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

[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 And you can throw the weeds in the compost bin.

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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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!