It’s that time of year when gardeners do battle with weeds popping up all over the place in the hot weather.
As well as ripping them from lawns, weeds also pop up all over patios, driveways and even in the cracks along the foundations of your house.
Go to any garden centre or DIY store and you’ll find all sorts of flashy and brightly coloured (and expensive) solutions to garden weeds, with everything from root control to 24 hour killers to non-glysophate, the lattermost of which is supposed to be safer for bees.
And garden experts are always sharing special ways to get rid of weeds with homemade solutions: white vinegar and salt solutions being the most common.
But even white vinegar costs money and it’s not great for the environment – it will kill any bee which touches it.
How to kill weeds without weedkiller or chemicals
At a time when insect numbers are down by as much as 80%, it’s worth considering less damaging alternatives – and one is totally free and only needs one common household appliance.
One way to kill weeds is to pour boiling water over them using one everyday kitchen appliance: your kettle. Simply boil a kettle of water – which costs a few pence at most – and pour the water over every weed in your driveway.
As Unique Paving Materials says: “Another way to kill weeds is by merely pouring boiling water over them. This is a simple solution and is perfect to try out if you don’t have any materials on hand.
“Since boiling water can reach the taproot, you’re able to get rid of weeds permanently, and with it being a nontoxic method, there won’t be any long-term negative effects on the surrounding vegetation.”
This solution is backed up by researchers at Iowa State University.
Aaron Steil, specialist in horticulture, said: “Pouring boiling water on weeds can be used for control, especially in situations where other plants are not nearby, such as in cracks in patios or sidewalks. Boiling water will act as a contact “herbicide”, killing only the portion of the plant it comes in contact with. It will not kill roots or other plant parts in the soil. It is most effective on young, newly emerged annual weeds.
“Affected plants will wilt almost immediately after treatment, but plant parts in contact with the boiling water will not brown until one to two days later. Plants with established root systems will resprout after several days, at which time the boiling water can be applied again.
“Be careful not to splash or burn yourself with the boiling water, and remember that the boiling water will damage both weeds and desirable plants. A tea kettle is a good way to safely and precisely apply the boiling water directly to the weed. Use plenty of water and plan to retreat 7-10 days later, as one application rarely kills the entire plant, especially deep-rooted weeds.”
So it’s cheap, easy, and doesn’t harm anything other than the weed, and provides a permanent way to kill a weed – time to stick the kettle on.
