24 October 2023 , 11:53
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As the winter chill starts to take hold, it can feel as though nothing will grow in your garden except the pesky weeds that are impossible to get rid of. If you're trying to get your outdoor space ready to survive the winter so it can flourish in spring, then you'll want to keep on top of these weeds and get rid of them as soon as they pop up.
But you don't have to splash out on pricey weed killers to get rid of the unwanted plants. According to gardening experts, there are much cheaper alternatives that can kill weeds "instantly" - and you may even have some of the items needed in your kitchen cupboards already.
Gena Lorainne, gardening pro at Fantastic Services, explained to The Express that white vinegar can be used to "instantly destroy" weeds in your garden, but because the solution can be so potent on weeds, it should only be used to kill weeds in your patio - as you don't want it to soak into the soil in your flowerbeds and affect your other plants.
The expert said: "To treat the patio weeds with vinegar, you must dilute it with water. The best possible proportion here is one part vinegar and two parts water. Then just pour it over the cracks, aiming for the middle sections of the weeds. The vinegar, combined with the sun, will dry them out in an hour or so."
White vinegar is available at Tesco for as little as 29p, while Asda only stocks the pricier Sarsons branded white vinegar, which costs £1.25. But using white vinegar isn't the only way to kill weeds quickly and effectively, as there's another solution that might be even cheaper - boiling water.
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Again, this trick should only be used on patio weeds because the scalding water would kill your regular plants too if used in flowerbeds and pots. Gena explained: "Boiling water is a very aggressive and quite effective method to get rid of weeds from hard-to-reach places. This is simply because the hot water can destroy practically every plant, no matter how tough and meaty its leaves are.
"This solution is never used around regular plants because it would kill them instantly too. Using boiling water to kill weeds is quite easy – you just need to boil some water and pour it on the patio while aiming for the cracks where the weeds live."
The expert even said you can use vodka to kill the weeds in your patio - but again, never use this in a flowerbed as you could kill your normal plants. Vodka definitely isn't as cheap as white vinegar or boiling water, but if you happen to have some lying around the house that you want to get rid of, it can be a great solution.
Gena said: "For a better effect, you can pour them into a spray bottle and shake a little. Then you'll have to spray all the weeds and cracks you find on your way. Then just leave them be, and the sun will do the rest. The only way this solution won't work is if the place you spray it around has no exposure to the sun because the vodka may dehydrate the plant, but the sun is the one which dries them."