An ugly weed ruins a beautiful garden. There are many ways to get rid of weeds without spending much money. Today, we’ll show you what they are. 

Stop Weeds From Germinating With Cornmeal or Polenta

Spread cornmeal or polenta onto your garden bed to stop weed seeds from germinating. Cornmeal stops seeds from germinating, so wait to use this method in a new vegetable garden until all the plants have taken root.

Use cornmeal to kill plant weeds.

Please don’t give them room to grow with weed-suppressive groundcovers. Professionals should consider these ground covers in their designs. If you landscape on your own, we have the answer to “What ground-covering plants are best?” Cornell University figured it out. The plants have been tested for how easy they are to start, how low-maintenance, and how well they stop weeds from growing. Here are some of their recommendations:

Blue Wood Sedge (Carex flaccosperma)

Leadwort (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides)

Liriope (Liriope spicata)

Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)

Coral Bells (Heuchera americana) ‘Chocolate Veil’

Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii) ‘Walker’s Low’

Autumn Goldenrod (Solidago sphacelata) ‘Golden Fleece’

Salvia (Salvia nemorosa / S. Sylvestris) ‘Blue Hill’

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) ‘The Blues’

Northern Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)

White Heath Aster (Aster ericoides) ‘Snow Flurry’

Two-row Stonecrop (Sedum spurium) ‘John Creech Boil water and pour it on the weeds. More enormous weeds may need three or four treatments to stop coming back. This is a low-cost, easy solution. Wear protective clothing to avoid getting the scalding hot water on your feet, legs, or hands. Some people say this method works better than vinegar. Give it a try!

Boiling water on garden weeds

It’s simple and it works. Boil water and pour it on the weeds. More enormous weeds may take three or four applications to stop returning, but it’s a low-cost, hassle-free solution. Wear protective clothing to avoid burns. Some people have seen this method work better than vinegar. Try it!

Mulch weeds to stop them from growing.

Weeds need light and warm soil to grow. Mulch stops weeds growing by blocking the light and warmth they need to survive. If you have weeds, remove them before you put down mulch. Spread a 3-inch layer of mulch to prevent weeds. Three inches is enough to keep weeds from sprouting. Mulch prevents weeds, keeps soil moist, and reduces watering needs by about 50%.

Garden Mulch

Use vinegar to drain moisture.

Acetic acid is a great weed killer but also kills plants. Acetic acid draws moisture out of weeds and plants. Vinegar works fast. In the sun, a weed or plant will usually brown up after a few hours. Be careful, though. Vinegar can kill weeds and plants. 

Garden Mulch

Kill or prevent weeds with newspaper. Cover weeds with old newspapers. A thick layer of newspaper stops weeds from sprouting.

Moisten the soil before applying the newspaper. Spray the newspaper, then add a layer of mulch to hide it. Earthworms will also come to your garden after you use the newspaper.

Grab some salt from the kitchen and apply it to the base of any weeds you want to see gone. Don’t water it. Let the rain do that.  

 Use DIY herbicidal soap. It won’t stain and can be used on driveways, walkways, patios, gravel, etc. It works fast and is suitable for gardens too. Mix equal parts dishwashing detergent, vinegar, and salt. Spray on affected areas as needed. Dishwashing detergent (or dish soap) helps the mixture stick to the plants. No salt? 

Be careful not to get any on your plants. This is another non-selective killer.

Pull them out by hand. It takes more time, but it helps avoid spreading seeds. Find gloves and a garden claw or sharp trowel at your local hardware store. Pull weeds by the root to prevent them from growing back.

That’s it! There are nine easy, natural ways to kill weeds around your home. Try them and see which one works best. We hope you enjoyed the lost and found it helpful.