the weeds came back green in a couple weeks. The effectiveness of vinegar seems to be hit or miss.

[@Bigfoot14000]

Weed B Gone is a selective herbicide, engineered to attach broad leaf weeds. It is intended for use in grass lawns, where it will kill broad leaf weeds without doing significant damage to grass if applied as instructed. It is not an appropriate treatment for the test area you used in your demonstration. Your intentions may be good but your method was not scientific.

[@AlleyPicked]

You are correct in that it is meant for lawns, however, the bottle says it "KILLS ALL TYPES OF WEEDS". The weeds don't know whether they are in the grass or amongst other weeds. If it kills "ALL" weeds, it should have at least killed some of mine. The real point to the video however was to see if vinegar can be used as an effective weed killer. Thanks for your feedback.

[@bdetrick1]

Yea it works with soap and vinegar but nothing at all like common weed killer.

[@PsychNurse.]

Don't burn . Don't weed wack. Don't touch.

[@robertogarcia3488]

There is three for sure things in life, but there’s a fourth which is problems some people love to have problems or claim not to like problems but they just love to keep on making running into them or imagining problems. It could be an addiction. Anyways there is four for sure things in life, death taxes weet and problems

[@CitizenBeep]

Never use salt to kill weeds. It kills the soil.

[@stageiiwappie950]

I just use salt its cheaper than vinegar. Vinegar is not needed

[@Saturn-Matrix]

Round up is toxic by definition.

[@AlleyPicked]

updated vinegar video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5i3qZqOrLp3b5I

[@alexgonzaga2065]

Use 100% sol

[@ginandtonicpro]

Useless video. Test samples not the same. And before and after only on the vinegar. It's well established that vinegar needs to be thoroughly mixed with salt and dish soap added at the end. Easy look up as to why. Then use a sprayer that is designed to spray acidic liquid and apply 2-3 times a season. Far cheaper, and far less damage to the soil.

[@HieuNguyen-dg9gd]

I used roundup, the concentrated ones and it worked best.

[@1kreature]

Come on LOL. Even WATER has chemicals in it. Acetic acid (vinegar) is also a chemical yet we like it on food. Both herbicides and pesticides are about finding as mundane and safe chemicals as possible that have the wanted effect on the targeted plant/pest. Alternatively you can go weeding, nobody stops you.

[@kaycholly326]

Dont want weeds? Eat them. They will be out of ur garden and youll save at grocery store. Sometimes youll find weeds at the grocery store aka dandelion greens. They taste good and healthy

[@maxinehardy9411]

heck yeah sister

[@8kigana]

Yep my goats agree, just can't let them near the rose bushes or patio😆

[@mustelina]

Pokeweed not healthy. Poison ivy not healthy.

[@kaycholly326]

Dont want weeds? Eat them. They will be out of ur garden and youll save at grocery store. Sometimes youll find weeds at the grocery store aka dandelion greens. They taste good and healthy

[@maxinehardy9411]

heck yeah sister

[@kaycholly326]

Dont want weeds? Eat them. They will be out of ur garden and youll save at grocery store. Sometimes youll find weeds at the grocery store aka dandelion greens. They taste good and healthy

[@maxinehardy9411]

heck yeah sister

[@kaycholly326]

Dont want weeds? Eat them. They will be out of ur garden and youll save at grocery store. Sometimes youll find weeds at the grocery store aka dandelion greens. They taste good and healthy

[@maxinehardy9411]

heck yeah sister

[@mryan4452]

I find dandelion root disgusting, tried it as an alternative to coffee not for me🤢