Organic Weed Killer that works?

[itself]

I HATE Roundup, and really don't want to use any pesticides around my house. Those stupid weeds that pop up by one's concrete walkway and driveway, those are the beasts I'm after.

Anyone had any success with an organic weed killer?

Thanks!

Lisa :)

[tulip]

Pull them up by hand. If they are in the cracks of your sidewalk or driveway, it's not like pulling up a whole lawn. After a nice rain, it's actually quite relaxing and Zen-like. If you keep up with the weeding, it won't get overwhelming.

[Running Mommy]

out here we use corn gluten. But that is more of a pre-emmergant.

[jobob]

Roundup is an herbicide, not a pesticide.

[derailed]

Corn gluten to prevent seed setting, and vinegar for outright plant murder.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Like Tulip said- pull them by hand. If you do a good job you may only need to do it twice a year. A dandelion weeder/spade is a handy tool for it too:
dandelion weeder (http://www.thegardenersshop.co.uk/ekmps/shops/thegardeners/images/dandelion_weeder_2.jpg)

[itself]

Yep, been pulling them by hand the last two days. What's amazing is despite the lack of rain here in Arizona, we still have weeds!

Hey, I love the corn gluten idea as a pre-emergent. How do you mix and with what?

Also, what mix of vinegar to water?

Thanks for the ideas!

Lisa

[Biciclista]

and for something really awful, use bleach (like blackberries growing out of a crack in the rocks). You'll have to repeat applications, but even a blowtorch didn't kill this stinker.

[salsabike]

I was told by a landscape gardener that Burn Out II was relatively benign. It has clove oil, citric acid, and sodium lauryl sulfate. However, this gardener also thought Round Up was not a big deal. I did use the Burn Out and it worked fine, and my hope is that she is right about it being relatively benign.

There are some weed situations where hand pulling is very difficult or has a really low success rate--in cement cracks, in gravel, etc.---when you can't get the root out. I expect that's why the OP was asking.

[Aquila]

I use some salt on the worst weeds in my driveway. Compared to the amount of salt on the roads around here in winter, my few tablespoons can't be too dangerous, I hope.

[sgtiger]

Also, what mix of vinegar to water?

Lisa

Full strength and it works best if it's done on a sunny day. Re-apply after any rain until the weed is gone. If regular table vinegar(>5%) doesn't work, you can get a stronger solution of acetic acid(~10%) at gardening centers. Remember to read the directions for it and take the necessary precautions.

[tulip]

You can really get those weeds out, roots and all, with the dandelion weeder that Bleeker showed. And you really will have to do it only once in a big way, and then keep up with it every few months. It also has the benefit of providing instant gratification. You have to wait for the vinegar to work, if it works at all.

I'll use RoundUp on poison ivy, but that's it.

[divingbiker]

For the weeds that grow between the cracks in my brick sidewalk (where a dandelion puller won't fit), I use a 5-in-1 painter's tool (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=176763-995-3490189&lpage=none). The hooked end grabs the weeds and pulls them out. It's oddly therapeutic when I'm in the right mood.

[Jolt]

and for something really awful, use bleach (like blackberries growing out of a crack in the rocks). You'll have to repeat applications, but even a blowtorch didn't kill this stinker.

Blackberries? That sounds like a not-so-awful weed to me!

[Biciclista]

Blackberries? That sounds like a not-so-awful weed to me!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2326155462_c7fa4eb926.jpg?v=0

when blackberries (the Kudzu of the Pacific NW are allowed to grow, they can cover your car and your house and all of your property. Their roots go down several feet. Once they're in a rock wall, they're there forever.

[spokewench]

blowtorch?

[Jolt]

Biciclista--

Yikes!! Those plants are out of control. Now I see what you mean...talk about too much of a good thing!

[Norse]

Anybody have any ideas for Creeping Charlie? Our former neighbor, a sweet but eccentric old lady, thought that the purple flowers of Creeping Charlies were "just lovely" so she let it go wild in her yard and of course it spilled over to ours, which is now hopelessly infested. I am thinking we might have to tear out the yard and start over. We live uphill from a pond so I never use anything harsh.

[NbyNW]

I've heard of people pouring boiling water slowly over dandelions that come up through the cracks in driveways and other paved areas. I think I tried it once, and I don't remember giving the weeds a second thought in a long while.

[short cut sally]

I use boiling water with a good helping of salt. you may have to repeat a time or two.. works for me;)

[GLC1968]

Goats? :p

And since I moved from Kudzu central to blackberry central - I can say with all confidence that the blackberries are WORSE because they are extremely painful. The thorns are like little barbed knives and they go right through heavy leather work gloves!

[newfsmith]

Full strength and it works best if it's done on a sunny day. Re-apply after any rain until the weed is gone. If regular table vinegar(>5%) doesn't work, you can get a stronger solution of acetic acid(~10%) at gardening centers. Remember to read the directions for it and take the necessary precautions.

Or you can boil the vinegar and pour it on. It works well on our patio between the pavers.

[Biciclista]

Goats? :p

And since I moved from Kudzu central to blackberry central - I can say with all confidence that the blackberries are WORSE because they are extremely painful. The thorns are like little barbed knives and they go right through heavy leather work gloves!

Goats might be practical in a field of blackberries, but for us urban gardeners with stone walls, I don't see how it would work because the blackberries will come right back.
I haven't heard any of the east coasters talking about poison ivy, which is invasive and VERY dangerous for some people. You can't even burn it, because the smoke is toxic (carries the itch stuff). I'd hate to have to deal with that. At least blackberries (the whole plant) are edible. :p

[GLC1968]

Mimi - I was totally kidding about the goats. ;) Vinegar is way cheaper and doesn't require sturdy fencing. :p

I think the difference with poison ivy is that it generally grows in places with horribly cold winter temps that keep it from becoming kudzu/blackberry rampant. We did have poision ivy growing up the front of our tudor style house when I was a kid in Michgan. My dad had to pull it down and both he and I managed to get enough of the 'juice' on ourselves for a NASTY case of it. First and last time I've ever gotten a rash from it (thank goodness).

[Trek420]

Pull them up by hand. If they are in the cracks of your sidewalk or driveway, it's not like pulling up a whole lawn. After a nice rain, it's actually quite relaxing and Zen-like. If you keep up with the weeding, it won't get overwhelming.

Weeding is great exercise also good for your range of motion :D And you can throw the weeds in the compost bin.

If that feels too organic for you; eat some junk food while you weed. :p

[sundial]

Blackberries are very tenacious plants. I hired a guy to bring his loader to wipe out a big patch of them growing in the backyard. You can't kill them short of a nuclear bomb. :mad:

[Tuckervill]

Roundup doesn't work on poison ivy around these parts. You have to get the stuff specific to poison ivy. I buy it by the gallon!

Also, if you do have poison ivy in your yard, or get exposed to it some other way, there is this stuff called Tec-nu that washes the oil off (it's watered down zinc oxide, I think). You should wash right after you get exposed, because it can spread easily from point to point.

Karen