Garden Weeds

A patch of scalloped, purple-flowered plants shows up in the lawn in April. Someone sprays it with a product sold for creeping Charlie, and by June the patch has either vanished on its own or come back thicker. Both outcomes point to the same mistake: the plant was never creeping Charlie. Several weeds borrow its … Read more

Most weeds in gravel aren’t growing up from the soil underneath. They’re growing in the thin layer of dust, leaf litter, and decayed organic debris that settles between the stones. Seeds blow in, land in that debris, and sprout with very little to hold them back. Fallen leaves, dirt, and other debris collect in the … Read more

The vinegar in your pantry and the vinegar sold as a weed killer are not the same product, and the difference decides whether you get a wilted patch of weeds or nothing at all. Standard white vinegar is about 5% acetic acid. Bottles labeled as horticultural or herbicidal vinegar run much higher, commonly 20% or … Read more

A weed that has browned by lunchtime has not necessarily been killed. That is the catch with most homemade weed killers: they scorch whatever leaves they touch, and a dandelion, thistle, or patch of bindweed with a healthy root system simply sends up fresh growth a couple of weeks later. The recipe gets blamed, or … Read more

Spray vinegar on a weed in the morning sun, and the leaves can look scorched by afternoon. That fast result is why vinegar has such a reputation as a weed killer. It is also why people get frustrated a week later, when the same weed is putting out fresh green growth. Both outcomes are real. … Read more

Spray vinegar on grass and the foliage should brown within 24 hours, whatever the concentration. That quick result is why so many people think vinegar is a reliable grass killer. What happens over the next few weeks is less impressive. The brown blades often stay brown, but the plant underneath frequently survives and sends up … Read more

The leaves curl, turn tan, and go crisp by the next morning. The patch looks dead. Then, ten days to three weeks later, a green shoot pushes up from the exact same spot, often looking healthier than before. That isn’t a failed batch of vinegar or bad luck. It’s what vinegar does, and what it … Read more