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When the cold season arrives, killing weeds in the freezing weather is the last thing you want to do. Are you upset just thinking about managing those pesky weeds in your freezing backyard? Don’t worry; it doesn’t turn out that bad.
Perhaps the easiest way is to go for chemical herbicides, but you are environmental friendly gardener. Chemical weed killers are unsafe for you and your heath. Plus, they’ll hurt your wallet too. You can't afford to skip weed management too. Unmanaged weeds during the winter time will result in a full-blown weed disaster when spring comes.
But don’t worry any more, we’ll show you safe, cheap, and effective techniques.
Here are 3 organic ways to kill weeds in winter:
#1. Mulching
This method works best as a preparation for winter. You can do this towards the end of fall before it starts to get cold. In case you do this job in winter, remove snow on the grass surface is essential before placing the mulch. It can be time-consuming but the materials are easy to find and cheap (or even free). Use this if you want to cover large spaces with your plants on them.
Reference article: How to buy the best cheap 2 stage snow blower under $1000
What you need
- Mulch – You can use decaying leaves, shredded bark, compost, grass clippings, or straw
- Newspaper or recycled cardboard
- Water
Step by step
Step 1: Prepare your materials
Calculate how much you need so you won’t run out of materials while mulching your garden. One cubic yard of mulch is enough for 324 square feet of your garden at 1 inch depth.
Step 2: Clear the area
Sweep leaves from the lawn, remove visible weeds by hand. You don’t have to remove everything; you can keep flat weeds. Just get rid of the big ones and those located along the edges. Your goal is to keep your mulch layer as flat as possible.
Step 3: Spread the newspapers on the ground
Make the layers thick if you don’t intend to plant anything in the area. Around 4 sheets are sufficient. Overlap the newspapers so that no ground is showing. A missed spot will encourage weed growth.
Step 4: After covering one portion, spray the newspapers with water
Soak it well until they are completely wet.
Step 5: Cover the newspapers with mulch
Evenly spread mulch over the layers of the newspaper until everything is covered. The mulch needs to be around 3 inches thick. Cover the base of your plants but be careful not to smother them. Make sure no newspaper or weed is showing.
Step 6: Use cardboards to suppress weeds in a longer period
The steps will be the same with newspapers. Using cardboards can keep weed out for as long as two years.
#2. Home-made Weed Killer
This method is easy and safe to use even during winter. Just be careful not to include your plants when spraying because the natural herbicide is non-selective. Do not use it over actively-growing turf.
What you need
- 1 liter Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of natural dish soap
- Optional: 5 drops of essential oils like citrus and thyme
- Garden Sprayer
Step by step
- Mix the vinegar, dish soap, and essential oils in a container.
- Transfer the solution into a garden sprayer.
- Spray the solution directly on the weeds. Reapply as needed until the weeds die.
If you don’t want to do the formulation yourself, you can also buy this ready-made 20% Vinegar Herbicide. It has 20% acetic acid, unlike the household vinegar with only 5% acetic acid. Apply it just like how you'd apply the homemade weed killer.
#3. Weed Torch
This technique is best used during winter because applying it in other seasons might cause an unwanted fire. It is a quick and easy way to get rid of weeds in cemented areas or in between gravels.
What you need
- Propane Vapor Torch Kit (our top 5 recommendations)
- Propane Tank
Step by step
- Assemble the torch kit.
- Test if everything is fitted well and adjust accordingly.
- Put on the torch until it turns into blue flame with an orange tip.
- Point the torch towards the weeds until they get burned.
- Do these until all weeds in cemented areas are eliminated.
If you follow the steps above, there'll be no need to worry about your garden or lawn being teemed by weeds when spring time comes. Not mentioned above is the manual removal of the weeds using your hands. This way, you won’t need to spend anything and you’re sure that the weeds are thoroughly removed. This is a great way to warm up during non-snowy winter days! Organic weed eradication is the best for your family, your pets, and the environment.
Did you enjoy this tutorial? Let me know what you think in the comment section and feel free to share if you find this useful!
