Using vinegar to kill weeds

My sister-in-law needs to regain control over her garden and she has a lot of annual and perennial weeds growing in the beds. She doesnt want to use chemical weedkillers because of the wildlife in her garden (badgers and foxes). Ive researched and found that an organic alternative is vinegar which when sprayed on the plant will kill it. I believe it needs to be mixed with washing up liquid. Anybody used vinegar on weeds and can confirm its success or otherwise. She has lots of bindweed, nettles, thistles, and established bramble as well as the annual weeds. I think the annuals can simply be hoed into the soil, and as long as they are not flowering or setting seeds, will just dissapear quietly as long as the ground is hoed regularly to stop them re-establishing.

The washing up liquid is to help it stick to the leaves-it may harm an annual weed but is never going to work on perennial weeds like thistles ,bindweed brambles etc

2 choices dig it out-hard work- and you need to get it all out- or use a glyphosate based weed like like Roundup-it becomes inactive on reaching the soil and will not harm wildlife

Ok it is a chemical -the world is made up of chemicals-as is vinegar- used properly it is safe -tough problems call for tough measures.

I have to agree with sotongeoff.  I am trying my best to be organic and have spent a lot of time hand-weeding our garden.  I have hand dug, sieved, applied cardboard mulch, you name it.

A local landscape gardener who is organic-friendly said that in his opinion there is NO alterative to spraying off the weeds on our gravel drive and under the fences etc. twice a year with glyphosphate.  Having spent a year NOT doing that, I'm afraid to say i have to agree with him.

As regards lawn weeds, I recently bought one of those Fiskears gizmos for pulling out plantains, dandelions etc. and they seem to work quite well, but you will end up with a few holes which you might have to fill in.

HI

I posted a question about this last week!  I found a frugal website that suggested this, I am currently trialing it at the front of the house.  Thus far the weeds are dead, however so is the surrounding lawn!

Hi,

I have been using vinegar to treat weeds on our patio very successfully, i used malt vinegar without diluting (Lidl sell pint bottles for 17p!)

It has worked a treat, dealing with most perenials as well as anuals, even hit the horsetail for six which is saying something, though I expect to see that again next year. One application on a dry day does the trick for several months.