# Spray Weeds With Vinegar?



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

Spray Weeds With Vinegar?
By Don Comis

Some home gardeners already use vinegar as a herbicide, and some garden stores sell vinegar pesticides. But no one has tested it scientifically until now.

Agricultural Research Service scientists offer the first scientific evidence that it may be a potent weedkiller that is inexpensive and environmentally safe--perfect for organic farmers.

ARS researchers Jay Radhakrishnan, John R. Teasdale and Ben Coffman in Beltsville, Md., tested vinegar on major weeds--common lamb's-quarters, giant foxtail, velvetleaf, smooth pigweed and Canada thistle--in greenhouse and field studies.

They hand-sprayed the weeds with various solutions of vinegar, uniformly coating the leaves. The researchers found that 5- and 10-percent concentrations killed the weeds during their first two weeks of life. Older plants required higher concentrations of vinegar to kill them. At the higher concentrations, vinegar had an 85- to 100-percent kill rate at all growth stages. A bottle of household vinegar is about a 5-percent concentration.

Canada thistle, one of the most tenacious weeds in the world, proved the most susceptible; the 5-percent concentration had a 100-percent kill rate of the perennial's top growth. The 20-percent concentration can do this in about 2 hours.

Spot spraying of cornfields with 20 percent vinegar killed 80 to 100 percent of weeds without harming the corn, but the scientists stress the need for more research. If the vinegar were sprayed over an entire field, it would cost about $65 per acre. If applied to local weed infestations only, such as may occur in the crop row after cultivation, it may only cost about $20 to $30.

The researchers use only vinegar made from fruits or grains, to conform to organic farming standards.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. 
Spray Weeds With Vinegar? / May 15, 2002 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

I've heard of using vinegar, but never tried it....yet. After reading this, think I'll try some on wild blackberries and what we call "wait-a-minute" vines. (Also known as Smilax). That stuff just laughs @ roundup, and drinks straight diesel.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I think I'll try some on Canadian Thistle.


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## Bret4207 (Mar 29, 2011)

There are different kinds of vinegar out there. I don't know if it's still around, but we used to be able to get "strong vinegar", which was a higher concentration of the good stuff. Of course these days it's probably a special order item needing a dozen permits like strong ammonia, strong iodine and what not.


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## ewalker (Apr 14, 2010)

I used Vinegar on gravel drive weeds last year, 1 gallon and 1 cup of salt. Weeds died in 1 day.


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## ewalker (Apr 14, 2010)

Forgot also 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, they say this helps the weeds absorb the spray


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

inexpensive and environmentally safe--perfect for organic farmers. ( ? )

I expect there could be all kinds of heart burn for the Organic World using Vinegar. First try to get by with a Distilled Vinegar aka made from petrolium. oops.

Then if really does work as advertised, eventually the vinigar will have to be made from fruit that are certified as organic.

Wonder if the true organic type will start using ethenal in their internal combustion engines, and insisting that be distilled from certified organicly grown grain or cane. ***

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* Indicates sarcasm. Ross Kooiker


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## charlesmontgomery (Jun 4, 2011)

ewalker said:


> I used Vinegar on gravel drive weeds last year, 1 gallon and 1 cup of salt. Weeds died in 1 day.


why bother with the vinegar as the salt killed the weeds by itself. aint you ever heard of putting a cup of salt down your sewer lines every once in a while to kill the grass and tree roots?


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

hay wilson in TX said:


> Wonder if the true organic type will start using ethenal in their internal combustion engines, and insisting that be distilled from certified organicly grown grain or cane.


They run 100% ethanol powered vehicles in Brazil. I haven't seen many studies on the resulting air pollution, but I saw one indicating that instead of providing better air quality, ethanol fuel could result in no measurable improvement, substituting one set of air pollutants for another, and possibly worsening air pollution overall. The good news is that it would be organic pollution. That should make the tree-huggers happy.


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Since ethanol is carbon base it's going to release co2 when you burn it. For the BTU value in ethanol and the amount of energy it takes to produce it I believe there is no benefit. I don't know what the figures are but it seems to me natural gas is cleaner. It is also abundant and is an almost totally wasted resource.
As far as making tree huggers happy thats not going to happen.
I had a conversation with a tree hugger once. His take on the subject was there are too many people. He said we needed a good plague or a massive reduction in population.
I said well I guess so as long as it's not me and you. Right? (sarcasm )
Most of them feel the same way.


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